Situation: After shooting a close shot the other team stops me and says they had a 3rd party watch it and called it bad. I was not aware somebody was watching and I think it was good, is it ball in hand for my opponent?

No, the other team should have stopped you first and then you both need to agree on the 3rd party watching the shot. Failure to do so will result in the call going to the shooter.

Potential bad hit situations are usually fairly obvious. Disputes over these situations can almost always be avoided by having a third party, agreed upon by both shooters, watch the shot. The sitting team should protect itself by stopping the game prior to the shot. The shooter is required to stop if their opponent wants the shot watched. Once an agreed upon third party is asked to watch the shot, the third party's call will stand and cannot be disputed.

Rule: Official Team Manual (OTM) page 50 section 15 “Close Hits”: https://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf

You can submit a "Rule of the Week" to the league office:

• Email to sandiego@apaleagues.com.
• Email Subject Line must read “SDAPA Rule of the Week”
• Clearly state the rule/situation and if you know where the answer is found please provide those details.