Golfer not permitted to substitute ball

Q. I play with a friend who thinks it’s OK to tee off with one brand of golf ball and putt with another. He substitutes a putting ball for his original ball every time we are on the green. What penalty, if any, does he receive for doing this? — W. Ling

A. Your friend has substituted a ball when not permitted to do so. Rule 15 states that if a player substitutes a ball when not permitted to do so, the substituted ball is not a wrong ball; it becomes the ball in play. If the player makes a stroke at a wrongly substituted ball, he loses the hole in match play or incurs a penalty of 2 strokes in stroke play under the applicable rule. That would be 2 strokes for every hole he put his putting ball into play.

Q. I was playing in a monthly tournament at our club this weekend and got a ruling I didn’t agree with. I’m hoping you can clear it up for me. My ball was in an area marked as a lateral water hazard but I could play it. When I took my stance to make the shot I was standing on the cart path. I wanted relief from the cart path even though I knew the nearest relief was in the hazard. My fellow competitors said that since my ball was in the water hazard I didn’t get relief from the cart path. Could I have taken relief and dropped in the hazard? — Ann Gleen

A. You should listen to your fellow competitors; they had it right. You only receive relief from an immovable obstruction (cart path) when your ball lies outside a water hazard or lateral water hazard. If your ball had been outside the lateral water hazard you would have had to find the nearest point of relief that was not in the hazard and you would have to drop outside the hazard.

Q. I’m playing in a partner’s tournament next month and need some advice on things not to do. I know I can give my partner advice, yardage and line his shots up. What can’t I do? — Conrad

A. You can line up your partner but must move off to the side before he makes a stroke at the ball. You can line his putts up and indicate a line for putting but in doing so don’t touch the putting green. You can remove loose impediments or movable obstructions for him and even show him how to swing the club. You can give him yardage, club selection and advice on how the putts break.

One thing to avoid is moving your partner’s golf ball at rest unless the rules permit it. Rule 18-2 states that if the player, his partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves a player’s ball in play, touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it) or causes it to move except as permitted by a rule, or equipment of the player or his partner causes the ball to move, the player incurs a penalty of 1 stroke. Have fun.

Sue May is a U.S. Open rules official, a member of the USGA Senior Women’s committee and tournament director of the Women’s Trans National Championship. Address your rules questions to suemay@cox.net.