By Sr. Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly
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Preparing for and Making a Stroke

A stroke is made by fairly striking at the ball. Seems simple enough. Or is it? Many thoughts race through a golfer’s mind before taking a stance or making a stroke. Hopefully, included in those thoughts are Rules regarding what is allowed before, during and after the stroke is made.

A good knowledge of how the stroke must be made and what is permitted is paramount to making each and every stroke without incurring penalties. For example, allowing certain people on the course to stand in certain locations while preparing for and making the stroke could earn the golfer penalty strokes. See questions 1 and 2 below for examples of this situation.

Test your knowledge of Rule 10 and others that regulate actions before, during and after making a stroke with the following questions.

Questions: True / False

1. A towel or other piece of equipment may be placed at the top of a hill for a blind shot to show the line of play for a stroke made from the general area. However, it must be removed before the stroke is made.
2. A player must not allow his or her caddie or partner to deliberately stand on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball for any reason once the player begins to take a stance for the stroke.
3. The ball may be fairly struck at with any part of the club.
4. When the ball is in a bunker, practice swings in a different bunker that touch the sand are not allowed.
5. A player must not take a stance for the stroke to be made by placing a club on the ground to help with aligning his or her feet.
6. After missing a short putt, the player reaches across the hole and taps the ball into the hole. This action is a breach of Rule 10 for standing on or straddling the line of play.
7. If the club hits the ball more than once during a stroke, the stroke counts and the player must add one penalty stroke.
8. After a wayward tee shot, the player desires to play a provisional ball because the original ball might be out of bounds. He or she must announce that the next ball is a provisional ball.
9. In stroke play, a player gets two penalty strokes for taking a practice swing that touches the sand when the ball is in a penalty area.
10. In preparing for a stroke with a putter from the fringe, a player may repair damage to the putting green but must not repair damage to the fringe that is on his or her line of play.
     

Answers:

1. True. Rule 10.2b(1). The important point to remember is that the object set down to show the line of play must be removed before the stroke is made. Additionally, the player may have another person stand on or close to the line of play to indicate a direction but the person must move away before the stroke is made.
2. True. Rule 10.2b(4). The operative word in this question is “deliberately”. There is no penalty if the partner or caddie was unaware that the player had begun to take his or her stance. However, even if no information is exchanged, a caddie or partner may not stand in this location purposely. This Rule keeps the process of aiming at the target fundamental to the game, a challenge that every golfer must overcome alone.
3. False. Rule 10.1a. The ball must be fairly struck at with the head of the club. And any part of the head, including the back of the head, satisfies this Rule. Fairly struck means that there will be only momentary contact with the ball. In other words, the ball must not be pushed, scraped or scooped.
4. False. Rule 12.2b. Provided the ball is not in the same bunker, a player may take practice swings that touch the sand, even if they test the conditions of a different bunker.
5. True. Rule 10.2b(3). Placing any object on the ground to help with the player’s alignment is not allowed. This includes any object that the player places or has placed to show the line of play. Once again, the challenge of aiming at the target is something the golfer must perform without assistance of other people or objects.
6. False. Rule 10.1c. This action is often questioned by golfers and can be a bit confusing. Since the intention of the golfer is to have the ball come to rest in the hole, the line of play ends at the hole. Therefore, tapping in a putt from the opposite side of the hole is not a breach of this Rule or any other Rule. It is important to note that the ball must be tapped and not pulled or dragged into the hole.
7. False. Rule 10.1a. Hitting the ball more than once with a club must be accidental for a player to avoid penalty. If the club accidentally hits the ball more than once, there is no penalty and the ball is played as it lies and there has only been one stroke.
8. True. Rule 18.3b. This is one of the few Rules that require players to announce their intention before making a stroke. The word “provisional” must be used or it must be indicated that the player intends to play a ball provisionally under Rule 18.3. If the player fails to properly announce as outlined in this Rule and makes a stroke at the ball, the ruling would be that the second ball is in play under penalty of stroke and distance.
9. False. Rule 17.1b. A ball that lies in a penalty area may be played under the same Rules that apply to a ball in the general area. Therefore, a practice swing that touches the sand in a penalty area is permitted. The only time a practice swing may not touch the ground is when the practice swing is made in the same bunker where the ball lies.
10. True. Rules 8.1 and 13.1c(2). The fringe is part of the general area and the player must not improve the conditions affecting the stroke. For example, damage on the fringe caused by the impact of a ball must not be repaired prior to the stroke if the repair improves the lie of the ball, area of intended stance, swing or line of play. The putting green is a special area of the course and may be repaired whether or not the ball is on the putting green.
     

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