Water in sand trap

[Indio]

Casual water in bunkers
Not signing score card
grounding club in hazard
improper ball drop (some)
unrepaired fairway divots
to name a few!

[gbower]

Simulator golf is lookin' good for some guys I guess. No divots, automatic drops, no casual water, no spike marks. WOOHOOO

[jonf]

Ok.

Still... I am one of the "Converted". I learned to have a lot of love and respect for the rules of the great game we play. Just remember that the next gen of rules overseers will be hand picked by the current gen, as they were by the gen before them. They view themselves more as the guardians of tradition than anything else. Changing a rule of golf is not something they take lightly.

Ya, but they're doing it for the wrong reasons. They're doing it out of blind faith in the rules of golf, (and perhaps a sense of obligation to those who hand picked them), rather than out of a reasoned and logical approach to the rules of the game. Tradition is paramount, rather than rationality or fairness. That is an archaic and ill-founded way to approach the rules of golf. They feel more of a sense of duty to those who played and oversaw the game in the past than to those who are playing it now and will play it in the future.

They really need to wrap their heads around one simple thing: One can have respect and admiration for the traditions of the game while still endeavouring to change and improve the game for generations to come. Stagnation is never a good thing.

[AAA]

the RCGA's outdated and archaiac rules

The rules have evolved over more than 250 years since the first rules were formed.
They change every four years based upon experience of making the game equitable. They may or may not be fair but nor is life.
Free relief from a hazard is very unlikely to be given in the future. Otherwise why make it a hazard? Play it as it lies has been one of the fundamental principles of the game since its inception and is never likely to change. Otherwise it's not golf but someboard game played on the living room carpet.

[BC MIST]

but you get off your pulpit once in a while and agree that some rules are simple dumb.

The notion of someone wanting to take a ball in CW out of a bunker without penalty is dumb. Having a rule declaring a divot ground under repair is dumb.(Think of the implications) Not having to be accountable for your score at the end of a round is dumb. (Again, think of the implications) and so on it goes.

Before getting "into" the rules I was of the opinion that there were a few dumb rules, however, once I learned the reasons for them, and some of the the logic behind them, my opinions changed.

It IS interesting that some here want to make the game easier by changing the dumb rules. If I had my way I would make some more punitive. It is also interesting that dummying down the rules would suddenly make them logical, fair, reasonable and rational and anyone who dares thinks otherwise is on a high horse, defensive, on a pulpit, and a blue blooded traditionalist. Well, good for them.

[TP Tomi]

I played in The Mid Pacific Open one year (one of my very first tournaments) in Hawaii.
I hit my approach shot about 12 feet from the pin. I marked my ball, fixed my *ball mark*,
then proceeded to take my towel, and dust away some sand that was between my ball and the cup.

An official walked up to me and penalized me for using my towel (an outside agent)
I was livid .. then again, I wasn't aware of all of the rules at the time.
A few years later, that rule was taken out of the book .. it is now legal to use a towel.

I mean, these are some of the "dumb" rules that we can do with-out!
Why should I have to putt thru someone else's spike marks, who came out before me,
and was careless enough to spin his shoe while removing his ball from the cup?

Two rules upset me more then anything else;
The rule that states that I must hit out of a fairway divot .. and
the fact that I can repair a *ball-mark*, but not a spike mark on the putting surface!

I am in no way responsible for either the divot that my tee shot shot just happened to find in the fairway,
nor was it me that spiked up the green so much so, that it's almost impossible for me to make the putt.
Unless of course I can somehow manage to put some right or left *english* on it ..
like some pool cue ..

Just those two rules .. that's all I've ever found that I've never cared for ..

Tomi

[justsomeguy]

An official walked up to me and penalized me for using my towel (an outside agent)
I was livid .. then again, I wasn't aware of all of the rules at the time.
A few years later, that rule was taken out of the book .. it is now legal to use a towel.

To err is human - we all learn from our mistakes. You learned the rule, the USGA corrected their mistake. I don't like all the rules either, but I believe perfection is something that is always attempted but never attained.

I mean, these are some of the "dumb" rules that we can do with-out!
Why should I have to putt thru someone else's spike marks, who came out before me,
and was careless enough to spin his shoe while removing his ball from the cup?

