YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

As the driving range is situated adjacent to the 18th at my local club, a lot of range balls end up on the fairway. Most golfers (myself included) tend to hit these back onto the driving range, but is this allowed during a competition? Jack Heaney, Ipswich

It really depends on your intention and how the ball was hit back to the driving range – whether it was a proper stroke made with a full set-up. There’s nothing wrong with hitting a ball back to a practice area or to another player, when done solely out of courtesy. However, you are not allowed to take a practice stroke, so don’t blur the lines between the two, otherwise you’ll be hit with a general penalty!

Whenever I tee off early, I almost always encounter a greenkeeper and have to wait an age for them to move on. It got me thinking, can you play holes out of order? Pete Hall, email

It probably seems like a smart idea, especially if you’re stuck behind a particularly slow group (or in your case, a greenkeeper). However, when you skip holes, you’re playing from outside the teeing area by playing the wrong hole. There’s an automatic two-shot penalty in strokeplay and if you fail to correct the mistake before making a stroke to begin another hole, you are disqualified under Rule 6.1(b).

I know you’re not allowed to move an out-of-bounds marker, but do the same rules apply with a red or yellow stake if it interferes with your swing or your stance? Matt Nash, email

Unlike white posts, which are boundary objects, red and yellow stakes and distance markers are considered to be obstructions. If the obstruction is movable, you may remove it without penalty. If your ball moves in the process, there is no penalty but the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated). If the obstruction cannot

be removed, it is an immovable obstruction which allows you to take free relief within one clublength, measured from the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole.

Recently I pulled my drive left and out of view. Thinking my ball was lost, I played a provisional. I was then informed by another group that my ball had entered a red staked hazard. As I hit my provisional without knowing this, could I have discarded my provisional and taken relief next to the hazard? Alan Whooley, email

This is one of those times when the rules do work in your favour, Alan. Once your original ball is found in a penalty area or is known or virtually certain to be in there, your provisional must be abandoned. You must then play the ball as it lies or take one of three relief options, each under one penalty stroke (see Rule 17.1d). These include stroke and distance relief, as well as back-online and lateral relief.