Pruitt answers rules questions

Editor's note: PGA TOUR Tournament Official Dillard Pruitt has seen the game from both sides. He played the PGA TOUR from 1988-96 and won the 1991 Chattanooga Classic. He has worked as a PGA TOUR rules official for the last five years and will share his knowledge with PGATOUR.COM viewers on Thursdays.

Question: Reference is made to the margin of the water hazards. When carrying a lateral water hazard is the margin the red-staked line or its equivalent red line perimeter or it the water's edge itself? It would undoubtedly make a difference in determining whether the ball had actually cleared the hazard and therefore be eligible for the two-club-not-closer-to-the- hole option. Thanks, Ken Rudnicki

Pruitt: Mr. Rudnicki, in most competitions you will find that stakes are used to define the hazard,but the line is the margin of the hazard. The stakes are obstructions and can be moved. It would be understandable for a club to only use stakes for everyday play. In this case the margin of the hazard would be from stake to stake. In the event a club could not afford stakes the margin of the hazard could be defined by the water's edge. There are times in competitions on the highest level that the water's edge is used. In this case it would be listed on the notice to competitors. When the water's edge is used in high level competitions it's usually in locations that are impossible to mark are on opposite sides of lakes on private property. Thanks for the very good question.

Question: Why with the almost wholesale requirement on private and public courses that soft spikes are required does the PGA TOUR not require the pros to wear them? It would seem to make sense since by Saturday the greens are a complete mess due to all the players wearing metal spikes and leaving the resulting disintegration of the greens. Don Prosser

Pruitt: Great question Don. First, you should understand the PGA TOUR is a membership organization, and the members would vote on such matter. At the moment it is policy that our members can wear metal spikes and this is in a contract between the PGA TOUR, tournament sponsors and the courses we play. I would guess that we have around 40 percent of our members that wear metal. In time that number will decrease and one day we might be spikeless.

Question: A player plays most of his rounds (non-tournament) with more than 14 clubs in his bag. What is the ruling for posting rounds for handicap purposes?

Pruitt: My thought on your question is that you should always play by the Rules. Not much equals a great round of golf played by the Rules. If you carry more than 14 clubs, you are not playing by the Rules. In this case you should not post that score, unless you add four stokes, two on the first hole played and two on the second hole played. Read Rule 4 starting at the bottom of page 16 in the Rules of Golf.