Two rules upset me more then anything else;
The rule that states that I must hit out of a fairway divot .. and
the fact that I can repair a *ball-mark*, but not a spike mark on the putting surface!
Tomi

Life isn't fair, and neither is golf. If the Rules of Golf attempted to legislate that golfers got exactly what they deserved on the golf course, then I suspect that a lot of people would not be happy with those rules either...

... not that you shouldn't be ** off about hitting out of a divot or putting over a spike mark. Let's face it - bad luck sucks!! But we've all had some lucky bounces go the other way too...

[TP Tomi]

... not that you shouldn't be ** off about hitting out of a divot or putting over a spike mark. Let's face it - bad luck sucks!! But we've all had some lucky bounces go the other way too...

But that's just it ... it's not my fault that there is someone elses spike marks between my ball and the cup!
It's an absurd rule! The people who make it worse, are the ones who wear tennis shoes!
These things tear up a green whenever someone pivots or spins on the putting surface!

Nothing that you or I can do about it, but it doesn't change the way I feel about a dumb rule.
Now if I hit my tee shot 40 yards left of the fairway, over someone's house and there are white stakes,
darn right I deserve a penalty! I miss a green and land in a green-side bunker, I desrve it!

But trying to putt thru some moron's lack of concern for those behind them .. why should I deserve that?

Tomi

[Kiwi battler]

Totally agree , but then I think "its the same for everyone"

[BC MIST]

The Rules of Golf (Revised)

Rule 1 THE GAME
The game consists of playing a ball from the teeing ground towards a hole on a putting green. You don’t have to hole out as you may injure your back leaning over.

Rule 2 THE TEEING GROUND
You may hit the ball from anywhere on the teeing ground. There are no markers behind which you have to play because if you hit the ball from only 1’ in front of the markers, receiving a 2 stroke penalty would be just dumb. C’mon. It’s only a freakin foot.

Rule 3 LIE OF THE BALL (PREFERRED LIES)
(a) You may improve your lie anywhere through the green.. Hitting a perfect, 300 yard drive into a divot and having to play it is dumb. Just roll it over or place the ball on to a perfect lie. Or, you may place the ball on a tee but the tee must be not more than 4” long.

Rule 4 BUNKERS
(a) If you ball lands in a bunker you have the option of playing it from anywhere within the bunker, or under no penalty, you may take the ball outside the bunker and play it from the grass.
(b) If the ball is closer to the hole, no problem.
(c) If there is a clump of sand behind your ball just tamp it down with your sand wedge because having to play a stroke from a footprint left by someone ahead of you is dumb..

Rule 5 HAZARDS
(a) On any hole that has a hazard you may use a double stripped range ball instead of a PRO V1.
(b) If your ball lands in a hazard and cannot be played just throw one on the ground close to where it went in but make sure you have a level lie before you do. No penalty.
(c) If there is grass or guck behind you ball you may pull the grass out by the roots or shovel away any mud that may interfere with your swing.

Rule 6 OUT OF BOUNDS/LOST BALL
(a) If you hit your ball out of bounds or lose it just drop one near where you think your ball went OB or was lost.
(b) Or, you may slide a ball through the hole in your pocket on to the ground and declare, “Here it is.”
(c) If you find a ball while searching for yours, you may play it instead.
(d) If you ball ends up in a group of trees just kick it around until you get a good lie

Rule 7 LIFTING/DROPPING/PLACING
(a) If you need to move your ball or clean the mud off just lift it up and do it. There is no need to drop the ball from shoulder height and arm extended as that is dumb considering that you can fluff the ball up anywhere on the course.

Rule 8 THE PUTTING GREEN
(a) You are entitled to a smooth roll of the ball to the hole when on the putting green. Therefore, you may smoothen any irregularities including spike marks, raised turf caused by deer hooves and goose poop.
(b) If there is dew on the putting green you may drag your putter along the intended line ensuring that the speed of the green remains constant.
(c) Firmly tapping the putting green to create a trough with a Scotty Cameron (you must belong to the OG Scotty Cameron Sorority) from the green to the hole IS acceptable.

Rule 9 SCORING:
(a) Hitting the ball 8 times, saying you had 6 and writing down 4 is acceptable as you no longer have to be accountable for your score. (Preferred “lies”)
(b) You may pick up your ball and stop counting any time you reach your max.
(c) A ball on the putting green may be picked up anytime if you think you can make it.

These revisions rid the game of the dumb rules and reflect where some want the game to go. Or, perhaps they reflect where some actually are.

