By Chris Gaffney
While the score posting season ends in mid-November, the golf season continues for many of us in the Northeast despite the frigid temperatures. Fall and winter golf can bring some new equipment onto the course and considerations that can help you navigate conditions you don’t typically experience.
The dropping temperatures have a significant impact on the compression of the ball and the colder it gets, the shorter the ball flies during the round. To combat this, players will often ask if they’re able to warm up their golf ball during the round. Timing is key for this question, and you can use the Rules to your advantage to maximize your ability to fight the cold. While you can warm up your hands or your cart if you’re riding, the Rules are clear that you are not permitted to warm up your ball during the round.
Rule 4.2a deals with “Balls Allowed in Play of Round,” and the key to this discussion is in the title of the Rule – the Rules are focused on what is allowed during play of the round, not before. The Rule states that a player “must not make a stroke at a ball whose performance characteristics have been deliberately altered, such as scuffing or heating the ball or ….” The Rule is clear that a player may not deliberately heat up the ball during the round and then make a stroke at that ball, but there’s no issue if the golf balls were warmed up prior to the round. The round and the application of this Rule only begins once the player hits their first tee shot. Feel free to warm up your golf balls on the way to the course but make sure that stops once your round begins to avoid a potential disqualification under Rule 4.2.
In previous articles I’ve discussed dealing with leaves on the course and the local Rules available for administrators and operators but a question that seems more common each year is, what about leaf blowers? Leaves on the golf course are considered loose impediments under the Rules, leading us to Rule 15.1 – relief from loose impediments and moveable obstructions. The Rule begins with a section on “Removal of Loose Impediment” and immediately tells us that the player “may remove a loose impediment anywhere on or off the golf course, and may do so in any way,” such as by using a hand, foot, club, or other equipment; getting help from others; or breaking off part of a loose impediment. The question is clearly answered by this Rule – yes, the player may use a leaf blower (equipment) to remove leaves (loose impediment) and can do so anywhere on or off the course. While the player does have permission to use the leaf blower to search, they have to be careful not to move the ball in play once the ball has been located. There is no penalty for moving a ball during the search, but one would apply if the player caused their ball to move with the leaf blower once the ball has been found. Whether or not the course you’re playing at would permit this and if it’s worth the bother bringing a leaf blower to the course is a whole other discussion!
For the truly brave souls dealing with snow and ice, both of these are defined as loose impediments or, when on the ground, temporary water, at the player’s option. Temporary water entitles the player to free relief under Rule 16 for their lie, stance, or area of intended swing. Loose impediments are OK to move on the course, so the player can also brush away the snow if that’s an easier option. An important distinction is how frost is treated. Frost and dew are not considered loose impediments, and, therefore, players are not entitled to brush them away or take free relief from the condition. Rule 8.1a(5) details actions that improve conditions affecting the stroke, and removing dew, frost, or water is not allowed. The one exception to that is in the teeing area, covered in Rule 8.1b(8); the player may remove dew or frost from the teeing area only.
Of course, if it’s too cold out there, that’s a great time to dive into the Rules and learn more about how they can help you during your round. The options that might be available to improve your experience and handle the elements are in the Rules book and at your disposal, even if you’re not posting an official score.