#036: September 30, 2017 — Jay Peak, Vermont

Group: SunShine, Boomer, Grumpy & Wilford (Hitting cart/equipment in a different foursome)

As players in the group ahead left the green on #5, Boomer hit his approach shot off to the left and hit one of the powercarts as they left the hole. Citing the ruling that one gets to hit again when hitting the equipment of another player, Boomer decided to re-hit without penalty.

Boomer was not entitled to re-hit without penalty.

If a ball hits someone or their equipment in a different group, there is no penalty and the ball is played as it lies. It is the same as if the ball had hit a tree or anything else, and this is known as the rub of the green. If the ball hits your own equipment, or yourself, the player must take a one-stroke penalty and the ball is played as it lies. If the ball hits an opponent in your own group, you may replay the shot in match-play or just play it as it lies. This only applies to the match with the opponent whose equipment was hit, but does not apply to any other matches that may be underway. For the other matches in your group, the ball must be played as it lies, so you could actually have more than one ball in play for the remainder of the hole.

#035: August 19, 2017 — Brockville Country Club

Group: Grumpy, Mulder & Sutty (Second ball hit with original stroke)

On hole #5, Grumpy hit his ball into the thick fescue short-left off the tee. He finds his ball. It is not a staked hazard so he confirms that it his ball and proceeds to hit the ball ball beautifully down the fairway. However, directly UNDER his ball was a second ball which was not his, but likely a lost ball from a golfer who played the hole in the past, and this second ball also flies forward a short distance. There is no penalty for hitting the concealed ball, as per the decision below:

15/2 Player's Stroke at Own Ball Dislodges Concealed Ball:

• Q. A player plays a stroke with his own ball in the rough and also hits an old abandoned ball which was hidden beneath his ball. Since he struck the hidden ball, did he play a wrong ball?
• A. No. The player played a stroke with his own ball, not with the hidden ball. Since he did not play a stroke with the hidden ball, Rule 15-3 is not applicable. The player must play his ball as it lies.

#034: July 29, 2017 — Dragonfly Golf Links

Group: Grumpy, Mulder, BigGuy & Green Arrow (Relief From Ground Under Repair)

On hole #14, Mulder’s ball landed in a roped off area. The group asked a Marshall if that was ground under repair (free relief) and the marshall said yes. Mulder removed his ball, dropped with no penalty and proceeded to play. Every member of the group was in a similar area around the green later that hole. They all decided to play from the area without removing it. After the round, course staff indicated that those areas are just to keep carts out.

The lesson to be learned here is that course marshalls should never be asked anything about rules because they are not qualified rules officials.

In this situation Mulder will not be penalized because of the confusion, but this also serves as a reminder to play as you see fit and if someone believes you have violated the rules, a claim may be filed.

#033: June 24, 2017 — Stittsville Golf Course

Group: Grumpy, Mulder, Charlie & Boomer (Identifying Golf Ball)

On hole #17, Boomer was in search of his golf ball. In looking where he thought it landed, an unmarked Callaway was found. Boomer was not sure if it was his. Grumpy told his group he would identify his own ball, and did so and replaced the ball. Boomer then went to identify his ball as well. He did not announce his intent to identify. Boomer determined it was his ball and played the ball after replacing it. There was some discussion about whether the ball was actually Boomers as it didn’t have his markings on it, however Boomer announced that it was his ball as it had been replaced a few holes earlier. The question of whether the ball was Boomer’s or not would be a separate ruling and didn’t end up being challenged.

In this case the lesson learned is that you must declare you will be identifying your golf ball, have a witness and do so by marking the location of the ball, carefully lifting and turning enough to identify, then replace the ball exactly the way it was.

Boomer received a one-stroke penalty for not following the procedure to identify the golf ball.

#032: June 24, 2017 — Stittsville Golf Course

Group: Grumpy, Mulder, Charlie & Boomer (Weed removed from putting green)

On hole #14, Mulder removed a weed that was on the putting green and in his line of play. Boomer challenged Mulder’s score on the hole. Golf Canada rules are very straightforward on this in that no irregularities other than ball marks can be fixed on a putting green, until after the hole has been played. Normally in match-play this would be loss of hole however the Slammer Tour has a local rule which reads as follows:

Spike Marks: You MAY tap down or fix spike marks or any other marks on the green. (Please fix a few ball marks while you're at it!). Given the local Slammer Tour rule, Mulder does not receive any penalty.

