It’s possible for a pair of players to be six down after two holes

Last Sunday, Warthogs were torn apart by Limuru Warriors.

This past Sunday, the animal kingdom took its revenge when the Ndovus trampled all over Kiambu. Before the Kenya Wildlife Services warders go looking for these Warriors or stray elephants in Kiambu, these are names of teams that participate in the Nairobi District Golf League.

The Golf Park Warthogs, named after the resident hog at their course, have a dogged determination when it comes to fighting it out on the course.

The Ndovus from Sigona Golf Club are, just like their name suggests, big, strong and travel in a large herd. They are the defending champions and have been winning the league frequently in the last few years.

The Nairobi District Golf League is a vibrant and competitive fixture with 12 participating clubs going out of their way to fight it out for glory. Some clubs have coined names for their teams just like the Warthogs, Ndovus and the Limuru Country Club Warriors.

Some, like the Kiambu Golf Club, are just plain Kiambu league team. Let that not belie the preparations that all teams make to participate.

The format of play for Nairobi District League is four-ball match play where the better net score of a pair of players from one team is pit against one from the other.

As I have pointed out in a previous column, some rules that govern match play are so fundamentally different from those that govern stroke play. It is becoming clear that many golfers do not understand the difference in the rules especially when they meet at league matches.

Did you know that it is possible for a player and his partner to lose six holes after playing only two holes without making a stroke or conceding a hole?

A league match consists of one side playing against another over 18 holes and the side that holes its better ball in fewer net strokes wins a hole. So how is it possible to be six down after playing the second hole? Read until the end for the answer.

TIME OF STARTING

In four-ball match play, both players need not be present at the start of the game. One partner may represent a side for part or the entire match.

If none of the players representing a side are present at the tee at the stipulated time, then they lose the first hole. If they arrive five minutes after the stipulated tee time, then the pair is disqualified.

DISPUTES, CLAIMS AND CONCESSIONS

Most golfers in Kenya are not well-versed with the rules that govern match play. Many league conveners from various clubs do not take this into consideration when pairing players and this has led to losses that could have been prevented.

In match play, you do not concede a hole, tee off on the next hole and then start reassessing how the previous hole was played. Once a player concedes a hole; that is finished. They cannot revisit it unless there is information that was not known at the time of conclusion of the hole.

Recently, a team consisting of youngsters conceded a hole where they had a handicap stroke. At the end of the match, the youngsters lost by one hole.

Their league convener tried to evoke sympathy for a reversal of that one hole but the results had already been posted. The correct way of dealing with doubtful situations is for the players to say that they wish to make a claim and refer the matter to the committee.

In this case, the youngsters would have refused to concede the hole and requested to refer it to the committee at the end of the game. Such claims and concessions have to be agreed upon before teeing off on the next hole.

PENALTIES

In match play, a player can ignore penalties committed by their opponent as long as they don’t agree to waive a rule. Recently, while playing in a league match, I witnessed my opponent tapping down along his line of putt. I had three putts to win the hole so I chose to ignore the infraction since I was going to win the hole anyway.

A few holes later, the same player, had a 3-foot putt for birdie. My partner and I had completed the hole with a par. The player, while reading his line of putt with his caddie, touched it with his finger. I quickly claimed the hole. The player contested my claim but I was quick to show him the rule that prohibits the touching of the line of putt (I always have a Rules of Golf book in my bag for such situations).
Touching the line of putt is among the many rules where one of the partners in a four-ball match may be penalised but the other is not affected. So, in the example above, if the other player did not benefit from the infringement made by his partner, he would still have competed if his score were to count.

So back to my question: how can a pair of players lose six holes after playing two holes without striking a ball?

1.Kevin and Ian are late for their 9am tee time after waiting 30 minutes for their breakfast to be prepared. They arrive at 9.02 am after consuming their hearty breakfast. They lose the first hole. Kevin, Ian and their opponents play the first hole just for practice. These shots don’t count.

2. The opponents tee off on the second hole. Kevin attempts to tee off and misses the ball. There’s laughter all around and Kevin decides to pick his ball and rely on his trusted partner to tackle both opponents. Ian goes ahead to tee up very close to the tee marker on the left. Since the tee marker is interfering with his stance, Ian pushes it aside. The opponents claim the hole. Kevin and Ian are 2 down.

3. The previous day was Ian’s birthday. His wife gave him a gift of a 3-wood. He put it in his bag and had planned to remove one of the wedges since he now has 15 clubs. He had not removed it and this is discovered after the infringement on the second hole. Kevin and Ian lose 2 holes (since they have played 2 holes) for one of the partners having more than 14 clubs. 4 down.

4.Since Kevin hit the gym and lost a few pounds, there is a lady caddie who always wants to carry his bag. On this particular day, she arrived a little late and another caddie had already taken Kevin’s bag. Kevin had one caddie pulling his bag and the lady caddie handing him the clubs. For Kevin having 2 caddies for 2 holes, the pair loses 2 holes. Kevin and Ian are six down after 2 holes without any of their strokes counting for the match.

When Nairobi District clubs meet for their league matches next Sunday, it will not be surprising if some of the matches are won based on the knowledge of rules. All the same, it is bound to be fun for all who participate.

[email protected] The author is a Kenya Golf Union Executive