I have subscribed to Golf Magazine for years.
My typical ritual is to pull the magazine out of the mailbox, remove the advertising inserts and carefully place the magazine in a special section of my briefcase to save for my next flight. Sometimes I have three or four fresh editions ready to go!
One of my favorite articles is “Ask the Rules Guy”, a humorous, insightful approach to subscriber situations that require interpretation. The following situation was reviewed in the April 2018 edition…enjoy!
Q: My nine-year old granddaughter took a swing with the intention of hitting her ball, but whiffed. The swing’s momentum was so great that it carried the club and her little body around 360 degrees, such that she then unintentionally did hit the ball. Has she stumbled upon a new way by which one swing could cost two strokes, or might this be legal, since it was one continuous motion? Submitted by David Maczko, Cape Cod Mass
A: This sounds positively adorable, David, so much so that it feels Scrooge-like to note that, under Rule 18-2, it is indeed a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be returned to its original spot, since it is no longer a stroke once the player no longer intends to hit the ball. Whether you share this knowledge with hour granddaughter is up to you: either way, treat her to not one but two scoops of ice cream after your next round together. We need all the young golfers we can get!
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The back nine can only get better!
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