Commonly Broken Rules

stockdam

GreeBo wrote: »

Yeah, I remember seeing someone lose a playoff on this one, he assumed the reed he hit was growing but it was actually just sitting there.
In fairness he called it on himself....doh.

That was Brian Davis at the Verizon Heritage. He hardly touched the reed and it was clear that he hadn't gained any advantage. However the rules are black and white so he called the penalty.

Jasonw

Another commonly misapplied rule is the taking of relief from paths or staked trees, assuming relief is allowed in the first place.

The rule is 1 clublength from the nearest point of relief. That is Nearest - Not nicest! If your ball lies on a path for example with an embankment (that isn't a hazzard) or heavy rough on one side and fairway on the other and your nearest point of relief (including your stance) is on the rough side then that is where you must drop.

Example


Rough

---

O (ball)

---

Fairway ----> direction of play (right handed golfer)




in this above example the ball must be dropped in the rough.

Also, It's one club length, not one clublength with headcover, place the marker a bitoutside that then drop the ball outside that again.

While I'm at it, I see guys drop the ball twice right at the edge of the mark and think they can place it just because it rolls outside the mark - not so. only if it rolls more than 2 clublengths or nearer the hole than where it originally lay before relief was taken.

I meet very few golfers who are good with the rules. This is because they learn the 'rules' from golfers who in turn learned from other golfers. Soon a common misconception takes hold within large groups of golfers as to what should be done in certain situations. The only way to break the cycle if to pick up a copy of the rules and read it. FWIW the decisions book makes good reading.

A situation happened with me a couple of years ago where I was taking a penalty drop. The ball was dropped inside the markers and because it was on a slope rolled about 4 feet outside the markers. I declared that the ball was now in play but my playing partner (a 5 hadicapper and past club president) insisted that the ball had to stay within the markers. Even when I showed him the rulebook he wouldn't accept it. We played on after agreeing to consult the Comp. secretary after the round for a ruling.
The Comp secretary (also a single figure golfer and past captain) ruled against me and only after much insisting agreed to consult the GUI. Obviously as the ball had not rolled more than 2 clublengths they rulled in my favour. It's not a reflection on them, just an example of how just because you've been doing something a certain way for years dosen't necessarly make it right.

thewobbler

The most important thing in golf is playing in the spirit of the game.

Rules are important, but a rules Nazi does nothing but ruin the game for his playing partners.

Apply commonsense, never award yourself an unfair advantage, and concentrate on your swing. Follow these maxims and the game evens itself out over time for you and your opponents, without having to decipher and interpret what is frankly, often a load of nonsense.

WHIP IT!

thewobbler wrote: »

The most important thing in golf is playing in the spirit of the game.

Rules are important, but a rules Nazi does nothing but ruin the game for his playing partners.

Apply commonsense, never award yourself an unfair advantage, and concentrate on your swing. Follow these maxims and the game evens itself out over time for you and your opponents, without having to decipher and interpret what is frankly, often a load of nonsense.

I would concur with that wholeheartedly - but as I play almost exclusively casual golf with pals as well as the most relaxed work society in the world, it's kind of a different story. If I was regularly playing in club comps, on club teams or in Open competitions, I'd never take a risk with a rule.

Sandwlch

thewobbler wrote: »

The most important thing in golf is playing in the spirit of the game.

Rules are important, but a rules Nazi does nothing but ruin the game for his playing partners.

Apply commonsense, never award yourself an unfair advantage, and concentrate on your swing. Follow these maxims and the game evens itself out over time for you and your opponents, without having to decipher and interpret what is frankly, often a load of nonsense.

I would disagree with that wholeheartedly. There is no such thing as commonsense - everyone has their own opinion on what that is - with views especially prone to distortion if it is commonsense relating to your own ball.

You cannot open that door, and the only way to ensure equity is for everyone to know and observe the same rules.

If one player causes his own ball to move 5mm by touching the ground when addressing it on the fairway he might convince himself that he didnt mean to move it, has gained no advantage and so does not need to add a stroke. Another player will see it as commonsense to follow a clear rule of golf and observe the rule and penalise himself. Not much justice in two different versions of commonsense.

Jasonw

Sandwlch wrote: »

I would disagree with that wholeheartedly. There is no such thing as commonsense - everyone has their own opinion on what that is - with views especially prone to distortion if it is commonsense relating to your own ball.

