Definition: Advice
Any verbal comment or action (such as showing what club was just used to make a stroke) that is intended to influence a player in:
- Choosing a club,
- Making a stroke, or
- Deciding how to play during a hole or round.
But advice does not include public information, such as:
- The location of things on the course such as the hole, the putting green, the fairway, penalty areas, bunkers, or another player's ball,
- The distance from one point to another, or
- The Rules.
[+] Advice/1 - Verbal Comments or Actions That Are Advice
Examples of when comments or actions are considered advice and are not allowed include:
- A player makes a statement regarding club selection that was intended to be overheard by another player who had a similar stroke.
- In individual stroke play, Player A, who has just holed out on the 7th hole, demonstrates to Player B, whose ball was just off the putting green, how to make the next stroke. Because Player B has not completed the hole, Player A gets the penalty on the 7th hole. But, if both Player A and Player B had completed the 7th hole, Player A gets the penalty on the 8th hole.
- A player's ball is lying badly and the player is deliberating what action to take. Another player comments, "You have no shot at all. If I were you, I would decide to take unplayable ball relief." This comment is advice because it could have influenced the player in deciding how to play during a hole.
[+] Advice/2 - Verbal Comments or Actions That Are Not Advice
Examples of comments or actions that are not advice include:
- During play of the 6th hole, a player asks another player what club he or she used on the 4th hole that is a par-3 of similar length.
- A player makes a second stroke that lands on the putting green. Another player does likewise. The first player then asks the second player what club was used for the second stroke.
- After making a stroke, a player says, "I should have used a 5-iron" to another player in the group that has yet to play onto the green, but not intending to influence his or her play.
- A player looks into another player's bag to determine which club he or she used for the last stroke without touching or moving anything.
- While lining up a putt, a player mistakenly seeks advice from another player's caddie, believing that caddie to be the player's caddie. The player immediately realizes the mistake and tells the other caddie not to answer.
[+] Advice/3 - When Statements That Include Public Information Are Advice (New)
Statements of public information may be given without penalty. But it is advice when the statement also contains information intended to influence a player in choosing a club, making a stroke or deciding how to play during a hole or round.
Examples of statements that are not advice include:
- "The penalty area is 5 yards short of the front edge of the green."
- "The wind is blowing from the west, which means that on this hole the wind is blowing from the right."
Examples of statements that are advice include:
- "The penalty area is 5 yards short of the front edge of the green, so you may want to use enough club to make sure you carry the ball to the middle of the green."
- "The wind is behind us on this hole, so be sure to land the ball short of the green."