#031: July 1, 2016

Touching Sand in Bunker During Backswing

Q. A player playing a shot in a bunker accidentally touched the sand when making his backswing. What is the ruling?

A. The player was in breach of Rule 13-4b when he touched the ground in the bunker with his club before making the stroke (see Definition of "Stroke").

Penalty in match-play: Loss of hole. (Rule 13-4b)

#030: April 17, 2016 — Cedarhill

Group: Grumpy, Mulder & Sutty (Incorrect drop due to 'no going back')

On hole #3, Grumpy, Mulder and Sutty all drove their ball to the right near the cart path and trees. Grumpy’s ball was found on the left side of path. Mulder waited at ‘his’ ball while Grumpy & Sutty looked for Sutty’s ball, but to no avail, and Sutty took a drop.

All three players hit their next shot and all three were in the fairway. Sutty hit first, then Grumpy and as Mulder was about to hit, we realized that Mulder had hit Sutty’s original ball.

Mulder declared himself out of the hole for hitting a wrong ball and scored appropriately. Sutty did not take a penalty stroke as we determined that Mulder had hit his ball, so when Sutty hit from the fairway, he considered it his third shot as opposed to his fourth shot.

Decision: This turned out to be a pretty odd situation after all. There is no doubt that Mulder hit the wrong ball and loses the hole.

Given our local Slammer Tour rule of “no going back”, in this situation, it was agreed by the group that Sutty should drop at the location where he originally did, and Sutty was right to remove the penalty stroke when he realized that Mulder had played his ball, hence why he could not find it.

If this was a stroke-play event, the results of this ruling would not be the same, but given that it’s match-play and the the group had agreed where Sutty’s ball would have been for the drop, new information after the fact cannot be used to reverse that decision. Sutty’s score stands with a six on the hole.

#029: November 7, 2015 — Manderley

Group: Grumpy, TMC, Bobo & Cracker (Playing from incorrect tee blocks)

Some Slammers were required to use hybrid tees: whites for even numbered holes and forward tees for odd numbered holes. All four players teed off on hole #6 (Central) and completed the hole. On the seventh tee, they realized that one player had not played from the correct tee box on the previous hole, the matter was discussed and it was agreed that a claim would be filed for the purpose of education.

In match-play, rule 11-4a states: “If a player, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing ground, there is no penalty, but the opponent may immediately require the player to cancel the stroke and play a ball from within the teeing ground.”

As the playing partners did not immediately ask for the correction (it was only realized it an entire hole later), there is no penalty and the hole is scored as played.

#028: October 4, 2015 — Edelweiss

Group: Steel Crazy, Grumpy, Mulder & RonBow (Improper Drop)

On hole #4, Steel Crazy's drive went right, close to the fence after the dog-leg. He found the ball, picked it up and prepared to make a one-stroke drop. After discussing options, he replaced the ball in its original position and proceeded to hit out of the fescue.

Steel Crazy was permitted to lift his ball and proceed under rule 28 (Ball Unplayable); however, when he then changed his mind and decided to play it from its original position he cancelled his right to lift the ball... penalty for moving his own ball in play without permission under the rules is one-stroke under rule 18-2A.

Claim is found valid and one stroke is added to Steel Crazy’s score on that hole.

Interesting side note: if Steel crazy had dropped his ball back into the fescue instead of replacing it, he would have breached rule 18-2A for a second time (rule 18-2A requires the ball to be replaced under penalty of one stroke, not dropped) and in that situation the penalty in match play is loss of hole (decision 18-2A/9).

#027: June 14, 2015 — Buckingham

Ball moved on the putting green after address.

Smitty was putting on the 15th hole. Smitty addressed his ball and as his backswing started, JonJon saw Smitty’s ball move. Smitty didn’t notice and continued his stroke and proceeded to make the putt. JonJon let Smitty know that he saw his ball move and would be filing a claim. 

