Gene Mortensen, Rules

I hope everyone enjoyed the Ryder Cup Matches, which recently concluded with Europe retaining the Cup for another two years.If there is a finer display of sportsmanship anywhere in the world, I would like to know where it is.

The leaders of each of the nations should have been in attendance to see that people can, in fact, get along.

One of the most exciting parts of the three-day event is the format, which is the “Foursome.” It has been a part of this grand game for ages, but it is not played regularly in the United States.Perhaps the PGA should conduct an event using this format so our team will have some experience playing it.

Since it is novel, it has some very special rules that apply.

We will review some of those rules and point out some of the differences from the more commonly played format, the fourball.

As a change of pace, you might try a Foursome for your next Saturday morning game. I know you will enjoy the change of pace.

The term, “Foursome,” is misused in every day parlance. We have a tendency to see a group of four players and use the term to describe them. In golf, when you tack on the word “some” it indicates the players will be playing some of the time.

In a Foursome, the players hit alternate tee shots and alternate shots until each hole is completed. Each side plays one ball. Likewise, the term “Threesome” indicates that two players are playing an individual and each side is playing one ball.Again, the side with two players will only be playing some of the time, hitting alternate shots.

The first task for the side in a Foursome event is to select which tees (odd or even) each player will be assigned. Quite often the par-3 holes will be spaced so that one player will have more of them and this can be used to the team’s advantage when one player does not hit the long ball, or in couples events.

The same goes for second shots on long par-5s.Since the format requires alternate shots, it is essential that the correct order be maintained during the round.When the players are not accustomed to doing this, it is easy for them to revert back to old habits.

Rule 29 states that when a player makes a shot out of turn, a penalty is assessed. If the event is match-play, the side incurs the loss of that hole. In stroke-play, the error is more serious.The side incurs a penalty of two shots and it must correct the error by playing out the hole in the correct order. If the side fails to correct the error, and plays from the next tee, it will be disqualified.

One of the features of a format using alternate shots is that penalty strokes do not affect the order of play.For example, player A hits the ball into a water hazard and, in taking a drop, incurs a penalty of one stroke. Player B plays the next shot.If player A hits the tee shot and elects to play a provisional ball, player B will play the provisional.In this example if the first ball is found, player B will hit the next shot and if the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, player A will hit the next shot.

In mixed events, when the male partner hits a ball out of bounds from the back tees, his femalepartner must play the next shot, also from the back tees.

A word of caution here; in situations where a shot does not count, the player is required to play again. If player A hits a tee shot from the wrong teeing ground it is a non-entity and he must play the shot from the proper tees. It would be wrong for player B to play that tee shot as it is still A’s turn.

In the more commonly played Four-Ball,

Gene Mortensen Rules Director, Oklahoma Golf Association

Please see RULES, Page 33

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