You cannot open that door, and the only way to ensure equity is for everyone to know and observe the same rules.

If one player causes his own ball to move 5mm by touching the ground when addressing it on the fairway he might convince himself that he didnt mean to move it, has gained no advantage and so does not need to add a stroke. Another player will see it as commonsense to follow a clear rule of golf and observe the rule and penalise himself. Not much justice in two different versions of commonsense.

I would agree with that wholeheartedly.

It's one thing playing a casual round with your mates. In that case you can make up whatever rules you wish. But, once you sign in to play in a competition, whether it is a midweek scramble with 2 teams entered or the ryder cup, you are expected to follow the rules to the letter. It's the only way to ensure that everybody is playing on a level playing pitch so to speak.

If you're uncomfortable with that it's simple, Continue to enjoy your casual rounds of golf but don't enter competitions.

I remember thinking how unfair it was when I first started playing society golf that I got disqualified after winning my first competition because I had arrived early and played 2 practice holes while I was waiting for the others to arrive (out of ignorance of the rules mind you). Of course it was right that I was disqualified but I only had myself to blame.

stockdam

thewobbler wrote: »

The most important thing in golf is playing in the spirit of the game.

Rules are important, but a rules Nazi does nothing but ruin the game for his playing partners.

Apply commonsense, never award yourself an unfair advantage, and concentrate on your swing. Follow these maxims and the game evens itself out over time for you and your opponents, without having to decipher and interpret what is frankly, often a load of nonsense.

If you are playing with mates then that's fine. However if you are playing in a competition or a match then you stick to the rules. The only rules Nazi that needs to be present is yourself.......you should call your own penalties and know what the rules are. The only time that a round is ruined is when somebody hasn't bothered to learn the rules and then thinks it's unfair that they are penalised.

BoardsMember

thewobbler wrote: »

The most important thing in golf is playing in the spirit of the game.

Rules are important, but a rules Nazi does nothing but ruin the game for his playing partners.

Apply commonsense, never award yourself an unfair advantage, and concentrate on your swing. Follow these maxims and the game evens itself out over time for you and your opponents, without having to decipher and interpret what is frankly, often a load of nonsense.

Absolute nonsense, completely misses the point of the rules in the first place.

Speak Now

99% of golfers will not know every rule so should always have the rule book in their bag. Lots of golfers assume his playing partners are so much wiser and take their ruling as correct. Even the pro's need to refer to the match ref at times. No shame in pulling out the book and letting the group behind play through if needs be.

No sympathy for sob stories you hear in the bar from disqualified golfers who put the blame on someone else.

GreeBo

Jerry Seinfeld wrote: »

99% of golfers will not know every rule so should always have the rule book in their bag. Lots of golfers assume his playing partners are so much wiser and take their ruling as correct. Even the pro's need to refer to the match ref at times. No shame in pulling out the book and letting the group behind play through if needs be.

No sympathy for sob stories you hear in the bar from disqualified golfers who put the blame on someone else.

99% of golfers dont know the basic rules that you can expect to encounter during an average game. I dont have an issue with people not knowing obscure rules (thats why you carry a rule book) but not knowing about declaring a provo, how/where/when to drop, improving your lie etc is just basic stuff.

Speak Now

GreeBo wrote: »

99% of golfers dont know the basic rules that you can expect to encounter during an average game. I dont have an issue with people not knowing obscure rules (thats why you carry a rule book) but not knowing about declaring a provo, how/where/when to drop, improving your lie etc is just basic stuff.

Same guys that will never mark a scorecard

My biggest pet hate in singles is the guy who asks on the first who's marking the cards lads. Ah we are all are ya chancer. Then half way around asks....what did you get on the 6th and 7th :mad:

Anto12

That would wreck my head of 1 lad wasnt willing to fill out his score card - then dont enter the comp.. Thank god I havent met any of those lads yet !! No problem with a guy starting off and he's not sure how to mark the score card - always will help those guys out

Sir Shankalot

One rule a few playing partners of mine were not aware of:

You hit a shot into a green and it pitches on the fringe and spins back by a foot. You are not allowed to repair the pitch mark on the fringe (as in not on the green) even if it is directly on your line to the hole. I know people would never dream of doing it if back on the fairway etc but I have seen people with the putter in hand repairing the pitch mark assuming they are allowed to do so. As is so often the case there is nothing underhanded in their actions, just igonorance of the rule - they know now though!