[spackler]

The Rules of Golf (Revised)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qu4EQqOBYwU&feature=related

[mpare]

Lyle, thank you for brightening my day. I'm still laughing. You should have added that you can play with any club or ball that helps your game regardless of whether these clubs or balls have been ruled illegal. After all, you paid good money for that much spring effect on a ball that you can hit 160 yards with your wedge!

[justsomeguy]

But trying to putt thru some moron's lack of concern for those behind them .. why should I deserve that?

Tomi

You don't deserve that.

Yesterday I sliced my drive into the woods, and it hit a tree and bounced into the fairway .. why should I deserve that?

Golf isn't fair - it never has been and it never will be. Golfers will always get results that they don't deserve - some good, some bad - that's just part of the game.

Is it really the Rules of Golf that are the problem, or could it be that we have unrealistic expectations that the Rules are supposed to eliminate bad luck - but not good luck - in the name of "fairness"?

[TP Tomi]

You don't deserve that.

Yesterday I sliced my drive into the woods, and it hit a tree and bounced into the fairway ..

LOL .. then you're living right ..

Golf isn't fair - it never has been and it never will be.

But it really is fair .. as long as I'm the first group off, and no one has made a ballet move on the green,
with their tennis shoes and left a size 10 spin impression while they removed their ball from the cup ..

Golfers will always get results that they don't deserve - some good, some bad - that's just part of the game.

Can't argure with that. But if a ball is striped off the tee, ends up in the middle of the fairway,
buried in some divot half filled with sand ... Here's one: and I just remembered this.
I was playing in our daily group one twighlight afternoon, when I hit a tee shot right down the middle.
We got out there and no one could find my ball .. I was perplexed! A few minutes later
one of our guys says he's got it ... dead center, in a divot .. so much so, that it was under the lip of the front part of said divot ..
I had to take an unplayable lie .. and incur one stroke .. whyyy? All because of some idiot
who did'nt care about the fact that there were other players behind his group?
It simply makes no sense .. never has, and it never will. I understand that those are the rules.
Fortunately, it doesn't happen that much, and life goes on.
But to change a rule from not being able to use an out-side agent such as my towel,
to wisk away some sand between my ball and the cup .. which someone else left on the green,
and not change a rule about spike marks that someone else .. well .. you get my point ..

Is it really the Rules of Golf that are the problem, or could it be that we have unrealistic expectations that the Rules are supposed to eliminate bad luck - but not good luck - in the name of "fairness"?

Nah, it's not "unrealistic expectations" .. the game is fair, period .. just eliminate those 2 rules,
and I'm fine with it.

Tomi

[jeffc]

the things that get me are the conditions under which we play vs the pros - despite the fact we are supposedly playing by the same rules. For instance:

Having someone stand in the rough and put a little flag by their ball when they hit. How many times have I lost my ball in thick rough? Same goes for 100's of people in the gallery looking for your ball when it is hit offline plus all of the TV coverage that shows where it went. It's rare for a pro to lose a ball.

Having every bit of grass that isn't perfect marked as GUR. Unless there is a major tournament or a major reno going on in a course I am playing, there is almost never any bad patch of ground marked as GUR.

Tiger having 9 spectators move a "loose impediment" so he could hit his ball.

Pro's not caring about hitting off a cart path and hacking up their irons seeing as they don't pay for their equipment.

On the bright side, at least I don't have to worry about leaving a scorer's tent before having signed my card.....

[TP Tomi]

Having every bit of grass that isn't perfect marked as GUR. Unless there is a major tournament or a major reno going on in a course I am playing, there is almost never any bad patch of ground marked as GUR.

I swear .. that's another one that I can't stand. Working for the PGA in Florida, we never got relief.
But when the mini tours came out, Ohhh myy gawwd! Every lil area that was even suspect
got sprayed with GUR paint ..

Tiger having 9 spectators move a "loose impediment" so he could hit his ball.

Yeah, that kina me off too .. if you or I were in the same spot with our everyday 4some,
we'da had to punch it out sideways or backwards. That really sucked to see an entire gallery help Tiger!

Pro's not caring about hitting off a cart path and hacking up their irons seeing as they don't pay for their equipment.

I've never minded that too much ... as it's pretty easy to pinch a ball off a cart path and spin it ..
Besides .. I make my own clubs and don't pay too much for them .. and, I can buff out any inperfections ..

Tomi