In its simplest form, golf should be fairly straightforward. Rule 1, for example, introduces the central principles of the game and states that “each hole starts with a stroke from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed).” However, the latter part of this statement – ball is holed on the putting green – is often the source of clubhouse debate, especially in situations where the ball isn’t neatly resting at the bottom of the cup. Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, clears up any confusion.
So, when is a ball considered ‘holed’? Well, the definition under the Rules is fairly unambiguous and states that a ball is holed when it is at rest in the hole after a stroke and the entire ball is below the surface of the putting green. This will probably be the case for more than 99 per cent of all strokes played into