#026: May 25, 2014 — Lombard Glen

Playing the course before match begins.

ZenGirl, Rulz, Taz and PukeyJ were planning to play their TC Mixed match at Lombard Glen on Friday May 30th at 2pm. There is also a morning event the same day so ZenGirl emailed the Slammer Tour asking if she could play the morning event as well.

In match-play, rule 7-1a permits practice before or between rounds: "On any day of a match play competition, a player may practice on the competition course before a round".

This would not be the case in a stroke-play competition.

#025: May 14, 2014 — Cedarhill

Group: Cuba, PointZero, Giggity & Sunny

On hole #17, Cuba hits his ball into an area that the course had staked as 'ground under repair'. Against the advice of his competitors, Cuba plays his ball from the ground under repair without penalty. Cuba and a fellow competitor agree that it's a good idea to file a claim after the hole to find out the rule and test his choice of play. This was done in a very sportsmanlike manner so kudos to all.

Rule 25 indicates that a player may take relief from an abnormal ground condition without penalty: may, not must. If the player does not wish to take relief, then he is free to play the ball as it lies with no penalty.

Note that an exception to this would be if the committee had declared play from the abnormal ground condition prohibited, which, does sometimes happen, for instance, a committee may include a local rule or condition of the competition that flower beds are ground under repair from which play is prohibited and a player must take free relief from them. Failure to do so would be a two-stroke penalty in stroke play and loss of hole in match play.

#024: August 10, 2013 — Casselview

Improper Drop

On hole #9, Boomer hit his tee shot towards the trees on the right with a 'right to left' ball flight. Chill mentioned to the group that she saw the ball go into the trees at the start of the tree line. IronMaiden and The Game helped Boomer search for his ball while chill played her shot from the left side of the fairway. Boomer decided to drop his ball on the left side of the trees and up a bit further than the entrance at the front of the wooded area. After the hole was completed, before teeing off on the next hole, chill let Boomer know she would be filing a claim for an improper drop.

After reviewing the situation by the committee, it was deemed that the location for the drop should have been at the entrance to the wooded area so Boomer's score is changed to a nine on the hole as a result of the loss of hole penalty. Information the committee used was the fact that the ball was moving right to left, therefore it couldn't have entered the wooded area from the left, and the fact that the hole was playing into the wind on a cold day, so the distance from the tee where Boomer dropped wasn't likely.

#023: August 4, 2013 — Carleton

Ball moves after address

On hole #13 at Carleton, Rulz hit is second shot and explained to his opponents that he was taking a one-stroke penalty because his ball moved as he started his swing. Rulz addressed the ball, slightly moved his club forward (to start his swing) and the ball moved. Rulz continued his swing and proceeded to hit his ball in its new location.

PointZero filed a claim to ensure Rulz's action was correct.

Rule 18-2B. If a player’s ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke), the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke. The ball must be replaced, unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made. Rulz was correct in taking one penalty stroke as he did not need to replace his ball since he had begun his stroke.

#022: July 7, 2013

Clarification on the meaning of "Loose Impediments"

For informational purposes only. A player advises his opponents that he was taking a drop due to loose impediments; however, the rules do not allow for relief from loose impediments by dropping. You may remove the loose impediment per rule 23 but the ball cannot move (unless on the green). In this case, an opponent should have filed a claim for such action. See rule 23. Breach of rule 23 in match-play results in loss of hole. The loose impediments in this instance were grass cuttings piled for removal and are considered Ground Under Repair, so rule 25-1 comes into play.

Decision 25/11 addresses this matter explicitly;

25/11. Grass Cuttings. Grass cuttings are ground under repair only if they have been piled for removal (see definition of “Ground Under Repair”). If cuttings piled for removal interfere with a player’s stance or swing, the player is entitled to relief under Rule 25-1b. Grass cuttings are loose impediments (see definition of “loose impediments”), whether or not they are piled for removal, and may be removed by the player – Rule 23-1.

