For you golfers in the know
- Thread starter nvEERs
- Start date
I get that but always thought anyone off the green hit first regardless of away. Maybe match play is different.
yes.....and I have played course with double greens and been literally 40 yds away on the putting surface while another guy would be in a bunker 20 ft away
In golf the player away is to play first. Use to be before the rule change that allowed the flag to stay in, a player off the green would play up since it wasn't a penalty to hit the flag. Since the rule change, then there is no need for the player off the green to go ahead and play his shot. Match play is a totally different animal in rules. The player away controls the action. If you are away, you play your shot. If you putt first, you may not finish unless your opponent says you can. If you hit out of the teeing area, in front or more than two club lengths behind, you cannot replay the stoke. You do not lose the hole but your opponent can make you replay the stroke.
The leaving the flag stick in and hitting it without penalty saves tons of time if you abide by the rules. Now, if you are on the green and want to go ahead and putt while your partner rakes a bunker or something. It's not a penalty to hit the flag while you are on the green.
This literally happened Saturday in my Member/Member tournament. 2 man better ball match play format. I'm lying 3 about 75 feet from the hole, my partner lies a million but is 35 yards off the green. Both opponents are closer than him with one of them a yard off the green directly behind my ball.
Told my partner not to hit until I was on the green so I could see the opponent's shot. As I'm walking to the green, my opponent is marking his ball after he hit. Stuck it to 2 feet. Fortunately, I had just looked the rule last week and I made him replay and he left it 15 feet short. My par wins the hole.
The ensuing argument was a riot.
Some don't make sense but most keep it orderly. Player away controls play. Pretty simple there.