HOW TO PREPARE FOR MATCHPLAY

With the start of the knockout season almost upon us, here are some of the must-know matchplay rules

Not knowing your handicap could have big consequences.

If a player begins a match having declared a higher handicap than they are entitled to and does not correct this before the opponent makes his or her next stroke, the player is disqualified if this affects the number of strokes the player would give or receive. If it does not, there is no penalty. However, if you declare a handicap which is too low, there is no penalty but you must play off that lower handicap. Even more reason to get to grips with the new World Handicap System…

Make sure you arrive at the first tee in plenty of time. If a player turns up late, but within five minutes of their start time, they lose the hole. If they arrive more than five minutes late, they are disqualified. If both players arrive late, but within five minutes of their start time, each player would incur a loss of hole penalty and the result for the first hole is a tie.

While we’re big fans of ready golf, order of play is important in matchplay. If you play out of turn your opponent can require you to cancel and replay the shot in the correct order. And you can guarantee they will if you split the fairway off the tee. If you are uncertain about a rule or procedure while playing a hole, you cannot play out the hole with two balls – that rule only applies in strokeplay. Instead, you must try and agree with your opponent how to proceed, so long as you do not deliberately ignore any rule or penalty which you know applies. If you cannot agree, the player can proceed as they think they are allowed. If the opponent disagrees, either player can request a ruling from the Committee (Rule 20.1b(2)).

Do you remember the 2017 Presidents Cup, when Jordan Spieth lost the hole for his team after scooping up Louis Oosthuizen’s ball before it had come to rest past the hole? Under the current rules there is now no penalty for picking up an opponent’s ball in motion, provided there is no reasonable chance the moving ball could go in the hole.

Once a putt is conceded, it cannot be withdrawn. If your putt has been conceded by an opponent, you are still allowed to putt out unless doing so will assist your partner in a fourball. In that instance, the player’s score for the hole stands, without a penalty, but the partner’s score for the hole cannot count for the side.

There is no longer a one-stroke penalty for accidentally moving an opponent’s ball or marker on the putting green. If you play a shot which accidentally hits your opponent or their equipment, you must play the ball where it came to rest without penalty. The only exception is on the putting green, where the stroke does not count and must be replayed from the same spot.

Playing the wrong ball nearly always results in loss of hole.

However, if a player and an opponent play each other’s ball, the first to make a stroke at a wrong ball loses the hole. When this cannot be determined, there is no penalty and the hole must be played out with the balls exchanged.

When asked how many strokes have been taken on a hole, it is your responsibility to give the correct number. Failure to respond is treated the same as giving the wrong number of strokes taken. In both cases, this will result in a loss of hole penalty unless:

1. The mistake is corrected before the opponent makes another stroke or concedes the hole or match.

2. The mistake does not affect the opponent’s understanding of whether the hole was won, lost or tied.

3. The mistake is only realised after, not before, the match result is final (see Rule 3.2a(5)), so the result stands.