The question is, were the clippings really piled for removal? Many course greenkeepers dump the grass cuttings from the green immediately behind the green in the rough with no intention to return and remove them. Players should make it a practice to announce their intentions before taking relief so that others will know what is happening and will therefore have an opportunity to observe the player's actions.

#021: May 3, 2013 — Mountain Creek

Hitting from Wrong Tee Box

On #10 at Mountain Creek, Chilly hit his drive from the white tees when he should have hit from the blues. This was brought to his attention so he re-hit from the blue tees. He then scored a birdie three on the par-four hole. Chilly didn't think there was a penalty but Rulz did, although neither was certain. Jonathan (Mountain Creek pro) thought it was a two stroke penalty in stroke-play but wasn't sure for match-play.

Chily was correct. In match-play, his score is three. If his opponents had not said anything, he could have played his first ball without penalty. In stroke-play, however, Chilly would have incurred a two-stroke penalty and scored a five; however, if the error was not corrected before teeing off the next hole, he would have been disqualified.

Please note that despite the fact that there are skins, it's a match-play league and the Slammer Tour follows rules specific to match-play. Therefore Chilly's birdie cuts of Rulz's birdie.

#020: April 30, 2013 — eQuinelle

Lift, Clean & Place

On hole #1 at eQuinelle, Nolanator picked up his ball and replaced it, with no intention to cheat. A claim was filed by IronMaiden and intention to file a claim was communicated to Nolanator prior to the start of the next hole. It should be noted that Nolanator misunderstood the local rule and didn't really gain an advantage in this situation. On the Slammer Tour, it is encouraged help people out with the rules when unknown as long as they don't gain an advantage, instead of filing a claim.

Since lift, clean and place was not in effect during this event, Nolanator was in breach of Rule 18-2. Nolanator lifted or moved his ball which was not permitted under the Rules of Golf, local rules, Slammer Tour rules or event rules — therefore he incurs a one-stroke penalty as specified in 18-2.

Nolanator scored a three on the hole but signed for a four (which includes a one-stroke penalty) so his score stands as four.

#019: April 20, 2013 — Conklin

Water Hazard Relief
(Update: red and yellow stakes are now treated the same, see rule C-11)

Hole #10 at Conklin Players Club is an island green par three. Rulz hits his ball over the green into the water. There are no red or yellow stakes on the hole and there is a drop zone located before the water. Rulz proceeds to the back of the islands and drops two club lengths from his point of entry. Malone files a claim thinking that the drop zone must be used in this situation.

Play again from where the original ball was last played, or
Drop anywhere on a line which extends from the hole through where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard (what Tiger confused and got wrong at the Masters!), or
Drop a ball in the drop zone

#018: January 19, 2013 — Tour Central

Mock decisions (as examples) based on no stroke-and-distance penalties

1. On hole #9 at Mountain Creek, there are white OB stakes on the left hand side to dissuade players from cutting the corner. Malone approaches his ball and finds it out-of-bounds. The Slammer Tour local rules state that Malone may play it as a lateral hazard situation by dropping a new ball no more than two club lengths from the point of entry — and no closer to the hole — but Malone played it as it laid since the area is treated as a lateral hazard. Rulz filed a claim indicating that he was not allowed to play the ball and had to take a drop like it was a lateral hazard.
   
   Rulz was correct and Malone lost the hole. Malone should have determined his point of entry and either dropped a ball two club lengths from the point of entry or kept the pin and the point of entry in line and went back to a maximum of 50 yards.
   
   
2. On hole #3 at Eagle Creek, Rulz hit his tee shot into the trees on the right. He searched for his ball for about 2.5 minutes and was about to drop at the point of entry but then discovered his ball nestled up against a tree. He declared his ball unplayable but since it was not ideal for him to drop with two club lengths (as he would still be in the forest), he decided to drop two club lengths from the point of entry into the forest (trouble area) and took a two stroke penalty. No opponents objected as this was the proper procedure.
   
