The Rules of Golf: Doubt as to Procedure
Posted by Double Eagle in Rules
It’s bound to happen sooner or later, whether in a competitive tournament or in a weekend match that’s taken a little too seriously. Eventually something is going to happen where the rules are not clear.
Sometimes a player feels he is entitled to relief but is not entirely certain. Never fear! The Rules are here to help.
Rule 3-3 provides guidance when there is a doubt as to procedure.
The rule states that if a player is in doubt as to procedure, he may complete the hole with two balls, without penalty. He must notify his fellow competitor (or marker) that he wishes to play two balls, and which he will count if the Rules permit.
The player must present the facts to the Committee prior to turning in his scorecard so that a determination can be made.
Probably the most famous occurrence of Rule 3-3 happened in the 1958 Masters to Arnold Palmer.
On the 12th hole, Palmer sought relief for an embedded ball. The on-site rules official declined. Palmer then announced that he would be playing a second ball under Rule 3-3. He made a double bogey with the original ball, returned to the spot, took his relief, and scored par with the second ball.
A few holes later, tournament officials ruled that Palmer was correct and that he was entitled to relief from an embedded ball.
He went on to win the Masters that year by a single shot.
All was not rosy, though, as fellow competitor Ken Venturi accused Palmer of knowingly breaking the rule in his book Getting Up & Down: My 60 Years in Golf. His claim was that Palmer knowingly broke the Rule by playing out his first ball, then declaring his intention to proceed under Rule 3-3 and playing a second ball , rather than playing two balls simultaneously from that spot.
The Rules do not specify that the two balls played under Rule 3-3 must be played simultaneously (alternating shot for shot). However, they do state that a player must declare his intentions “after the doubtful situation has arisen and before taking further action.”
He said that he confronted Palmer at the time and Palmer still claimed that he had proceeded correctly. Venturi chose to keep the incident quiet at the time because he was concerned with his own reputation, should he accuse the most popular player in the world of knowingly breaking the rules. He kept it to himself until he retired from broadcasting, so as not to cause a controversy involving the Masters that could have reflected badly on CBS, his employer and longstanding Masters broadcast network.
Venturi also claims that years after the incident, Augusta National and Masters founders Bob Jones and Clifford Roberts indicated to him that Palmer should not have been granted the drop that won him the Masters.
Just another example of the complex beast that the Rules of Golf can be.
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