Unusual Circumstances

Unusual Circumstances These are incidents that have happened during high school golf meets. Please read through and check the rulings made. If you have any suggestions or clarifications for any of these incidents, please e-mail them to me so that I can pass them on to other coaches.
My number one player was involved in this. At the course where we played our tournament, they had only three days before plugged and sanded the greens, so a lot of sand was still on the greens. My player brushed away the excess sand with his hand ,from his ball to the hole. We didn't at first know exactly how to handle the problem because no instructions were given about the conditions before start of play.
In the rule book, rule 16-1 a. i. states: a player may move sand and loose soil on the putting green and other loose impediments by picking them up or brushing them aside with his hand or a club without pressing anything down.
During a JV tournament with 5 players to a group. This group had not marked their golf balls when they had reached the green. One player putted and hit 2 different balls with his ball. What is the ruling? Is there 1 two stroke penalty or is there 2 two stroke penalties? In the rule book, rule 19-5 a. states: If a player's ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player shall play his ball as it lies. In stroke play, there is no penalty unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes. The player will only incur 1 two stroke penalty no matter how many balls he hits on the green. Also both balls that were struck need to be replaced. (Thanks to Sean Parol for this ruling)
I was just reading through your lead in paragraph,where you were looking for unusual happenings,and it reminded me of a situation I found myself in during a Match Play competition for the club Championship at the course I was a member of. My fellow competitor and I were playing along and on the 5th hole, he strayed into a line of trees which separated two fairways. These trees were not very large and as a result the overhanging branches were causing him a bit of grief on his back-swing,after some stance adjustments he took a fairly hard swing and during his back swing the club head lodged itself firmly in the crotch of two limbs. It was held so firm that when he attempted to strike the ball his hands came completely off the grip and only his hands executed the swing, with his club still dangling from the tree. After much laughter from both him and myself he asked me for a ruling,and while both of us were still in tears from laughing ,we both agreed that he had in fact offered at the ball even though there was an absence of a club. This particular instance had no bearing on the final outcome of the match which I won so we never did seek an official ruling. Thought you might enjoy this, and if you could tell me what the proper ruling would be. I really enjoy the KCA site and have it set aside as one of my favorites. Ruling: I'm unclear about the player whose club got struck in the tree. If it truly got lodged in the tree during the backswing, and no forward movement of the club head occurred, there would be no stroke. The definition of stroke is:"the forward movement of the club made with the intention of fairly striking at and moving the ball." However, if the club became lodged between a fork of two branches at the start of the downswing (which I'm inclined to believe based on the statement that the club was "still dangling from the tree"), then the stroke would count, as forward movement would have occurred. (Thanks to Sean Parol for this ruling)
In a recent tournament, we had an unusual situation and I couldn't find anything exactly appropriate in the rule book. Maybe someone can help. Player A approached (his) ball and made contact while making a practice swing. When he went to retrieve his ball (or hit it again), he discovered that it was not his ball. He later found his own ball and finished the hole with it. The ball that was hit on the practice swing did not belong to anyone in his group and they did not believe it belonged to anyone in the immediate area, so we presume it was a lost ball. We ruled against a penalty stroke, but I am not sure what the ruling should be. Help if you can. The definition of a stroke is the forward motion of the club with the intention of hitting the ball. A ball in play is defined as a ball that the player has made a stroke on the teeing ground with or substitued thereafter, whether permitted or not. I know that any ball not in play is considered an obstruction, which is, basically, anything artificial. Since the player did not intend to strike the ball, the ball was never in play and remained merely an obstruction (a movable one, in this case). There should be no penalty. It seems the practice shot really saved the player because if he had intended to strike the ball, he would have had to proceed under Rule 15-3 for playing a wrong ball. (Thanks to Sean Parol for this ruling)
Need answer to question on rules. Player A tees off on #1 tee, a team mate (same school) asks "You used a 3 iron?" Is this question a violation of the rule on advice or because they are team mates there is no violation? I believe that even though they are team mates they are also fellow competitors; therefore, the team mate should incur a two stroke penalty for seeking advice. That is correct, the team mate should be penalized 2 strokes for seeking advice.
At a recent tournament, a player was putting on a green and having a tough time getting it into the hole. After about 5 putts, the player just picked up the ball and put it in the hole. On the way to the next tee box, another player in the group told him that he had to finish the hole by putting. The player then went back to the approximate place and putted the ball into the hole before taking the flag stick out. What is the ruling? A 2 stroke penalty is assessed for hitting the flag stick and a one stroke penalty for picking up the ball. Rule 18-2(a)(i) When a player's ball is in play, if the player, his partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves it, touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it) or causes it to move except as permitted by a Rule, the player shall incur a penalty stroke and the ball shall be replaced. (Thanks to Sean Parol for this ruling)