   Note that if Rulz had approached the forest and didn't bother to look for his ball, he could have declared it lost and taken a one stroke penalty, dropping within two club lengths of his point of entry of the trouble area. This is the risk a golfer takes when looking for their ball because if found, that is the ball in play. In this case Rulz made the correct ethical decision to acknowledge it was indeed his ball and thus incurred the two-stroke penalty.
   
   
3. On hole #9 at Mountain Creek, there's a creek that runs across the fairway short of the green — marked with red stakes. The creek is about 15 yards wide and Malone hit his second shot into the general area of the hazard, but thought it may have creeped out on the other side of the hazard. When Malone approached the hazard, he hit a "hazard provisional" before crossing the hazard to look for his ball. He then proceeded to the other size of the hazard and found his ball just inside the hazard... but playable. He proceeded to play his original ball out of the hazard and picked up his "hazard provisional" ball.
   
   Malone proceeded correctly because this was an effort to save time instead of going to the other side of the hazard, possibly not finding his ball, then having to return to the other side of the hazard again.
   
   Had Malone found his original ball outside of the hazard, he could have proceeded the same way.
   
   Had he found his original ball in the hazard but unplayable, he could have picked it up and played the "hazard provisional" (with the stroke penalty).
   
   Had he found his original ball in the hazard, tried to play it, but left it in the hazard, he could have still played the "hazard provisional" and taken a two-stroke penalty (the original penalty stroke plus an extra stroke for each attempt to get out of the hazard).

#017: September 16, 2012 — eQuinelle

Conceding your own putt

On hole #10, PizzaMan putts out for a five then leaves the green. In the meantime, Cuba misses his putt for a four. After all players except Cuba finish out, Cuba concedes his own three-foot putt for five. At the tee box he realizes that PizzaMan got a five, so he went back to the hole to putt out and made the putt for five. PizzaMan challenges the five.

From the rules of golf, rule 20-1 requires the position of the ball must be marked before it is lifted under any rule that requires the ball to be replaced. If it is not marked, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke and the ball must be replaced. So Cuba scores a six (five strokes and one penalty stroke) which means he loses the hole to everyone, given the scores.

Please note the local Slammer Tour rule for two foot gimmes. Opponents must concede putts within two-feet of the hole except if the putt is to win or extend a match, to win a doggie or for a birdie or eagle. All opponents still in the match must agree it is within two feet. The distance is measured from the edge of the hole to the front of the ball. A player cannot give him or herself a putt; it must be agreed to by all opponents unless it is obvious (one foot or less).

#016: September 9, 2012 — Trillium Wood

Balled moved during play (not a descision but for learning purposes only)

During the 2012 Kingston Intersectionals, players were playing lift, clean and place. On one hole, Rulz did so but then, as he was about to hit, his ball moved a quarter of a turn. Rulz wasn’t completely sure if he has addressed the ball or not. Rulz proceeded to play the ball from its new position and finished the hole. Upon completion of the hole, Rulz informed his opponents and conceded the hole.

Rule 18-2b states that if the player, after he addressed the ball, caused (or deemed to have caused) the ball to move, he incurs a penalty of one stroke and the ball is replaced.

Effective January 1, 2012, a new exception to 18-2b was added. If it is known or virtually certain that the player did not cause the ball to move after address there is no penalty and it is played from the new spot. This is on or off the green.

It is interesting to note that the definition of address has also changed as of January 1, 2012. All the player has to do to address the ball is to ground the club in front of or behind the ball. Stance no longer comes into the definition of address. We see some players address the ball on the green before taking their stance.

From the description of the incident, Rulz proceeded correctly, initially, assuming that he did not cause the ball to move. It was upon his reflection and subsequent action that he incorrectly penalized himself.

#015: September 3, 2012 — Metcalfe

More than 14 golf clubs

On the 5th green, Snake noticed that Garbo had 15 clubs in his bag and announced a claim. Garbo noted that the "extra" club was taken out of play on the 2nd hole after the club was "significantly damaged" while playing his 2nd shot out of the woods (hit a hidden rock on the ball strike). From the rules of golf, a player must not start a round with more than 14 clubs (Rule 4-4). In match play, when the breach of the rule is discovered the state of the match is adjusted by deducting from the player a hole for each hole the breach occurred to a maximum of two holes per round.

