Moving Equipment Rules Violation?
Question:
In team match play last night, my opponent was off the front of the green, and his partner layed down a couple of wedges in the back of the green. The guy in the front chipped, the ball was going pretty fast, so I picked up his opponents clubs so his ball wouldn't hit them. my opponent (the owner of the wedges) claimed *I* was in violation of some rule for moving HIS clubs. I've never heard such a thing, and I said that I saved HIS partner 2 strokes because his ball was going to hit his equipment. I've never heard such a thing, but he claims he read it recently in a golf magazine. After producing my USGA rule book, I offered that he show me the rule that I violated, which of course he couldn't do. I suspect he's just confused about the rule of hitting your own equipment (or your partners), but he kept mentioning something about moving the equipment, or picking up the clubs. Any insight on what he's talking about?
Answer:
I got a response from the USGA regarding the original question that I had about moving equipment. Here is the entire email response. No penalty: n reply to your recent e-mail, the answer to your question is provided in Rule 24-1. Equipment of the players may be moved without penalty while a ball is in motion. The equipment may be moved by anyone. Additionally, an attended flagstick may also be moved while a ball is in motion. In addition to the Rule mentioned above, the expanded Frequently Asked Questions on the Rules of Golf can be viewed on the Rules of Golf section of the USGA's website at http://www.usga.org/rules/faq/index.html. Also, for Rules of Golf related publications, including the "Decisions on the Rules of Golf" and "Golf Rules Illustrated," please visit the USGA Publications web-site. The address is http://www.usgapubs.com/publist/.
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