Mark Wilson recently won his first PGA Tour title—the Honda Classic—despite calling a two-stroke penalty on himself when his caddie told another caddie what Wilson had hit on a par 3. That, of course, constituted giving advice since the player is responsible for actions by his caddie just as he is for his own actions.
A player may only give or receive advice from his caddie, his partner or either of the caddies during a stipulated round.
It might be okay for a player to make a comment like, “I should have hit a 5-iron,” if it was done casually and was not made to another player about to play from the same position. There’s also a decision that calls for a loss of hole penalty if a player made a misleading statement like that in match play in an effort to confuse his opponent.
A player may look into another player’s bag to see what club he is hitting. If a towel had been covering the clubs and the player removed it, then that is a different story and he would be subject to a penalty.
What would happen if a player accidentally asked the wrong caddie for help in determining a line for a putt? If he quickly withdrew the question and the other caddie did not answer, there would be no penalty. If the other caddie answered, then he would be penalized. How about the other player? He would also be penalized for his caddie’s actions.
Seeking information about the length of a particular hole or an approach is not considered asking for advice. That is public information,
not advice.
As Tom Watson found out many years ago, offering swing advice to a fellow competitor is not allowed either. If a player demonstrated to
another player how to play a certain shot he would be penalized, but the other player would not since he did not seek the advice. Telling a fellow competitor that he has no shot and should take an unplayable lie is also considered giving advice. Telling him what options he has if he decides to take an unplayable lie would not be.
The rule applies only during a round and it would be okay for a player to seek advice as to clubs used on the par 3s from a player who has just finished his round. The same would be true if play had been suspended. As a condition of the competition for an event like the Ryder Cup or one of the college tournaments, a team captain can also be allowed to give advice. |
