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"New" Rules of Golf?


GolfSpy Barbajo

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Touchy subject, I know - but this is a game and it's supposed to be fun, right?

 

Whaddya think of these?

 

rules.jpg

 

Talk amongst yourselves....

 

What's in the bag:
 
Driver:  :titelist-small:TSR3; :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR Carbon
FW Wood: :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR 3-wood; :titleist-small: TSR 2+
Hybrids:  PXG Gen4 18-degree
Utility Irons: :srixon-small: ZX MkII 20* 
Irons:;  :Sub70:699/699 Pro V2 Combo; :wilson_staff_small: D9 Forged;  :macgregor-small:MT86 (coming soon!); :macgregor-small: VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; 

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: RTX6 Zipcore
Putter: :cleveland-small: HB Soft Milled 10.5;  :scotty-small: Newport Special Select;  :edel-golf-1:  Willamette,  :bettinardi-small: BB8; :wilson-small: 8802; MATI Monto

Ball: :bridgestone-small: Tour B RXS; :srixon-small: Z-STAR Diamond; :wilson_staff_small: Triad

Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: :ShotScope:


 
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I like 2, 3, 5 & 7

 

For #1 I'd change it maximum score is whatever your equitable stroke max is.

 

Not a fan of #4, still think you should play it as it lies. I guess it depends on the game though and what's on the line. If it's just someone out for some fun then go for it.

 

#6 has a similar vibe for me. If you're just out for fun then go nuts, otherwise it's a max of 14 conforming clubs.

 

 

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Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

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Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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But, common sense ain't that common.

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
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:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


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We use #1 to speed up play on our Saturday game. And we have a roll it rule so that's like #4.

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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Who actually plays by the strict rules anyway? We don't. For instance... when putting and depending on the bets we'll say, "pick it up" all the time when a guy is putting a 4 footer and the hole is already won or pushed. There have been times when we've declared double bogey max when playing a little 4 man tournament on a golf trip or something. During the winter we play it up in the fairways a lot. However, in the summer the ball is played where it lies. Penalties are always what they should be. An exception might be that if a ball is found OB and a guy didn't play a provis off the tee then we don't go back. That's holding up the group behind.

In our Saturday game we play a quasi-strict rules game. Some we follow and some we fudge. It's understood. Official tournament play is a different animal. Strict rules always apply.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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They are a nice, simple set of rules.  I wouldn't increase or leave loose the number of clubs if anything I'd decrease it and the roll rule or whatever we are calling it should be if agreed upon in advance - our club is currently under a local rule that games may left clean and drop (yes your read that right) when a fellow competitor agrees that the lie should be marked ground under repair.  The over seed failed this year because there was no rain when it happened and then tons of rain and cold temps after the fact.  The guys that I've played with have just been playing lift clean and place - it's way too spotty - normally though we'd play everything down.

 

The rules of golf need to be simplified and this goes a long way - one other that I would include is that any imperfection on the green may be repaired - oh and I don't really care how you swing the club or whether or not your longer putter "accidentally" brushes against your beer belly or loose fitting wind breaker. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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One annual round that I'm really going to miss is the one up in Maine with three other old timers with whom I used to work back in the 20th Century. First of all, the course itself, the name of which I'll not mention, is pretty scruffy to be kind about it. Second, these "gentlemen" made me look like a very formidable player. And third, the only rule is that there are no rules. These guys don't even keep score!

Let's be honest--I'm really stretching definitions when I call this game "golf." One of the guys has a swing that convinces me he took heads with a broad axe in an earlier life. Another rarely gets the ball airborne so when he encounters a pond, he hits little chip shots around it until he's on the other side. The third musketeer lets loose a stream of incredibly funny profanities/obscenities with ever sad "shot," except that he's the only one not laughing which makes it all the funnier as steam visibly rises off his neck.

All the while we laugh and talk old times until we get the obligatory "round" over with and then continue the conversation until we get thrown out of the clubhouse at closing time, long after dark. They either live or summer in the area and I thank God that my motel is practically abutting so that I don't have to drive home using "the force." If I survive getting dropped off just beyond the course driverway, I'm golden.

I'm not sure that I need to give this particular round up, in fact. I can hit a few balls, pick up and ride around whenever I'm tired, and nobody would notice the difference.

I'll say this much. If I ever started my shtick about jacked lofts and other esoteric technical stuff with these guys, I'd probably get tossed into the very pond that the aforementioned guy hits chip shots around.

