Top 20 Rules !

Someday

I have recently joined a club and I am going to start playing in competitions ! I have a handicap ! I will start playing with other members in competitions and I know there is 1001 rules but what is the top 20 that i should be aware of ? so I know and can move on quickly ! Cheers

thewobbler

Someday wrote: »

I have recently joined a club and I am going to start playing in competitions ! I have a handicap ! I will start playing with other members in competitions and I know there is 1001 rules but what is the top 20 that i should be aware of ? so I know and can move on quickly ! Cheers

Rule number 1. If you play rubbish most of the time then you're a bandit. A cheat. A scourge on golf.

Senna

thewobbler wrote: »

Rule number 1. If you play rubbish most of the time then you're a bandit. A cheat. A scourge on golf.

What???? Not everyone who is rubbish is a bandit, or do you assume everyone with a high handicap is just waiting for the big comps??


OP, if you hit a ball and you not sure if its lost, just hit a provisional, nothing worse than not finding the ball and having to walk back to the tee to hit another.

If you do lose a ball, you are allowed 5 minutes to find it. I would only spend 5 minutes looking if I knew the exact area and I had a good score going, otherwise a couple of minutes is normally enough time.

Try and keep moving along as best you can, if your going to scratch a hole, then there's no point spending minutes deliberating over your next shot.

Most of all enjoy yourself, have a good chat with the other players and for the first few rounds, don't worry about score as much as having a good time.

onlyfinewine

Someday wrote: »

I have recently joined a club and I am going to start playing in competitions ! I have a handicap ! I will start playing with other members in competitions and I know there is 1001 rules but what is the top 20 that i should be aware of ? so I know and can move on quickly ! Cheers

http://www.randa.org/en/Playing-Golf/Quick-Guide-to-the-Rules.aspx

This link will give you the quickest guide to the (SIMPLIFIED) rules and is very helpful. It is broken up into 10 areas which are well written with examples, illustrations and videos.

A definite help to the new golfer, you can also down load a written copy of ten pages to bring with you.

http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/~/media/RandA/Downloads%20and%20Free%20Publications/QuickGuideToTheRules2012.ashx?download=true

By the way there are only 35 Rules in total, so not too bad.

TGoodall

Learn your options when the ball is in a water hazard (red and yellow stakes, different options), rules around playing provisionals, options when declaring a ball unplayable and rules about putting (correct order, when flag must be out etc)

Also read the section in the rules on etiquette; it's short but very helpful for you and those you are playing with.

Ask in the pro shop for a copy of the rules, they are usually free to new members.

Someday

OnlyfineWIne - Thanks for your help, that link is very helpful !

BigChap1759

Rule 1 - read the rules of golf!

slave1

OP, there is a small rules of golf book availaible for free at most courses, nice and small so you can have to hand during your round as it has a pretty good index at the back.
Off the course, if you have a smart phone/tablet there is a free Rules of Golf app that you can be flicking through when you find the time etc.

Enjoy, learn the rules, have fun and avoid slow play!

charlieIRL

thewobbler wrote: »

Rule number 1. If you play rubbish most of the time then you're a bandit. A cheat. A scourge on golf.

OP don't listen to this rubbish.

not yet

Rule number one of golf club...never talk abou

no I'll leave it I'll get banned

Felloffmebike

Learn a few of the basic rules first - lost ball, unplayable lies, out of bounds, hazards, placing and replacing without penalty or under penalty, how and where to drop a ball. Etiquette is also very important. Rake the bunkers, repair your pitch marks, replace your divots, be on the tee on time, keep up with play. But all this stuff should be in the back of your mind to be produced when needed. First rule is enjoy it and remember we're not all Rory McIllroy although we are all capable of hitting the odd shot that makes us think we are. .

Myksyk

thewobbler wrote: »

Rule number 1. If you play rubbish most of the time then you're a bandit. A cheat. A scourge on golf.

Where's that sarcasm smiley when you need it, eh?

thewobbler

Myksyk wrote: »

Where's that sarcasm smiley when you need it, eh?

I'd kind of hope that a statement so sarcastic doesn't need a smiley!

