MATCH PLAY RULES
A) MATCH PLAY
Match Play was the original form of golf. Today, most of the tournaments are played as stroke play. However, all the major international and national championships are played at match play, i.e. the British Amateur, the U.S. Amateur and the Canadian Amateur. In fact, with the exception of the Canadian Junior, all other national amateur championships run by the RCGA and the USGA are played at match play. As well, the CJGA Ping Canadian Junior Championship is match play.
Matches can be played in several forms. During the North American Cup, you will be playing singles, foursomes and four-ball matches. These will be discussed in more detail shortly.
The following rules are common to all forms of match play and differ from stroke play:
• Score: In match play, the game is played by holes and the winner of the match is the side which is leading by a number of holes greater than the number of holes remaining to be played. You do not need to keep a scorecard or turn it in at the end of the round, signed and countersigned.
Example: At the 1st hole, Player A takes four strokes to hole out while Player B takes five strokes. Player A wins the hole and is 1 up.
• General Penalty: The general penalty in stroke play is two strokes. In match play it is loss of hole.
• Concessions: In stroke play you must complete play of every hole by holing out. In match play, you may concede a putt, a hole or a match at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or match. You may only concede your opponents next stroke when his ball is at rest.
A player may concede a hole or match at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or the match.
Concession of a stroke, hole or match may not be declined or withdrawn.
• If you play out of turn (whether from the teeing ground or through the green) your opponent may immediately require you to cancel the stroke and to play a ball in the proper order, without penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty for playing out of turn, unless you did so to give an advantage to yourself or your fellow-competitor.
• Similarly, if you tee off from outside the teeing ground, your opponent may immediately require you to cancel the stroke and to play a ball from within the teeing ground, without penalty. In stroke play, there is a two-stroke penalty for teeing off from outside the teeing ground and you must then play a ball from within the teeing ground.
• In match play, if a player incurs a penalty, he must notify his opponent as soon as practicable unless he is obviously proceeding under a Rule involving a penalty and this has been observed by his opponent. If the player fails to notify his opponent, he is deemed to have given wrong information. The player loses the hole if his opponent plays a stroke before being told of the penalty.
WORD OF CAUTION : Always immediately advise your opponent when you have incurred a penalty stroke.
As well, if asked, a player must tell his opponent what he scored on the hole just completed. If he gives wrong information and this affects the opponent's understanding of the result of the hole, he must correct the mistake before any player plays from the next teeing ground. If the player fails to correct the wrong information, the player loses the hole.
• If you play a stroke with a wrong ball, except in a hazard, you lose the hole. In stroke play, it is a two-stroke penalty.
• In stroke play, if you are uncertain as to how to proceed, you may play a second ball under Rule 3-3 and let the Committee make a ruling after the round is completed. This option is not available in match play. You make a decision and proceed. If your opponent does not agree, he can make a claim and the Committee will decide who is correct.
• In match play, a player may disregard a breach of the Rules by his opponent, provided there is no agreement between the players to waive the Rules of Golf. There is a difference between overlooking an opponent's breach and an agreement with an opponent to waive a penalty. The latter is prohibited under Rule 1-3.
In stroke play, it is quite the opposite. Each player must protect the rest of the field by insisting that penalty strokes be recorded if there has been a violation of the Rules.
B) FOURSOMES (ALTERNATE SHOT)
Foursomes or alternate shots as it is called in North America , are governed by Rule 29. A foursome is a match in which two play against two, and each side plays one ball.
The partners must play alternately from the teeing grounds and alternately during the play of each hole. Penalty strokes do not affect the order of play. When you see the words “threesomes” or “foursomes”, it means “ some of the players hit the ball some of the time .” Thus, one partner will tee-off from all the odd numbered holes and the other partner will tee-off from all the even numbered holes.
The key then is to study the golf course and know the strengths of each partner in considering the order of play. As an example, Tim and Bryan are partners in a foursome match. Tim is an exceptionally long hitter. Bryan on the other hand is not as long as Tim but is very accurate. The majority of the even numbered holes are long par 4's and par 5's while the odd numbered holes are short par 4's and par 3's. This would suggest that Tim should tee-off on all the even numbered holes to take advantage of his length. Bryan would tee-off on the odd numbered holes where accuracy is more important.
C) FOUR-BALL (BETTER BALL)
A four-ball match is the most common form of play and is generally called a better ball in North America . It is a match in which two play their better ball against the better ball of two other players. Four-ball match play is governed by Rule 30.
A side may be represented by one partner for all or any part of a match; all partners need not be present. An absent partner may join a match between holes, but not during play of a hole.
The side will be penalized for a breach of Rule 4-4(maximum of 14 clubs per player) by any partner.
Balls belonging to the same side may be played in the order the side considers best. Refer to the diagram below:
A and B are partners in a four-ball match with C and D. A is two feet from the hole and will par the hole if he sinks the two-foot putt. B is 12 feet from the hole and will birdie the hole if he sinks this putt. It is B's turn to play. A may putt first in order to secure the par for the side and thereby take some pressure off B allowing him to make a good putt for the birdie.
If a player plays a stroke with a wrong ball, except in a hazard, he will be disqualified for that hole, but his partner incurs no penalty even if the wrong ball belongs to him.
A side will be disqualified for a breach of any of the following by any partner:
• Rule 1-3: Agreement to Waive Rules
• Rule 4-1 or 4-2: Use of Non-Conforming Clubs
• Rule 5-1 or 5-2: Use of Non-Conforming Balls
• Rule 6-2a: Playing off Higher Handicap
• Rule 6-4: Caddie
• Rule 6-7: Undue Delay/Slow Play
• Rule 14-3: Artificial Device
If a player's breach of a rule assists his partner's play
or adversely affects an opponent's play, the partner incurs the applicable penalty in addition to any penalty incurred by the player. In all other cases where a player incurs a penalty for a breach of a rule, the penalty shall not apply to the partner. Where the penalty is stated to be loss of hole, the effect shall be to disqualify the player for that hole.
D) CLAIMS
As mentioned earlier, in stroke play, if you are uncertain as to how to proceed, you may play a second ball under Rule 3-3 and let the Committee make a ruling after the round is completed. This option is not available in match play.
If a doubt or dispute arises between the players, and no official is available within a reasonable time, the players must continue the match without delay. A claim, if it is to be considered by the Committee, must be made before any player in the match plays from the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the match, before all players in the match leave the putting green.
No later claim will be considered unless it is based on facts previously unknown to the player making the claim and the player making the claim had been given wrong information by an opponent. In any case, no later claim will be considered after the result of the match has been officially announced, unless the Committee is satisfied that the opponent knew he was giving wrong information.
For a claim to be valid, the player must notify his opponent (1) that he is making a claim, (2) of the facts of the situation, and (3) that he wants a ruling. For example, player A putts from a stance astride an extension of the line of putt. Player B states “that is not allowed, you are penalized” or “I'm making a claim because of that stroke.”
The committee will uphold the claim and A will lose the hole for a breach of Rule 16-1e.
Statements by B such as “I'm not sure that's allowed” or “I don't think you can do that” do not by themselves constitute a valid claim.
WORD OF CAUTION : Immediately make a claim when you think that your opponent has breached a Rule |
