All golfers have experienced it at some point in their playing career. You’ve narrowly missed a putt on the 10th green in the Spring Medal, and it’s rolled a foot past. It’s pretty much a gimme so you decide to carry on and put the ball into the hole.
“I’ll finish,” you say to your playing partners, making your intentions clear. But one of your partners replies, “Take your time.” It’s a throwaway comment that you’ve heard a thousand times, and you ignore it and tap the ball in.
But, as you walk to the next tee, your other playing partner says, “By the way, they broke the Rules back there by telling you to take your time.” What? Wait a minute. Did they? Is it against the Rules of Golf to tell someone to take their time on a putt?
Rule 10.2a deals with advice and it says a player must not give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing the course.
According to Definitions in The Rules, advice is any verbal comment or action that is intended to influence a player in choosing a club, making a stroke or deciding how to play during a hole or round.
In this instance, the throwaway comment of “take your time” on a tap-in was not designed to influence how you made the stroke or played the hole. It was simply made in the spirit of the game. In that instance, there’s not been a breach of the Rules.
However, had the comment been clearly intended to influence, then a breach of Rule 10.2a would have been made.
If the putt was a little longer and your playing partner had said, “Take your time as you’ll make a smoother stroke,” or “Take your time because you rushed one earlier and that caused you to pull your putt,” then that would clearly be a verbal comment intended to influence you on how to make a stroke, or on how to play during a hole.
If that were the case, they would have been in contravention of Rule 10.2a. For giving advice during a round, the player would receive the General Penalty – that’s two shots in stroke play.
Now, if that happened, you and your other playing partner might need to take action. To protect the field, you should tell the person who has breached the Rules, their marker or the committee as quickly as possible. If you tell the player who made the comment that they have breached Rule 10.2a, then it’s their responsibility under Rule 1.3b(1) to apply the Rules to themselves, to recognise they’ve breached a Rule, and be honest in applying their own penalties. If there’s uncertainty, then you should discuss with the committee immediately after the close of play.
The best way to avoid confusion is if nobody ever uses the phrase “take your time” on the golf course ever again – It’s irritating, even if delivered simply in the spirit of the game!
