- If a ruling by a referee is found to be wrong, the ruling must be corrected.

A. True

B. False

Here is a known fact when it comes to Rules Officials, “If you have never made a mistake when giving a ruling then you have not been an official long enough”. This week’s question marks the 26th different scenario that we have presented over the past months. Some hard, some easy, and some so complicated that we must reference several rules to arrive at the correct answer.

Officials study the rules relentlessly in our efforts to be perfect but sometimes we do miss on the correct procedure for the player to follow. When an improper ruling has been given how can we correct the mistake and if so, how?

Depending on the ruling there are times when we can and cannot reverse the outcome of the events. The rule book gives us some guidance in how to proceed under rule 20.2d.

20.2d Wrong Rulings and Administrative Mistakes

(1) Wrong Rulings. A wrong ruling has occurred when a referee or the Committee has attempted to apply the Rules but has done so incorrectly. Examples of wrong rulings include:

• Applying a wrong penalty or failing to apply a penalty,
• Applying a Rule that does not apply or does not exist, and
• Misinterpreting a Rule and applying it incorrectly.

If a ruling by a referee or the Committee is later found to be wrong, the ruling will be corrected, if possible, under the Rules. If it is too late to do so, the wrong ruling stands.

If a player takes an action in breach of a Rule based on a reasonable misunderstanding of a referee's or Committee's instruction during a round or while play is stopped under Rule 5.7a (such as lifting a ball in play when not allowed under the Rules), there is no penalty, and the instruction is treated like a wrong ruling.

See Committee Procedures, Section 6C (what the Committee should do when there has been a wrong ruling).

(2) Administrative Mistakes. An administrative mistake is a procedural error in relation to the administration of the competition and there is no time limit for correcting such a mistake, even after the result of a match is final or a stroke-play competition has closed. An administrative mistake is different to a wrong ruling. Examples of administrative mistakes include:

• Miscalculating the result of a tie in stroke play,
• Miscalculating a handicap resulting in the wrong player winning the competition, and
• Awarding a prize to the wrong player after failing to post the winner's score.

In these situations, the mistake should be corrected, and the results of the competition should be amended accordingly.

Additionally, Committee Procedures Section 6C goes into great detail on how to cover multiple different situations when attempting to correct a mistake either by an official or by the committee in charge of the event. Here we can get a better understanding of how and what can be done to help the player.

Based upon these rules we now know that the answer to this week’s question is False, as all ruling cannot be corrected.

I hope that you have enjoyed these questions over the winter months and have developed an understanding of how to reference the rule book when applying the rules. Remember, it all starts with a complete understanding of the 74 definitions listed in the book. This will allow you to determine the correct section that you must reference to find the applicable rule. And as we have shown each week in our answers, many times multiple rules will need to be consulted to arrive at the final outcome.

Now it’s time for us to enjoy time on the course but if you have a question that arises during the year, please pass it along as it may become one of our topics next winter. Enjoy the summer and hopefully we will see you at one of our events in the coming months.

All the Best!

Do you have a rules question that you have often wondered about? If so, please send it to dmiller@mvgolf.org for an answer and who knows it could very well be our next “Rules Question of the Week”.