Showing 1 - 10 of 22
Free relief, OB stakes and the one-club drop
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 11/02/2026
» Please allow me to try and explain what is an immovable obstruction once more. They are basically artificial, fixed objects like cart paths, sprinklers, or fences -- they allow for a free, one-stroke relief drop if they interfere with a player's lie, stance, or swing. Relief is not permitted for line-of-sight interference. Players must find the nearest point of complete relief, not closer to the hole, and drop within one club-length.
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.
When a sprinkler raises its head
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 14/01/2026
» Sprinkler heads are immovable obstructions, and you get free relief if they interfere with your stance, swing, or lie, but for line-of-play interference (when it's just in the way of your shot direction), you only get relief from this predicament if a local rule is in effect, requiring the sprinkler head and ball to be within two club-lengths of the green and the green's fringe (fairway height or shorter). Without the local rule, you must play it as it lies or take penalty relief.
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?
One wrong score for a hole can end your round
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 15/10/2025
» If you return a scorecard with a wrong score for a hole; the score you entered stands if it was higher than your actual score. However, you are disqualified if you return a score that is lower than your actual score or if you fail to return a score for a hole. Putting down a lower score is considered a serious breach of the rules and results in disqualification, unless an unknown penalty was the cause. Some professional tours have adopted a rule that gives players a 15-minute window to correct an incorrect score after leaving the scoring area.
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.
Master the 3 C's, your key to glory
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 20/11/2024
» From the feedback received it seems like the psychological side of the game is perhaps the most important area of golf that requires a golfer's full understanding. As previously explained, if you arrive at the 1st tee without possessing the 3 C's --Confidence, Competence & Capability, you'll be just praying for a good score.
How mental barriers affect a player's game
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 06/11/2024
» The psychological area that comes with the game of golf is hugely underestimated. If you don't think hard about how your brain is working, as you are walking around the course it is important, think of all the players who used to play great yet couldn't even hit a cow's backside with a cricket bat.
Balance matters more than style in golf
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 28/08/2024
» Posing after a good shot is fine to do on the driving range because you should know how it feels. But on the course it doesn't really matter. If you hit a good shot and fall back a little or don't quite hold your balance l feel that this is okay during a round. There's no points for style on the course as the object of the game is getting the ball as close as you can to your target.
Perfect your putting: Tips for mastering the greens
Sports, Brett Brasier, Published on 10/07/2024
» When practising on the putting green, always choose a level area, or perhaps somewhere where you'll be putting slightly uphill. It's true that a ball that never reaches the cup never goes in, but neither does the ball that goes past it.