Rules of Golf explained: My ball struck a buggy and landed in a bunker – can I play it again?
Despite the simplification of the Rules of Golf at the beginning of 2019, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. And as I’ve passed the R&A’s level 2 rules exam with distinction, I am more than happy to help.
Loyd Jones emailed this agonising tale: “During a round I was hitting my second shot from an adjacent fairway, after pulling my drive left.
“I hit a low punch shot to get back on my correct fairway. It was a blind shot to the green with water, so I was laying up.
“At the same time, a member of my group drove his buggy into the fairway. My ball struck his buggy and careened into a bunker.
“He required me to play it from the sand. I thought I got a free re-hit because it hit an object not a part of the course – similar to sprinkler control boxes. Who’s right?”
Rules of Golf explained: Our expert says…
You can question his driving skills Loyd – it sounds like it was real-life pinball out there – but you can’t fault his rules knowledge.
Rule 11.1 applies here: ‘Ball in Motion Accidentally Hits Person or Outside Influence’.
His buggy – or ‘cart’ for our US pals – is an outside influence, which in this situation is defined in the Rules as “any natural or artificial object or anything else…except for natural forces”.
First up, the good news. There’s no penalty to any player. The sickener, for you, is that the ball must be played as it lies.
Unfair, isn’t it? You had a nice little lay up and now you’re trying to hack one out of a trap – those dreams of a save in tatters.
But those are the breaks.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
