Showing 1 - 10 of 206
A guide to getting ball back in play
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 25/02/2026
» Drop a golf ball when taking free or penalty relief -- for example; a hazard, unplayable lie or abnormal conditions within a defined relief area. Place a ball back after previously marking it and lifting it from the green, replacing it after it moves, or cleaning it on the putting green.
Unplayable lies: Know the three relief options
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 04/02/2026
» You have basically three options if your golf ball finds itself in an unplayable lie. An unplayable lie allows a golfer to take relief almost anywhere on the course but comes with a one-stroke penalty, excluding penalty areas. The player is the sole judge of whether a ball is unplayable. The 3-options for relief are -- stroke-and-distance, back-on-the-line, or lateral relief within two club-lengths of where the ball is at rest.
Penalty or no penalty? These tricky scenarios will test you
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 12/11/2025
» Let's see how good you know your golf rules; Here's some questions that will get you thinking -- You and your opponent are using the same type of ball in a match and inadvertently play each other's ball into the green. You're not sure who played a shot with the wrong ball first, so you finish out the hole as if nothing happened. Penalty or no penalty?
What happens when two golf balls collide on the course?
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 29/10/2025
» Golf balls do occasionally collide. It doesn't happen too often but it does occur occasionally. If a shot is played from off the putting surface and your ball hits another ball, what should you do?
Golf made simple: Key rules every player should know
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 01/10/2025
» Carrying on with some basic 'easy to understand' golf rules that we all need to know well. To correctly drop a golf ball, you must release the ball from your hand at knee height, allowing it to fall straight down without touching your body or equipment before hitting the ground. The ball must then land and come to rest within the defined relief area for that required situation. Should it bounce away from the dropping area you can try two more times. If still unsuccessful -- you can then place the ball. If you drop the ball incorrectly, you simply must re-drop it without penalty, but you incur a penalty if you play the ball from a wrong place after dropping it.
Why a provisional saves you long walk back
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 17/09/2025
» Continuing on the theme of our rules; here's one that we should all know but it's best to go through the procedure once more.
From divots to bunkers: Clearing up rules
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 10/09/2025
» Feedback always comes back thick and fast when l mention the rules of golf as our rules can be confusing for many. Last week, l discussed the situation of if your ball embeds itself and from the feedback came the helpful comment that there's no relief if your ball comes to rest in another pitch mark or divot.
Putting is game's ultimate test of both skill and nerve
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 13/08/2025
» The four basics of putting are reading, aiming correctly, stroke mechanics and distance control, which sounds simple but in reality, getting all four of these essentials working at the same time is not so easy.
A few simple setup tweaks
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 06/08/2025
» Those of us getting on in life usually have more time to play but suffer from less flexibility, less range of motion and less speed. It's a sad combination, especially when your brain still remembers the swing you used to have.
One swing for pitch shots
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 30/07/2025
» Are you having problems with pitch shots around the green, perhaps you're undecided to hit it high or low or make it stop quickly. Here's a way of making the shot selection and execution process simpler.