 

 

 

 

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Touchy subject, I know - but this is a game and it's supposed to be fun, right?

 

Whaddya think of these?

 

attachicon.gifrules.jpg

 

Talk amongst yourselves....

Sounds like the rules I go by already........unless I'm playing a tournament anyway....lol

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:taylormade-small: Mid Rescue - 2, 3, 4, & 5 Hybrids     :taylormade-small: M2 - 6 Hybrid

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  :MLA: Target Adixion 33" putter

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For most people that just want to enjoy the game I have no issue at all with these rules. The game is meant to enjoy and most people don't play competition golf anyway so why not make rules that make the game more enjoyable.

 

 

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1. is ESC for me. Other than a par 3 it works better and how often do I seven a par 3 that doesn't involve two water trips?

 

2. I think Out of Bounds is a bigger issue personally. That or not finding your ball. Half the time we say eh and drop one close to nearby.

 

4. Depends: 100 shooter digger divot? go ahead. Ball lying down in rough? Deal with it. Anything near a stone I'll give you if it's random. If you hit in the desert or near a tree from a bad shot: deal with it.

 

5. Circle of friendship should be close but fair. Anything within a foot is obvious unless for eagle. Anything for 7 should be generally a given within a putter length.

 

And lastly how about a rule about tee box? Like if you're ready hit. any conversation over 3 sentences with a group behind you should be left for after the round is over.

 Driver:   :callaway-small:  Epic Flash 12 Degree

Wood: :callaway-small:  GBB 3 Wood
Hybrid: :callaway-small: Razr 4 hybriid stiff stock shaft.
Irons: :callaway-small: X2 Hot 4 iron (pro version) 5 iron - Gap Wedge (non pro version).  KBS 120g Shaft stiff cut 1/2  inch bent 1°upright
Wedges: :vokey-small: 52° 56° and 60°.
All grips are Golf pride grips midsized
Putter (lefty):  Odyssey Metal-X #8 34", stock shaft bent 2° Superstroke grip
Golf Balls:   :titelist-small: 2018-9 Pro-V1x and Prov1s
Shoes:  :footjoy-small:  Dryjoy tours

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Course Rules at Tokatee Golf Club in the Cascade mountains of Oregon:

 

1.  Come Relaxed  -  Leave Happy

 

2.  You'll remember Your Friends More Than Your Scores

 

3.  Play Often  -  Laugh More

 

4.  Play The Tees That Make You The Happiest

 

5.  It's More Fun When You're Not The Only One Having It.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Course Rules at Tokatee Golf Club in the Cascade mountains of Oregon:

 

1. Come Relaxed - Leave Happy

 

2. You'll remember Your Friends More Than Your Scores

 

3. Play Often - Laugh More

 

4. Play The Tees That Make You The Happiest

 

5. It's More Fun When You're Not The Only One Having It.

Doesn't get much better than that. It's why we play.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

 

What's in the bag:
 
Driver:  :titelist-small:TSR3; :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR Carbon
FW Wood: :wilson_staff_small: DynaPWR 3-wood; :titleist-small: TSR 2+
Hybrids:  PXG Gen4 18-degree
Utility Irons: :srixon-small: ZX MkII 20* 
Irons:;  :Sub70:699/699 Pro V2 Combo; :wilson_staff_small: D9 Forged;  :macgregor-small:MT86 (coming soon!); :macgregor-small: VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; 

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: RTX6 Zipcore
Putter: :cleveland-small: HB Soft Milled 10.5;  :scotty-small: Newport Special Select;  :edel-golf-1:  Willamette,  :bettinardi-small: BB8; :wilson-small: 8802; MATI Monto

Ball: :bridgestone-small: Tour B RXS; :srixon-small: Z-STAR Diamond; :wilson_staff_small: Triad

Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: :ShotScope:


 
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Touchy subject, I know - but this is a game and it's supposed to be fun, right?

 

Whaddya think of these?

 

attachicon.gifrules.jpg

 

Talk amongst yourselves....

This is pretty much how we play - we being the guys I regularly play with. #6 has never even come up. The last couple years though is the first I've really invested much in getting better and I'm more rigid/strict with myself than I am with others, because I want to know where my game is at. A "low" handicap built on mulligans and fluffed lies would be worthless any where it mattered

 

 

 

 

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Fairway: Ping G25 (3)
Hybrid: Ping i25 (22 degree)
Crossover: Ping G 5
Irons: Ping i25 (5 -PW)
Wedges: Bridgestone J15 forged 50 and 55 degree
Putter: Cleveland TFi Elevado w/ Winn Pro grip.

