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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Can I Get a Ruling on That?
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 (Illustration: John Cheresh) You start your backswing, begin to descend on the ball and you scoop it rather than compress it. Your club hits the ball when it’s on the way down and on the way back up – a double hit! Basically, the club gets stuck. So what’s the ruling? Aside from your playing partners “ruling” that the whole thing looked ridiculous, what’s the actual ruling according to the rulebook? Rule 14-4 covers this type of situation, stating, “If a player’s club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player shall count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.” You’ll notice that it’s completely irrelevant how many times you strike the ball - two, three, or more. The player is then required to play the ball as it lies. Nine times out of 10 this type of blunder is made with a wedge where the player comes out of his swing too quickly, but that’s not to say it can’t be made with a high iron or even a putter! There have been many stories of the bizarre “double tap” on putting greens everywhere. One of the most infamous double hits in tournament play came in 1985 at Oakland Hills, where T.C. Chen – known as “Two Chips” thereafter – came into the final round leading the tournament. Chen then had a double hit on his fourth shot from the greenside rough on the par-4 fifth, plus the penalty stroke, another chip and a two-putt, and finished the hole with an 8. He lost the tournament by a stroke to Andy North. The core problem with the double hit is that the club head is going toward the hole and runs into the ball. Because you’re taking not only the stroke but a penalty tacked on as well, you’d be well-advised to properly follow through with your shot and not try to lift the ball with your arms – let the club do the work and don’t slow your club speed at impact. |
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