The rules of golf can be quite complex, and reading the rule
book can be much like reading your insurance policy
A couple weeks ago, I read something in the Gilroy Dispatch online section that made me personally very happy. It was a question regarding an earlier article I wrote. ‘Yeah,’ I thought, ‘someone is actually reading my articles!’
The reader had a question regarding the warming of golf balls, and if it was a violation of the rules. In my article, I said to warm your golf balls prior to a round of golf to increase distance. It is, in fact, a violation to warm your golf balls during a round of golf. You may warm your hands during the round, but your golf balls can only be warmed prior (Rule 14-3).
You won’t find this entirely spelled out in the basic “Rules of Golf” book, but it is in the “Decisions” book.
The rules of golf can be quite complex, and reading the rule book can be much like reading your insurance policy. However, if you have a rules question or you are interested in joining in on an evening rules clinic this spring, please e-mail me at [email protected].
If I have enough takers, I will host an evening at Gilroy Golf Course to clarify rules, answer questions and spell out many basics. I must say, it’s very seldom that I play a round of golf where the people I play with don’t incur some type of rules infraction. Many of them are very simple, such as marking your golf ball or taking a drop. But they are infractions nonetheless.
Do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with the basic rules of the game. It will save you strokes in the long run.
Don DeLorenzo is a PGA-certified instructor at Gilroy Golf Course. To schedule a lesson with Don, call Gilroy GC at (408) 848-0490.