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This is pretty much how we play - we being the guys I regularly play with. #6 has never even come up. The last couple years though is the first I've really invested much in getting better and I'm more rigid/strict with myself than I am with others, because I want to know where my game is at. A "low" handicap built on mulligans and fluffed lies would be worthless any where it mattered

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This is where I get the best of both worlds. I play in a league that is straight rules of golf other than pick up after double par which of course has no bearing on handicap. Generally I have 20 plus rounds there and the league keeps a handicap. What is interesting to me is that it rarely deviates more than a tenth or two of a percentage point from my "official" handicap which does at times include rules that are more lax. I do observe USGA guidelines so if some one says pick them up after the hole is over and I have ten feet I add two strokes to my score for handicap purposes or take the max allowable when I've picked up because I'm out of a hole.

 

The difference is that I will bear down and focus much more in those league rounds. The focus in the more casual rounds only comes if I've got a great round going or there is some sort of money/wager on the line. In fact my two lowest rounds ever, 66/68 were shot in competition as were several of my 69's. For me it's a wash.

 

What I'm seeing in this thread is very interesting. Beyond a doubt we are a group that values the game and it's traditions far more than an average random segment of golfers and yet it's clear that there is a disconnect between USGA rules and the rules that we play by.

 

The only conclusion to reach from this is that the USGA is woefully out of step with how the game is being played by 90 percent plus of the people who play it. They need to get some rank in file players involved in their decision making ASAP.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I like 2,4,5,7

 

Like several have said 1 should be ESC, 3 that's not enough time to look for your ball at some courses, 6 I think you should only use 14 clubs but if you playing without posting for a handicap you can use non-conforming clubs.

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

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I'm out of step with the majority here, and admit, I don't always have fun. Sometimes I'm downright pi$$3d off. But hey, it's golf i play not footgolf or some other currently hot social fad. I play traditional golf, trying to be true to the rules Old Tom Morris and my grandfather played by. And if I cannot be true to myself, who can I be true to? So keep that preamble in mind.

1.No. You make the same number of strokes it takes to get in the hole. You cannot say, "Max I can take is a #" because that's a calculation for later determining your hc. For today, you made an 11. (Read Michael Murphy 's "Golf in the Kingdom".

2. Not if you're playing golf. Some rules are 2 strokes and some are stroke and distance. I agree that's not always practical, but if you ignore the correct penalty, don't count the round and tell me later you're scratch.

3. You have 5 minutes from the time you arrive and start to search. If you want to take less time, fine. Personally, I think golf is already hard enough.

4.You're joking, right? Golf the game is all about the lie. Hence the saying, "Play it as it lies," not, "How big a lie will you buy?"

5. I'm all for friendship. A friend once told me the length of a gimme showed the intensity of the friendship. I believe gimmes between friends is like money between friends: neither a borrower nor a lender be. Make Ben Franklin proud. Make 'em putt.

6. Equipment today is unrecognizable by Old Tom. Pretty soon, we'll be arguing the merits of my brand of Iron Byron Robot vs yours as we pull them along on the course to our next shot. Stick to the rules.

7. Common Sense. Ah, the popular pamphlet by patriot Thomas Payne. That led to a war, did it not?

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I'm out of step with the majority here, and admit, I don't always have fun. Sometimes I'm downright pi$$3d off. But hey, it's golf i play not footgolf or some other currently hot social fad. I play traditional golf, trying to be true to the rules Old Tom Morris and my grandfather played by. And if I cannot be true to myself, who can I be true to? So keep that preamble in mind.

1.No. You make the same number of strokes it takes to get in the hole. You cannot say, "Max I can take is a #" because that's a calculation for later determining your hc. For today, you made an 11. (Read Michael Murphy 's "Golf in the Kingdom".

2. Not if you're playing golf. Some rules are 2 strokes and some are stroke and distance. I agree that's not always practical, but if you ignore the correct penalty, don't count the round and tell me later you're scratch.

3. You have 5 minutes from the time you arrive and start to search. If you want to take less time, fine. Personally, I think golf is already hard enough.

4.You're joking, right? Golf the game is all about the lie. Hence the saying, "Play it as it lies," not, "How big a lie will you buy?"

