Golf Rules Golf Rule 9 Information As To Strokes Taken (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 9 Information As To Strokes Taken (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now rule number 9 covers information about the number of strokes taken. And we've often talked about relating to the rules, golf is a trust exercise. We’re trusting each other to keep a good accurate tally of our scores, particularly a little fiddly things like penalty shots. You know sometimes if a guy is way over there in the trees and we can't see what he's doing, we've got to trust that he's not incurring any penalty shots. And if he is, he notifies it straightaway about them. Even something small like just as I set it to a putt, if the club comes down and touches the back of the ball, then well you can see that there.

Even if it just brushes the back of the ball, I’ve touched the ball. We’ve improved the position potentially. That's a penalty shot straight away. I would have to make note of that and then tell my playing partner or my marker, my scorer that I’ve incurred a penalty shot. So in stroke play, the marker is responsible to make sure my score is accurate, to give to the rest of the field. So I would have to say, I want to hit it three times but I had a penalty shot there in the trees that you didn't see. So stick me down for a 4 please and then he writes that down accurately, signs it and we're all happy days. In a match play competition, it’s person on person. So the rest of the field don’t really matters, person on person. Somebody might say to me, right Pete, how many shots have you taken to get there? I’ve then got to tell them accurately. Because that might influence their decision on what they're going to do to try and beat me. So if I've taken four to the side of the hole, I’ve got to tell them that. I can't say oh I have taken three. They then do something quite aggressive to try and get the ball in the hole to beat me. Then I say ha ha, actually I was kidding. I’ve taken four, but I've still won the hole. That would be not allowed. Match play, giving the wrong score, giving the wrong information is loss of hole. Stroke play could be a two-shot penalty, but most often in strokeplay somebody will give you the opportunity to correct your score before you signed your scorecard. If you sign your scorecard and your score is incorrect and you get found out, disqualification. And pretty much the worst thing is going to happen to a golfer is to be found out cheating, signing his scorecard incorrectly and getting disqualified. You'll suddenly find yourself with not many playing partners. So let's make sure that when you give scores, whether it's in strokeplay or match play, be always as honest as in the reflection as you can, and including all of your penalty shots as well. 2015-07-16

Now rule number 9 covers information about the number of strokes taken. And we've often talked about relating to the rules, golf is a trust exercise. We’re trusting each other to keep a good accurate tally of our scores, particularly a little fiddly things like penalty shots. You know sometimes if a guy is way over there in the trees and we can't see what he's doing, we've got to trust that he's not incurring any penalty shots. And if he is, he notifies it straightaway about them. Even something small like just as I set it to a putt, if the club comes down and touches the back of the ball, then well you can see that there.

Even if it just brushes the back of the ball, I’ve touched the ball. We’ve improved the position potentially. That's a penalty shot straight away. I would have to make note of that and then tell my playing partner or my marker, my scorer that I’ve incurred a penalty shot. So in stroke play, the marker is responsible to make sure my score is accurate, to give to the rest of the field. So I would have to say, I want to hit it three times but I had a penalty shot there in the trees that you didn't see. So stick me down for a 4 please and then he writes that down accurately, signs it and we're all happy days.

In a match play competition, it’s person on person. So the rest of the field don’t really matters, person on person. Somebody might say to me, right Pete, how many shots have you taken to get there? I’ve then got to tell them accurately. Because that might influence their decision on what they're going to do to try and beat me. So if I've taken four to the side of the hole, I’ve got to tell them that. I can't say oh I have taken three. They then do something quite aggressive to try and get the ball in the hole to beat me. Then I say ha ha, actually I was kidding. I’ve taken four, but I've still won the hole.

That would be not allowed. Match play, giving the wrong score, giving the wrong information is loss of hole. Stroke play could be a two-shot penalty, but most often in strokeplay somebody will give you the opportunity to correct your score before you signed your scorecard. If you sign your scorecard and your score is incorrect and you get found out, disqualification. And pretty much the worst thing is going to happen to a golfer is to be found out cheating, signing his scorecard incorrectly and getting disqualified. You'll suddenly find yourself with not many playing partners.

So let's make sure that when you give scores, whether it's in strokeplay or match play, be always as honest as in the reflection as you can, and including all of your penalty shots as well.