Personally I wouldn't ram a whole load of rules down the throat of a newbie. I prefer a philosophy of at all times to play in the spirit of the game - and never give yourself an artificial advantage. Until you've seen the more dubious scenarios unfold, then you're going to make little errors against the rules. Most of these, while warranting penalty, are forgivable. Dropping a ball back on a fairway, that you buried in the woods, is not.

GreeBo

^ There is no excuse for not knowing the basic rules though.
I hate to see people who have no idea what to do when they lose a ball for example, or they have an unplayable lie.

thewobbler

GreeBo wrote: »

^ There is no excuse for not knowing the basic rules though.
I hate to see people who have no idea what to do when they lose a ball for example, or they have an unplayable lie.

What I find more frustrating about this (and this is probably just me) is not that they don't know the rules, but when they get visibly upset by the penalty involved. Again this is mostly a philosophy thing in my opinion, whereby they don't understand that a bad shot is deserving of a proper penalty. Fix that mindset and people tend to change how they play golf - so that mad mistakes are reduced in number.

onlyfinewine

thewobbler wrote: »

What I find more frustrating about this (and this is probably just me) is not that they don't know the rules, but when they get visibly upset by the penalty involved. Again this is mostly a philosophy thing in my opinion, whereby they don't understand that a bad shot is deserving of a proper penalty. Fix that mindset and people tend to change how they play golf - so that mad mistakes are reduced in number.

The one that I like most/least is where a ball is hit out of bounds and the perp drops a ball near where his shot exited the boundary. Most surprised when told they have to re-play from where last shot was played, second most/least favourite is when in trees or a bush takes a penalty drop out in the fairway instead of within two club lengths or backwards in line with the pin.

Felloffmebike

onlyfinewine wrote: »

The one that I like most/least is where a ball is hit out of bounds and the perp drops a ball near where his shot exited the boundary. Most surprised when told they have to re-play from where last shot was played, second most/least favourite is when in trees or a bush takes a penalty drop out in the fairway instead of within two club lengths or backwards in line with the pin.

Unplayable lie rule is probably the one that I see broken most often. A lot of people don't seem to realise that if you take the drop option it is 2 club lengths from where the ball lies, not from the nearest point of relief. That could mean it is still unplayable and you have to drop again under penalty. Or use one of the other options. I've seen plenty of guys pull the ball out of the bushes, drop where ever they have a swing and play on.

TGoodall

Felloffmebike wrote: »

Unplayable lie rule is probably the one that I see broken most often. A lot of people don't seem to realise that if you take the drop option it is 2 club lengths from where the ball lies, not from the nearest point of relief. That could mean it is still unplayable and you have to drop again under penalty. Or use one of the other options. I've seen plenty of guys pull the ball out of the bushes, drop where ever they have a swing and play on.

This just reminded me of something I had been thinking about. When you take the second unplayable drop I presume your only option is to then take another drop or if possible go back in line with the pin? You obviously can't go back to where you "hit" your last stroke from?

onlyfinewine

TGoodall wrote: »

This just reminded me of something I had been thinking about. When you take the second unplayable drop I presume your only option is to then take another drop or if possible go back in line with the pin? You obviously can't go back to where you "hit" your last stroke from?

In relation to an unplayable lie and the types of relief you can take, once you make your decision and take the appropriate action, the ball is back in play. It is a single decision (Assuming that the drop/place has been successful) and nothing that has occurred before that has any bearing on what you can do afterwards. So, no, you cannot decide to go back to the tee if your last action was a penalty drop.

Felloffmebike

Actually saw Paul McGinley get mixed up on that one in an Irish Open a few years back. It was in Portmarnock and he hit it into the gorse bushes right of the par 3 (15th?). He tried to play it, swung and either missed it altogether or moved it into further trouble. We couldnt see him, he was right in the middle of the bush. He then started to head back to the tee until his caddie and a rules man caught him and reminded him that option was no longer available to him once he opted to try to play a stroke. In fairness I think his head just went for a minute. He then took a drop under penalty, still in the bush, hacked it out and (I think!) chipped in for 5. So even the top pros get caught occasionally.