5. I'm all for friendship. A friend once told me the length of a gimme showed the intensity of the friendship. I believe gimmes between friends is like money between friends: neither a borrower nor a lender be. Make Ben Franklin proud. Make 'em putt.

6. Equipment today is unrecognizable by Old Tom. Pretty soon, we'll be arguing the merits of my brand of Iron Byron Robot vs yours as we pull them along on the course to our next shot. Stick to the rules.

7. Common Sense. Ah, the popular pamphlet by patriot Thomas Payne. That led to a war, did it not?

He's tough but that's fine. Just so you know on Tuesday we are under a local rule that allows for lift clean and drop through the green. The overseed didn't take and there are bare spots all over the place.

 

Also I won't hold the guys we are playing with to any rules but what they want to play by. See you Tuesday!

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I'm out of step with the majority here, and admit, I don't always have fun. Sometimes I'm downright pi$$3d off. But hey, it's golf i play not footgolf or some other currently hot social fad. I play traditional golf, trying to be true to the rules Old Tom Morris and my grandfather played by. And if I cannot be true to myself, who can I be true to? So keep that preamble in mind.

1.No. You make the same number of strokes it takes to get in the hole. You cannot say, "Max I can take is a #" because that's a calculation for later determining your hc. For today, you made an 11. (Read Michael Murphy 's "Golf in the Kingdom".

2. Not if you're playing golf. Some rules are 2 strokes and some are stroke and distance. I agree that's not always practical, but if you ignore the correct penalty, don't count the round and tell me later you're scratch.

3. You have 5 minutes from the time you arrive and start to search. If you want to take less time, fine. Personally, I think golf is already hard enough.

4.You're joking, right? Golf the game is all about the lie. Hence the saying, "Play it as it lies," not, "How big a lie will you buy?"

5. I'm all for friendship. A friend once told me the length of a gimme showed the intensity of the friendship. I believe gimmes between friends is like money between friends: neither a borrower nor a lender be. Make Ben Franklin proud. Make 'em putt.

6. Equipment today is unrecognizable by Old Tom. Pretty soon, we'll be arguing the merits of my brand of Iron Byron Robot vs yours as we pull them along on the course to our next shot. Stick to the rules.

7. Common Sense. Ah, the popular pamphlet by patriot Thomas Payne. That led to a war, did it not?

I think Getagrip, needs to Getagrip. Rules are rules. Bologna, we played behind some old timers the other day that well looked to be playing the "rules", to the tune of 5 hours and 10 minutes. These guys walked to there ball as slow as possible, putted everything out hit the ball 80 yards at s time, we watched them for 10 minutes on one green while they all 3 putted and the last putts were less then a foot, and they all marked the ball, these relaxed rules as we like to call them are ways to help speed the game up, nobody is asking anyone to run around the course, but let's be reasonable amateurs can't play by the letter of the rules in less than 5 hours. Nobody enjoys a 5 hour round of golf, and I'll bet you don't either. Speed the game up, while we're young. Yes please.

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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I've played with Getagrip, he's not slow but he plays by the book, nothing wrong with that. It's possible to play a round of golf by the rules in three hours. Its a mindset.

 

Having written that I'm for simplifying the rules and playing the way most of us are accustomed which would include give me's, pick em ups when out of the holes. I'd add OB and lost balls like lateral water hazzards.

 

I would not be inclined to use prefered lies unless the course determined it was necessary as a local rule for a time.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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People can play by whatever rules they want I guess, but when playing with groups of larger quantities, with hcp's ranging from +2 to 30, you simply cannot play by the book. The numbers just don't allow for it, so you have to come up with some rules to keep the pace of play moving, we use max ESC score per hole. Local course rule is that all hazards are lateral, OB is stroke and distance. If you aren't sure, play a provisional, yes I know that the rule says go back to the tee, but to save time, you hit a second ball. We have to keep the pace of play moving, period. Gimmees are in play. Again for us on Saturday in our group, it's about fun and we have to do our part since we are out early to keep the play moving.

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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People can play by whatever rules they want I guess, but when playing with groups of larger quantities, with hcp's ranging from +2 to 30, you simply cannot play by the book. The numbers just don't allow for it, so you have to come up with some rules to keep the pace of play moving, we use max ESC score per hole. Local course rule is that all hazards are lateral, OB is stroke and distance. If you aren't sure, play a provisional, yes I know that the rule says go back to the tee, but to save time, you hit a second ball. We have to keep the pace of play moving, period. Gimmees are in play. Again for us on Saturday in our group, it's about fun and we have to do our part since we are out early to keep the play moving.

