By Sr. Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly
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Paper, Rock, Scissors

Many mornings at Starbucks, a group of runners routinely play Paper, Rock, Scissors to eliminate each participant until the last runner is left paying the bill. While the game requires less skill than golf, both games involve a degree of both good and bad luck.

Every golfer has experienced good and bad luck during a round of golf. For instance, the ball is deflected by a rock in the rough and comes to rest in the fairway. Or maybe your tee shot, straight down the fairway, comes to rest in a divot. Luck is part of the challenge of the game which every golfer must either rejoice in their good fortune or meet and overcome the challenge of bad luck.

Test your knowledge regarding good and bad luck involving paper, rocks and scissors on the course with the following questions.

Questions: True / False

1. A player’s tee shot hits a mower in the fairway and is deflected into a penalty area by the moving mower. The stroke is canceled and the player must play again from the teeing area.
2. The ball comes to rest on a discarded paper candy wrapper in tall grass in the general area just off the fairway. The player may lift the ball and remove the wrapper and must drop a ball within one club-length of the spot directly below where the ball came to rest on the wrapper. If the fairway is within one club-length of this reference point, and not closer to the hole, the player may drop a ball in the fairway.
3. The course has placed large rocks on the sides of fairways to indicate yardage to the green. If a player’s ball comes to rest near a yardage indicator rock and there is interference to the player’s swing, the player may take free relief.
4. Your tee shot comes to rest in the general area of the course and is visible from the tee. Before you arrive to play your second shot, a mower runs over and moves the ball. You pick up the ball to replace it where it originally came to rest before being moved and you notice a large cut on the ball. Since the ball became damaged, other than as a result of a stroke, you are not allowed to substitute another ball.
5. A player’s downhill putt from the putting green misses the hole and continues to roll to the bottom of the green where it accidentally hits a paper lunch bag left on the putting green by another player in the group. After the deflection the ball rolls off the putting green. The ball is played as it lies.
6. While searching for his or her ball in tall grass, a player accidentally kicked a rock that struck and moved the ball. There is no penalty and the player must replace the ball on its original spot.
7. After declaring your ball unplayable near a large rock, you drop a ball using the lateral option. It comes to rest in the relief area but in a spot that your club will strike the rock during your stroke. Since interference from the rock still exist, without penalty, the ball must be dropped again.
8. A few small rocks lie near the ball in a bunker. Without penalty, the rocks may be removed.
9. The official paper scorecard issued by the Committee was lost during the round and a player returned a different scorecard. The player is disqualified.
10. A mower has cut a stray ball and part of the ball lies in the rough. Unable to see the entire ball in the tall grass, a player mistakenly thinks it is his or her ball in play and makes a stroke at it. A stroke at part of a ball is not considered a stroke and the player may continue searching for his or her ball without penalty.
     

Answers:

1. False. Rule 11.1 and bad luck. The mower is considered an outside influence and the ball must be played as it lies. In this case, the ball may be played, if possible, or the player may take penalty relief under Rule 17 from the penalty area.
2. True. Rule 15.2a(2) and good luck. Since the ball came to rest in the general area, the player must also drop in the general area. Unless marked otherwise, the fairway and rough are both part of the general area and the player may drop into either condition (fairway or tall grass).
3. False. Rule 16 and Definition of Obstructions and bad luck. Unfortunately, when courses use rocks as yardage indicators, the rocks don’t lose the status of a rock. Therefore, free relief is not available unless the Committee in charge of the competition has declared the rocks to be an abnormal course condition. But the luck might not all be bad. If the rocks are not solidly embedded and the player is able to move them without doing damage to the course, they may be moved under Rule 15.1a (Removal of Loose Impediments).
4. False. Rule 4.2c and good luck. Under this Rule, when it can be clearly seen that the ball is cut or cracked and the damage happened during play of the hole being played, a new ball may be substituted to complete play of the hole. The fact that the damage wasn’t a result of a stroke is irrelevant.
5. False. Rule 11.1b Exception 2 and good luck. When a ball played from the putting green hits a movable obstruction (paper lunch bag) on the putting green, the stroke does not count and a ball must be replaced on the original spot. However, it should also be noted that positioning an article for this purpose -- either by the player or someone placing it for the player's benefit -- and having the ball subsequently deflected by the article is a breach of Rule 11.2 and the player gets the general penalty of loss of hole in match play or two penalty strokes in stroke play.
6. True. Rule 9.4b Exception 2 and good luck. In this situation the player has accidentally caused the ball to move, but since this occurred during the search for the ball, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. If the exact spot is not known, it must be estimated.
7. False. Rule 19.2c, Interpretation 19.2/1 and bad luck. When proceeding under the Unplayable Ball Rule, there is no guarantee that the ball will be in a playable lie after the drop. In the situation presented, you must either play the ball as it lies or again declare it unplayable, incurring an additional penalty for a total of two penalty strokes.
8. True. Rules 12.2a, 15.1a, Definition of Loose Impediments and good luck. Rocks that are not solidly embedded are considered loose impediments and may be removed from anywhere on or off the course. Caution should be exercised as causing the ball to move in the general area, penalty areas and bunkers while removing a loose impediment will get the player a penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
9. False. Rule 3.3b, Interpretation 3.3b/3 and good luck. Returning a different scorecard, in this circumstance, is permissible provided that the new scorecard has the player’s name and hole scores and is certified by the player and marker.
10. False. Rule 6.3c, Interpretation Wrong Ball/1 and bad luck. A stroke at part of a stray ball is a stroke at a wrong ball and the player incurs the general penalty. In stroke play, the player may continue searching for the original ball provided that he or she did not search for more than three minutes before finding the stray ball. But the luck is not all bad. Only the penalty strokes are added to the player’s score. The actual stroke at the wrong ball does not count.