Golfer hits bunker shot then THROWS ball into the hole!
Well that's one way to escape a greenside bunker shot I suppose...
You've probably seen it happen at least once on the golf course. A player gets so fed up with not being able to get their golf ball out of sand, that they then throw it towards the pin. But what's the penalty?
Well, unfortunately it's a pretty costly one as you can probably imagine - given shots can only be played with golf clubs.
According to our friends over at Golf Rules Questions, Rule 11.2 declares that "when a player has made a stroke and then deliberately deflects their ball in motion, the result is a two-stroke penalty in strokeplay."
GRQ takes a closer look at what the ruling would be in this instance, using this tongue-in-cheek post from European Tour pro Min Woo Lee...
"The player must then estimate where their ball would have come to rest. As this would have been in the bunker, the player must estimate the spot, and then drop within one club length of that spot in the bunker, no nearer the hole."
Here's a full look at Rule 11.2 and 11.3 according to the Rules of Golf:
11.2 - Ball in Motion Deliberately Deflected or Stopped by Person
11.2a - When Rule 11.2 Applies
11.2a/1 - Equipment Left in Position After Player Realizes It Could Be Helpful if the Ball Were to Hit It
Rule 11.2 applies to a situation where a player did not initially position the equipment, other object or person for the purpose of deflecting the ball in motion, but once positioned by the player, he or she realizes it may deflect or stop the ball and deliberately leaves it there.
An example where the player gets a penalty is when:
- After raking a bunker, a player places the rake between the putting green and the bunker, without any thought of it influencing a ball. The player, who now has a downhill putt towards the bunker, realizes the rake might stop his or her ball and plays without first moving the rake.The player putts and the ball is stopped by that rake.
An example where the player does not get a penalty is when:
- A rake has been left by a preceding group between the putting green and a bunker. A player, who has a downhill putt towards the bunker, sees the rake and leaves it there because it might stop the ball if his or her putt is too strong. The player putts and the ball is stopped by that rake.
11.2c - Place from Where Deliberately Deflected or Stopped Ball Must Be Played
11.2c(1)/1 - Options When Ball Would Have Come to Rest in Penalty Area
When a ball in motion is deliberately deflected or stopped and it is estimated that it would have come to rest in a penalty area, the player has the choice to drop a ball in the penalty area (Rule 11.2c(1)) or take relief from the penalty area (Rule 17.1d).
If the player decides to take relief from the penalty area because he or she does not wish to drop a ball in the relief area in the penalty area, the player must estimate the point that the ball would have last crossed the edge of the penalty area when taking relief under Rule 17.1d.
11.3 - Deliberately Moving Objects or Altering Conditions to Affect Ball in Motion
11.3/1 - Outcome of Deliberate Actions to Affect Ball in Motion Is Irrelevant
Rule 11.3 applies when a player or caddie takes a deliberate action for the purpose of affecting a ball in motion, and the player is in breach of this Rule even if the deliberate action does not affect where the ball comes to rest.
Examples where the player gets the general penalty under Rule 11.3, and in stroke play must play the ball where it comes to rest, include when:
- The player's ball lies in the general area at the bottom of a slope. The player makes a stroke and, while the ball is rolling back down the slope, the player presses down a raised piece of turf for the purpose of preventing the ball from coming to rest in a bad lie.
- The player believes a rake lying on the ground may stop or deflect another player's ball in motion, so the player lifts the rake.
Examples where there is no penalty, and in stroke play the ball must be played where it comes to rest, include when:
- A player's ball lies in the general area at the bottom of a slope. The player makes a stroke and the ball begins to roll back down the slope. Unaware that the ball was returning to the area from where it had been played, the player presses down a raised piece of turf without any intent to affect where the ball might come to rest. There is no penalty even if the ball comes to rest in the pressed down area.
- After making a stroke and while the ball is in motion, a player lifts a nearby rake to give it to another player for an upcoming bunker shot. The player's ball rolls through the area that the rake was lifted from.