I think you'll find that most, 95 percent plus, who play in a regular game play by local rules of some sort. The USGA actually allows for this and anticipates it. Even the PGA tour creates its own local rules. The key is that everyone in the field is playing by the same rules. I have been a part of men's groups at every course that I've been a member of and there has been some sort of rules modification for every group. Theyve all been similar to what Kor A Dor describes here. In my current league they are pretty strict because it's an individual league so it's play it down, putt it out up to double par and strict USGA rules in all other places. It's left clean and place if the course requires cart path only.

 

The one rule that Barbajo suggests that I would never allow is the common sense one. I've been a golfer and a pastor way too long to be fooled by that one. Common sense is a myth.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I must admit, I didn't abide by my own edicts above yesterday. Got into an unexpected 9-hole round with a couple friends and the course was unbelievably packed. We managed to squeeze in on the back nine with the starter's permission. We normally play 9 holes in 1.5 hours max, but we all felt rushed to keep the pace going. We finished in about an hour. I gave plenty of putts, both for pace of play and the crappy greens. I remember one penalty and he took the correct option. I don't think any of us enjoyed it much, and I felt sorry my partners felt rushed to putt on crappy greens, so I conceded a lot of putts. As usual, we weren't playing for anything and neither one asked what his total was.

 

Kevin, thank you for coming to my defense. Nobody can hang a Slow Player sign on me. But I know the rules pretty well, and can spot a violation. As you say, one can follow the rules and play fast. That's one difference between municipal and private courses: at private, one hits a provisional BEFORE one goes to find his first ball, to speed up play. I rarely see this done by muni players. They go look first, then drop at the spot the ball went OB. Wrong penalty. Cheers.

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I've played with Getagrip, he's not slow but he plays by the book, nothing wrong with that. It's possible to play a round of golf by the rules in three hours. Its a mindset.

 

Having written that I'm for simplifying the rules and playing the way most of us are accustomed which would include give me's, pick em ups when out of the holes. I'd add OB and lost balls like lateral water hazzards.

 

I would not be inclined to use prefered lies unless the course determined it was necessary as a local rule for a time.

I can do that in two hours from a cart. 5 hours is a joke.

 Driver:   :callaway-small:  Epic Flash 12 Degree

Wood: :callaway-small:  GBB 3 Wood
Hybrid: :callaway-small: Razr 4 hybriid stiff stock shaft.
Irons: :callaway-small: X2 Hot 4 iron (pro version) 5 iron - Gap Wedge (non pro version).  KBS 120g Shaft stiff cut 1/2  inch bent 1°upright
Wedges: :vokey-small: 52° 56° and 60°.
All grips are Golf pride grips midsized
Putter (lefty):  Odyssey Metal-X #8 34", stock shaft bent 2° Superstroke grip
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My point in all this is to say that no one plays 100% by the rules all he time, even Getagrip admits to this, there is a time and place to play by the "rules" of golf, and Saturday and Sunday games are not the place, it is our job as members of our courses to make sure that out pace of play doesn't sour it for visitors, and maybe they will return. It is also our job to grow the game, and playing 100% by the rules will not grow the game. If you take a new golfer to a course and it takes 4 1/2 to 5 hours to play chances are they won't return, it has to be enjoyable and playing by the "rules" is difficult. When the course is packed we have to make sure we are not the ones slowing the course down, I have one simple rule to apply everywhere you play, "keep up with the group in front of you".

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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I would add "and have fun" to your rule Kor A Dor - unless it's a tournament or money game who cares really?  Have fun and don't disturb the other people on the course (that would include slowing them down).  Most of the time we're recreational golfers. 

 

I've had enough success and failure in tournaments to know that my handicap is about right - In the end that's the only place that you can tell how legit it is - you should play to it between 20 and 25 percent of the time when you are playing straight by the rules - if you do - you're right where you should be. 

 

I honestly don't think that its guys like Get a Grip, striving to play by the rules that slow play down - it's people who play from the wrong set of tees (a huge percentage of golfers), people that don't play ready golf, and people playing for "big money" that spend forever over putts that they already know because they've had that 4 footer on that line on that course 100 times already but it's what the guys do on TV so they better study it from every angle before they miss it.  :) 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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