Five Finger-Tips of Advice Rules Center Rules Information is Not Advice

A controversy

I’m sure many remember from The Masters Championship this year was one involving potential winner Brooks Koepka. What some claim was just an innocent gesture or removal of a glove, has others crying a breach in the Rules. It was for sure seems like a bold action to take while surrounded by cameras, regardless of the intent. After hitting his second shot on the par-5 15th fairway, Koepka AND his caddie appear to do some blatant cheating. The caddie can be seen mouthing quite large and aggressively the number five, while Koepka disguised his actions of flashing a five with his hand through the removal of his glove after using his five-iron. These actions from both parties appeared to be directed towards his playing partner, Gary Woodland, and Woodland’s caddie, who at the time had still not hit his second shot from a similar distance. Per the Rules of Golf, this seems to be a breach on giving advice. The people sitting at home, watching on television caught these actions and immediately took to the internet to call them out on breaking the rules. This uproar did then cause the committee at the Masters to investigate the scenario. After talking with all involved, who were adamant no advice was asked for nor given, Augusta National’s team determined there was no breach and no penalties were issued.

People involved in and regularly around the professional game have spoken out since, stating that this rule is potentially broken all the time, though not necessarily intentionally. Caddies on tour communicate frequently about what clubs are being used by their player, though not in an attempt to help one another. These discussions may happen after all balls are hit or unchanging club choices have been made. Sometimes it is a matter of one caddie looking in another players bag to see what club was missing. Another caviat in these scenarios is that the media personel that are travelling with each group on the course are having to report which clubs are being used. To get this information, the caddies or sometimes players themselves are having to tell reporter (which could be mouthing, stating, or gesturing). With this going on, it can appear advice is being given, and can be hard to ignore that your playing partner is sharing this information. Most of the time these actions fly under the radar and are not broadcast to the world. What we saw may have simply been them informing a reporter out of site, but people are still not totally convinced this was not blatant advice giving. Regardless of what we, the public bystanders think, the decision to not penalize the players was made.

This has for sure opened people’s eyes to paying closer attention when it comes to advice giving. Luckily for amateur golfers, we don’t have reporters to inform and cameras on us, though now we may watch the other players in our group more closely. So how do we know what is considered advice and what is considered providing with information on the Rules?

Dear John: You said giving information on the Rules is not advice. Can you explain the difference?

- Curious

Dear Curious: Advice is essentially suggesting how a player should play their game (definition of ADVICE). Here are a few examples where helping another player with Rules is NOT considered giving advice:

Helping Another Player Measure Relief Area Is Not Giving Advice

1. Another player hits their ball into a shallow hole and asks you for their options under the unplayable-ball Rule. You may review the unplayable-ball options, but not recommend an option. The other player must play their own game and decide.

2. Another player hits their ball into a penalty area. You may discuss where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area. You may also review the relief options available, but not recommend an option. The other player must decie whether to play their ball where it lies in the penalty area or pursue a one-stroke relief opotion.

3. In taking relief from a red penalty area, another player droops their ball three club-lengths no closer to the hole from where it last crossed the edge of the penalty area. Information of the Rules is not advice. You may politely remind the player that he or she is only allowed to drop within two clublengths and mus re-drop (thereby saving them from a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or a loss of hole penalty in match play for playing from a wrong place; Rule 14.7a).

4. You play a tee shot on a par-3 hole and another player asks if you hit a six-iron for the purpose of helping them decide what club to use. Their question had nothing to do with the Rules. The player is asking for advice. Unfortunately, you must take a deep sigh and advise them that asking for advice is a two-stroke penalty in stroke play and loss of hole penalty in match play (Rule 10.2a second bullet) and not answer that question. If you answer the question, then you are giving advice... and incur the same penalty, except that in match play your opponent has already lost the hole (Rule 10.2a first bullet)!