With Garbo’s breach of Rule 4-4, whether discovered on hole #5 or #2, two holes are deducted from his state of the match at that point.

So, at the completion of ...

• hole #2, Snake was 1 up originally, now he is 3 up, or
• hole #5, Garbo and Snake originally are all square, now Snake is 2 up

Either way, the match is over at the end of hole #17 and Snake wins the match 2 and 1.

When rule 4-4 is breached, the outcome of individual holes is not adjusted. It is the state of the match where the penalty is applied. See decision 4-4a/9 for examples on how the penalty is applied. The penalty does not change whether the excess club was discovered during the playing of #2 or #5. The rules committee is satisfied that the club was declared out of play by Garbo. Rule 4-4c requires the player to declare the excess club out of play upon discovering the excess over 14. Breach of this rule is disqualification.

#014: July 15, 2012 — eQuinelle

Brushing tall grass in a hazard

One hole #1 at eQuinelle, Rulz’s ball flew over the green and into a red-staked (lateral) hazard. When Rulz approached the ball he took short practice swings and minor waggles where his clubhead brushed the top of the tall grass. After the hole was completed, Malone challenged Rulz’s score stating that brushing the tall grass was a breach of the rules.

The Slammer Tour ruling committee found an exact decision which reads:

13-4/4: Touching Grass with Club During Practice Swing in Hazard

Q. A player takes a practice swing in a water hazard without grounding his club, but his club touches some long grass. Is there a penalty?

A. No. See Note to Rule 13-4. However, the player must ensure that his actions do not breach Rule 13-2 or constitute testing the condition of the hazard.

Rulz’s score and the match stands as is.

Please note that challenging the rules of golf are encouraged and can easily be done in a friendly manner.

#013: June 5, 2012 — Stonebridge

Hitting Another Player's Ball on the Green (not a descision but for learning purposes only)

Chill and Davestator’s balls both lay on the 12th green at Stonebridge. Chill had just putted from 40 feet away and started walking towards her ball to mark it. Before she could get there, Davestator putted his ball from 30 feet away and his ball hit Chill’s ball. Under the Rules of Golf, if a player’s ball hits another player's ball anywhere there is normally no penalty and the ball is played as it lies. The other ball must be replaced.

#012: April 17, 2012

Clarification on Slammer Maxes & Conceding a Hole

Response to email query. Slammer rules take precedence, followed by local course rules and then Golf Canada (formerly RCGA). The Slammer max of eight is in place for pace of play purposes. Under Slammer Tour rules, all eights are equal means that in a foursome, all Slammers who score an eight “halve the hole” (tie) no matter who scores the eight first. It does not matter if a person picks their ball up and takes an eight or if a Slammer holes out with an eight. All eights are equal.

#011: Canadian, November 20, 2011

Group: Rulz, NoCents, PizzaMan and Eeyore

On hole #8 at Canadian, Rulz`s drive hooks left and lands just short of the sand trap. At the base of the sand trap there is a white stake with a green tip. There are also a number of other white stakes on the left side of the fairway all the way up that side of the fairway. Rulz played his next shot where it lie stating the stake was not an Out of Bounds stake. PizzaMan disagreed citing that if it is an OB stake, his ball was OB.

The Rules Committee contacted the superintendent at Canadian to gain clarification on the stakes. The white stakes with the green tips are used to mark areas where carts should not travel or where there is a hole or depression where golfers might trip and fall (not OB). There is also a line of solid white stakes marking the out of bounds on the left of the bunker.

The Rules Committee decision was that Rulz`s ball was not Out of Bounds since the area was marked with white stakes with green tips, and therefore he did not breach any of the rules of golf.

#010: Canadian, November 20, 2011

Group: Rulz, NoCents, PizzaMan and Eeyore

On hole #13 at Canadian, PizzaMan's approach to the green ended up on the cart path left of the green. The point of contention is where his nearest point of relief was. Rulz and NoCents said it was left of the path but PizzaMan said he can't take his relief there because there is a fence. (Non OB fence). PizzaMan took relief in a single procedure from the cart path and the fence. The cart path is an immovable obstruction. Checking with the proshop at Canadian, the fence in question is an immovable obstruction. PizzaMan is entitled to relief from the cart path and then the fence. See decision 24-2b/9.

