Can my playing partner tell me the direction of the wind or the slope of the green?

Continuing our series on the rules of golf, we give you a simple answer to a basic question. This week, we’re looking at a rule that’s important to know for your Sunday competition. Can you give or receive advice from your playing partner? The short answer is no, but of course, as usual with golf, there are a few tiny nuances…

The rule is pretty simple in this area: unless it’s your caddie, or your teammate in a game of fourball, foursomes, or any other combination of doubles play, No advice can be given to you by those who accompany you in your game, and therefore by your “co-competitors”” .

The direction of the wind, the slope of the green, the choice of club, the strategy to use on a hole are all forbidden “advice”. The only information that a playing partner can share without risk of penalty concerns distances, whatever they may be (flag, obstacle). Distances, just distances.

Interestingly, it is the advice giver who immediately incurs the so-called general penalty (in stroke play, two strokes and loss of hole in match play). If advice is not sought, the recipient of the advice will not be penalised initially, but must act to prevent further advice being given, otherwise he will be considered to have requested further advice.

The weather yes, the direction and strength of the wind no.

According to rule 10.2a, pduring a rounda player must not:

• Give of advice to anyone in the competition on the course,
• Request a advice to anyone other than his cadetOr
• Touch theequipment from another player to have information that would be a advice if given by or requested from the other player (e.g. touching the player’s clubs or bag to see which club is being used).

To make things a little clearer, here are the kinds of sentences you should avoid:

• ” I think there are two wind clubs today»
• “Very nice shot, what club did you use?”
• “If you place your drive to the right of the fairway, you will be in a better position to attack the green.”
• “As I recall, this green slopes from left to right.”

There are also prohibited actions that are considered as prohibited advice. Such as placing oneself in a line of play to indicate the direction to play to the other player, or placing an object.

But come on, you probably know, you are free to observe the trajectory of another player’s ball and to take inspiration from it for the shot that we are going to have to play, to understand the direction of the wind or the slope of the green for example. Similarly you can try to identify the club that he used (without asking him and without touching his bag to see the missing club).

And then there are of course some perfectly permissible information sharings between players on a golf course. Here is a list:

• As already written, distances (the one that separates you from the flag or a penalty area)
• the drop options available to a player whose ball is in a penalty area (but without ever specifying which of his options you think is the best)
• the weather report (but without mentioning the direction and strength of the wind)

Information regarding rules, distances or facts generally known, such as the position of hazards or the flag on the green, is not considered advice.

You must therefore remain very factual in these “exchanges of information”. Talking about the weather is still possible, but don’t go into too much detail. It’s up to you to play and by the rules of the art!

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