RULES
Putting After a Concession In a match, that could get your side in trouble BY RON KASPRISKE
have happened, it’s covered under Rule 23.6. “A player must not continue play of a hole after the player’s next stroke has been conceded if this would help (his or her) partner.” If this rule is ignored, as it happened at the country club match, the partner who has yet to putt no longer matters in terms of the outcome of the hole. His or her score can’t count for the side, so the partner whose shot was conceded now supplies the team’s score for that hole. Keep in mind that there is no penal- ty, just some bad etiquette and (hope- fully) a memorable mistake for the player who tried to game the game.
You can guess what happened next: The player whose stroke was conceded hit the putt anyway. Clearly, this was done in an attempt to show his partner the line. There was no hiding behind the rule that allows you to practice on the putting green of the hole you’re playing upon comple- tion of it (Rule 5.5b). The reason? This is a team competition, and the hole is not completed until both players
FOR EVEN IN SATURDAY morning matches between old friends, things can get a little
chippy when money is on the line. A recent dust-up that went down at a country club (and one that probably happens a fair amount around the world) surfaced an interesting rules conundrum. In a four-ball match, partners on the putting green had their golf balls on a similar line. The player who was likely to make a higher score was about to hit the putt to show his partner the break. The opposing team, wise in its ways, saw what was about to happen and immediately conceded the putt.
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hole out, have their strokes conceded or concede the hole to the other side. If you’re wonder- ing what should
READ IT, BUT DON’T SHOW IT
A conceded putt can’t be struck.
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GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 15
MARCH/APRIL 2026
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