Top 10 Match Play Questions

1. Can I stand behind my partner and watch how the putt breaks? Short answer, no. Rule 14-2b guides us in the answer. A partner shall not position themselves on or close to an extension of the line of play or the line of putt behind the ball during their partner’s stroke. The penalty is disqualification for the hole for the player. If the stroke assists the partner then loss of hole for the team. However the partner can stand on the other side of the hole and watch the putt.

2. Can our opponents or my partner stand behind me and watch how the putt breaks? Short answer is, kind of. Rule 14-2b also guides us in the answer. It does so by being silent on the matter of opponents. In other words it does not allow or prohibit it. So the shore answer is maybe. It become a matter of etiquette. Generally it is not a good idea and if the player tells you not to stand behind or in front of them then you must comply.

3. What happens if I say "that's good" but then change my mind as I just realized the opponent gets a stroke? Too late. Rule 2-4 & 30-3 gives us the answer. A player may concede the opponent to have holed out on his next stroke and the ball may be removed. Concession of a stroke (or hole) may not be declined or withdrawn. Should a player continue with the stroke after a concession that provides advantage to his partner (e.g. seeing the line of a putt, speed, etc.), the team penalty will be loss of hole.

3. What happens if my opponents and I disagree on whether I should get relief from ground under repair, cart path, etc? You need to make a decision as you cannot play a second ball and get a ruling later (that is for stroke play only). If your opponent disagrees with your decision then they must make a claim. Claims have an expiration point, usually prior to anyone in the group making a stroke on the next teeing ground. If they do not make a timely claim, then the issue goes away.

4. My ball is farthest from the hole and I have a chance to win the hole if I sink it. My partner has a short put to half the hole. Can he play first even though our opponents ball is farther from the hole than his ball but not farther than mine? Short answer , Yes. Rule 30-3b guides us here. Balls belonging to teammates may be played in the order that the team considers best.

5. My partner has holed out or picked up. Can he practice putting on the other side of the green while I finish putting. Short answer is, No. Decision 7-2/1 advises that until the side has finished the hole, neither partner can practice.

6. My partner is late getting to the course. Can I start without him? Short answer is, Yes. Rule 30-3a helps us out here. As side can be represented by just one partner. The other partner can join the play between holes but not during the play of a hole.

7. I accidentally played my partners ball instead of mine during the play of a hole. Now what? Short answer is, you are done for the hole. Rule 30-3c guides us here. However you can still give advice to your partner. If a player plays a stroke with a wrong ball, he shall be disqualified from that hole, but his partner incurs no penalty even if the wrong ball belongs to him. If the wrong ball belongs to another player, its owner shall place a ball on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played. 8. My partner's ball is about 2 feet from the hole and behind it. I hit my putt too hard and it strikes his ball. Now what. Short answer is, No penalty and you put the ball that was at rest back. Rule 19-5a helps us out with this one. Since this is Match play (not Stroke play) there is no penalty if a ball strikes another ball at rest on the putting green. You simply replace the ball that was at rest and play the ball that was in motion wherever it came to rest.

9. My opponent just hit a sand shot to about 5 feet from the hole. While he is raking the bunker I marked his ball that was on my line of putt so I could continue play. He looks up and says I am not allowed to mark his ball without his permission. Since I already marked it he claims the hole. Can he do that? Short answer is, Not exactly. Rule 18-3b helps us out here. The player is correct that an opponent may not purposely touch an opponent's ball without permission but he is confused on the penalty. The penalty is 1 stroke not loss of hole. Now if you just took his word that it was loss of hole and went to the next hole and played a stroke then, in effect you have lost the hole. If you disagreed and continued play of the hole and he picked up and made a claim, his claim would not have been upheld and you would have won the hole. Be very careful when someone claims a hole and you are not sure if that is correct. You should finish out the hole.

10. Player A has a 14 foot putt, he asks Player B "what does he lie". Player B replies " I lie 4" but he actually lies 5 since he incurred a 1 stroke penalty for taking relief from a water hazard that he forgot. Player A putts rolling it past the hole by 4 feet. Player B then remembers the water hazard drop and corrects himself saying he lies 5. Can I claim the hole because I was trying to make the putt and I hit it too hard. Short answer is, Yes. Rule 9-2b gives us the answer. It does not matter how far you hit the ball past or short of the hole. The mere fact that you were given wrong information and it was not corrected prior to your stroke gives you the hole. (There is a variation to the outcome if the opponent had already holed out whereby you may only get a half). So the moral of the story is be very careful in how you answer this question and make sure you correct it before your opponent makes a stroke.