From the diagram provided, one club length from the nearest point of relief from the cart path puts PizzaMan close to the fence (4 steps away from where the ball was on the cart path). He would drop seeking relief from the cart path first which puts him in a position to seek relief from the fence. Then he would seek relief from the fence no nearer to the hole. The Committee could not determine from the diagram provided where the nearest point of relief was from the fence.

PizzaMan is not entitled to take relief from both the first immovable obstruction (cart path) and the second immovable obstruction (fence) in a single procedure, unless after taking relief from the 1st immovable obstruction and then taking relief from the 2nd immovable obstruction, the player would be essentially back to where he started and it is evident that such a single procedure is necessary to obtain relief from both conditions.

The Committee decided that PizzaMan was entitled to seek relief from the two immovable obstructions but did not follow the required procedure for seeking relief from the two obstructions. See Decisions on the Rules of Golf 1-4⁄8. The penalty in match play is loss of hole.

#009: Sand Point (Arnprior), July 31, 2011

Group: Ozone, Jelvis, Popeye and CaveMan

On #15, Popeye and Jelvis hit their drives into the middle of the fairway of the 328 yard par 4. Popeye hits his second shot first and then Jelvis follows. Both Popeye and Jelvis hit the green in regulation (2) but noticed that they had mistakenly hit each other’s ball. There was discussion about the rules of golf and how to proceed. Popeye and Jelvis took back their balls and completed the hole. Popeye and Jelvis both report a score of 6 on the hole and win the hole over Caveman and Ozone.

No announcement is made about filing a claim before teeing off on #16 and no claim is filed to rulings@slammertour.com within 24 hours. Therefore there is no official claim and the scores stand.  However, the situation does present an interesting set of circumstances worthy of clarification.

Under the Rules of Golf the ruling would be since Popeye hit a wrong ball first, he loses the hole to Ozone,Jelvis and Caveman. Also, since Jelvis hits a wrong ball (but second), he loses the hole to Ozone and Caveman. See Rules of Golf 15-3.

As per Slammer Tour Rules, if one must take a penalty of “loss of a hole” they must record a “nine” as his/her score. Since all “nines” are equal Popeye and Jelvis would have tied the hole.

#008: Casselview, July 3, 2011

#007: Sand Point (Arnprior), June 20, 2010

#006: Sand Point (Arnprior), June 20, 2010

#005: Hiawatha, April 17, 2010

#004: Montebello, September 20, 2009

Group: Rulz, ProZee, TJ, WildCard

On #9, the green has a fence to save balls from falling back into the gorge. ProZee and TJ both took free relief from the fence but took their relief closer to the pin. The fence is an immovable obstruction so they were entitled to free relief but it must be taken no closer to the hole. Penalty was loss of hole.

#003: Cedarhill, May 13, 2009

#002: Pine View, November 12, 2008

Group: SpinMaster, Malone, Rulz

On #18 SpinMaster had a one-foot putt to win the hole and the match vs. Malone. Instead of putting out, SpinMaster picked up the ball thinking that it was an automatic concession by Malone. Malone never conceded the putt and informed SpinMaster he was filing a claim. Given that SpinMaster never finished the hole, he loses the hole and Malone wins the match. Note that SpinMaster could have replaced the ball and putted out with a one-stroke penalty, which would have made the match a draw.

#001: Pine View, May 20, 2008

On #17 Eeyore hit his drive and wasn't sure where it went so he then hit a second ball. He hit the second ball again but then found thefirst ball and continued to play out the hole, scoring himself as a 5. Since no formal claim was made before teeing off on the 18th hole, the 5 stands. Eeyore loses his match vs The Admiral on the 17th and wins his match vs The Chin on the 17th. (Admiral had a 4 on the 17th and was 2 up on Eeyore after 16. The Chin had a 6 on 17 and was 1 down to Eeyore after 16.)