(1) No Right to Decide Rules Issues by Agreement. If a referee or the Committee is not available in a reasonable time to help with a Rules issue:

• The players are encouraged to help each other in applying the Rules, but they have no right to decide a Rules issue by agreement and any such agreement they may reach is not binding on any player, a referee or the Committee.
• A player should raise any Rules issues with the Committee before returning their scorecard.

(2) Players Should Protect Other Players in the Competition. To protect the interests of all other players:

• If a player knows or believes that another player has breached or might have breached the Rules and that the other player does not recognize or is ignoring this, the player should tell the other player, the player's marker, a referee or the Committee.
• This should be done promptly after the player becomes aware of the issue, and no later than before the other player returns their scorecard unless it is not possible to do so.

If the player fails to do so, the Committee may disqualify the player under Rule 1.2a if it decides that this was serious misconduct contrary to the spirit of the game.

(3) Playing Two Balls When Uncertain What to Do. A player who is uncertain about the right procedure while playing a hole may complete the hole with two balls without penalty:

• The player must decide to play two balls after the uncertain situation arises and before making a stroke.
• The player should choose which ball will count if the Rules allow the procedure used for that ball, by announcing that choice to their marker or to another player before making a stroke.
• If the player does not choose in time, the ball played first is treated as the ball chosen by default.
• The player must report the facts of the situation to the Committee before returning the scorecard, even if the player scores the same with both balls. The player is disqualified if they fail to do so.
• If the player made a stroke before deciding to play a second ball:
• This Rule does not apply at all and the score that counts is the score with the ball played before the player decided to play the second ball.
• But the player gets no penalty for playing the second ball.

A second ball played under this Rule is not the same as a provisional ball under Rule 18.3.

(4) Committee Decision on Score for Hole. When a player plays two balls under (3), the Committee will decide the player's score for the hole in this way:

• The score with the ball chosen (whether by the player or by default) counts if the Rules allow the procedure used for that ball.
• If the Rules do not allow the procedure used for that ball, the score with the other ball played counts if the Rules allow the procedure used for that other ball.
• If the Rules do not allow the procedures used for each of the two balls, the score with the ball chosen (whether by the player or by default) counts unless there was a serious breach in playing that ball from a wrong place, in which case the score with the other ball counts.
• If there was a serious breach in playing each ball from a wrong place, the player is disqualified.
• All strokes with the ball that does not count (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count in the player's score for the hole.

"Rules allow the procedure used" means that either: (a) the original ball was played as it lies and play was allowed from there, or (b) the ball that was played was put in play under the right procedure, in the right way and in the right place under the Rules.

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