Another rules issue!

coff26

Almost got caught out on this last week in a competition. Dropped my club when I got into a bunker, complete accident, but playing partner felt it was a penalty for grounding club in a hazard.
Anyway checked afterwards and there's no penalty if accidental drop of club. I heard something similar with regard to using a club to stop yourself from falling over when in a water hazard for example - heard people who have been penalised and who haven't been penalised on that one. I think the rule is that there's no penalty now.

BoardsMember

coff26 wrote: »

Almost got caught out on this last week in a competition. Dropped my club when I got into a bunker, complete accident, but playing partner felt it was a penalty for grounding club in a hazard.
Anyway checked afterwards and there's no penalty if accidental drop of club. I heard something similar with regard to using a club to stop yourself from falling over when in a water hazard for example - heard people who have been penalised and who haven't been penalised on that one. I think the rule is that there's no penalty now.

You're right. It was Michelle Wie that happened to. Interesting one, she tried to maintain that she had used the club to stop her falling, when the footage would not seem to support that claim.
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/wie-little-mishap-13849/?ref=26000&rsec=210

Barry Rhodes goes into it in his usual detail here: http://www.barryrhodes.com/2010/03/michelle-wie-in-trouble-over-rules.html

coff26

That's interesting and well worth knowing too. Read about Anthony Kim getting a dq a few years back after he damaged his club on a sprinkler head but played on - another strange one.

Snakey

Interesting one, she tried to maintain that she had used the club to stop her falling, when the footage would not seem to support that claim.

That's a nice diplomatic way of putting it! If she claimed that then she's got some neck. I'd be close to saying she was attempting to cheat.

Compare that to the dignified manner of Brian Davis (I think it was) calling a penalty on himself in a greenside hazard on the first playoff hole some months back, a guy still chasing his first title, and extremely doubtful anyon else would have seen the 'infringement'. Fantastic display of honesty and sportsmanship.

I think most of us would much rather lose with grace and dignity than win by cheating.

coff26

Depends on the person and the sport!
Soccer is littered with cheating and a lot of team sports are pushing the boundaries further and further all the time.
I don't care who you are, you'd always have a guilty conscience if you did win when you knew you transgressed somehow.

Fishyfreak

coff26 wrote: »

but playing partner felt it was a penalty for grounding club in a hazard.

Your playing partner sounds like a right dick, I would have belted him with the club

FlutterinBantam

Fishyfreak wrote: »

Your playing partner sounds like a right dick, I would have belted him with the club

hopefully you are saying that tongue in cheek.:rolleyes:


I would say kudos to your PP for binging up the subject.