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Rules of Golf. For real- or are they a joke


Kor.A.Door

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Seriously, the rules of golf are absolutely out of touch with Anything remotely considered fair.

 

Kelly Kraft at the RBG Heritage missed the cut today because after striking his tee shot on the par 3 13 th hole, he hit a Bird. That's right a real live bird, and as his luck would have it, the ball fell out of the sky into the water hazard. Under the rules of Golf he has to pay the ball as it is, ie. Take the penalty stroke and play the next shot. I guess because the bird is a God made object it's sorry about your luck.

 

If you remember a few months ago on a smaller tour event, a young golfer putted his ball and while it is still in motion a leaf hit the ball, under that rule, he must replay the shot with no penalty, he didn't know the rule and finished the hole and was subsequently DQ'd for a rules breech. Last I knew a leaf was also God made.

 

Why in the world does one of these allow for a “redo”, and the other is “sorry” just bad luck.

 

I say this is BS, and some of the rules of Golf a dumb, just dumb, and I would say that this is one of those rules. How is there 2 separate rules for essentially the same issue, something in nature hit the Ball while it was in motion and cannot be accounted for.

Yet another stupid rule of golf.

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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He had 5 bogeys and a double.  One could argue it wasn't the bird he hit but one of the other bogey's he took that kept him out of the weekend.

 

But yes, I agree many of the rules of golf are dumb.  The rules changes coming for 2019 are a solid step in the right direction though.

 

As for those two scenario's you mentioned.  I believe the difference is a living thing vs an inanimate object.  Also not sure if on the green vs off the green makes a difference.  Plants don't count as living things for golf.  So if an Ant had crawled in the line of the putt in the 2nd scenario he would have had to play it as it lies.  Because it was a leaf (something not able to move under it's own power) he was supposed to replay the shot.

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I agree

 

The rules are far too complicated and at times counter intuitive.

 

 

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Seriously, the rules of golf are absolutely out of touch with Anything remotely considered fair.

 

Kelly Kraft at the RBG Heritage missed the cut today because after striking his tee shot on the par 3 13 th hole, he hit a Bird. That's right a real live bird, and as his luck would have it, the ball fell out of the sky into the water hazard. Under the rules of Golf he has to pay the ball as it is, ie. Take the penalty stroke and play the next shot. I guess because the bird is a God made object it's sorry about your luck.

 

If you remember a few months ago on a smaller tour event, a young golfer putted his ball and while it is still in motion a leaf hit the ball, under that rule, he must replay the shot with no penalty, he didn't know the rule and finished the hole and was subsequently DQ'd for a rules breech. Last I knew a leaf was also God made.

 

Why in the world does one of these allow for a “redo”, and the other is “sorry” just bad luck.

 

I say this is BS, and some of the rules of Golf a dumb, just dumb, and I would say that this is one of those rules. How is there 2 separate rules for essentially the same issue, something in nature hit the Ball while it was in motion and cannot be accounted for.

Yet another stupid rule of golf.

Kelly craft didn't get a “birdie“ on that hole?? 😁😂🤣. Some of the rules don't make sense.

 

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Stuff like this is why my senior group applies local rules over some of that stuff the USGA goes by.  We don't make a living at golf and we want to have fun while playing. If you hit a bird and the ball drops in the water, drop you another ball and replay.  Take the bird home and cook em for supper. 

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That's just plain funny! At least he walked away from the tournament with a good story to tell.

 

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Stuff like this is why my senior group applies local rules over some of that stuff the USGA goes by.  We don't make a living at golf and we want to have fun while playing. If you hit a bird and the ball drops in the water, drop you another ball and replay.  Take the bird home and cook em for supper. 

Exactly!! Golf is supposed to be fun

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I thought a ball hitting a bird/animal etc was 'ball moved by outside agency' or 'ball deflected by outside agency' and you got the option to replay the shot........I need to check out the rules book but anyone know before I wade thru reams of gobbledegook?

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I thought a ball hitting a bird/animal etc was 'ball moved by outside agency' or 'ball deflected by outside agency' and you got the option to replay the shot........I need to check out the rules book but anyone know before I wade thru reams of gobbledegook?

That makes sense, but I certainly don't know without looking it up either. 

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I thought a ball hitting a bird/animal etc was 'ball moved by outside agency' or 'ball deflected by outside agency' and you got the option to replay the shot........I need to check out the rules book but anyone know before I wade thru reams of gobbledegook?

No, if the ball has come to rest and the animal moves it, it's an outside agency, then it's a freed drop. If the ball is moving it's tough luck Charlie, play it as it lies.

 

I agree that this is stupid, really stupid. But it is a rule and must be properly applied in a tour event or for that matter any other event being governed by the rules of golf.

 

It's exactly the type of rule that makes it difficult for many of us to follow the rules when playing a casual round or even less casual rounds.

 

Make no mistake about it, there is bifurcation. It's created by the rule making bodies and their refusal to truly simplify and consider the rule of fair play.

 

For example, ball goes in a hazzard, lost, OB, unplayable? Drop at the nearest possible point of relief no closer to the hole or anywhere on the agreed upon line of flight, one stroke penalty, play on. I guarantee that's how most people play. It's simple and it works.

 

It's like monopoly, the rules say nothing about the free parking $500 rule but most people play it that way because it adds an additional element of fun.

 

 

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Common sense is slowly creeping in. When younger generations assume the roles of enforcement we can hope they're more willing to accept change.

 

 

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Hopefully so. My two pet peeves about the rules are fairway divots and marking your ball on the green. The first are obviously GUR, and in the second case mark ONCE and then putt out. Nothing tics me off more then seeing someone mark their ball and line up for their 3rd or 4th putt.

 

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I agree

 

The rules are far too complicated and at times counter intuitive.

 

 

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agree also.The basic rules are adequate.These ‘unique' scenario rules are very questionable

Keep it in the short stuff

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No, if the ball has come to rest and the animal moves it, it's an outside agency, then it's a freed drop. If the ball is moving it's tough luck Charlie, play it as it lies.

 

I agree that this is stupid, really stupid. But it is a rule and must be properly applied in a tour event or for that matter any other event being governed by the rules of golf.

 

It's exactly the type of rule that makes it difficult for many of us to follow the rules when playing a casual round or even less casual rounds.

 

Make no mistake about it, there is bifurcation. It's created by the rule making bodies and their refusal to truly simplify and consider the rule of fair play.

 

For example, ball goes in a hazzard, lost, OB, unplayable? Drop at the nearest possible point of relief no closer to the hole or anywhere on the agreed upon line of flight, one stroke penalty, play on. I guarantee that's how most people play. It's simple and it works.

 

It's like monopoly, the rules say nothing about the free parking $500 rule but most people play it that way because it adds an additional element of fun.

 

 

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The hazard drop or OB drop ---- You are 110% correct on that being that is how most people play it. A lot of courses here to speed up play in tourist season will mark hazards and even OB as a lateral under "Local Rules" to speed up play. I can remember when playing some mini tour events here you would be told to pay close attention to your rules sheet and course markings. One Tour Director colorfully said "You guys that play this course regularry better pay close attention to the sheet we are playing real golf here not tourist golf"

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Hopefully so. My two pet peeves about the rules are fairway divots and marking your ball on the green. The first are obviously GUR, and in the second case mark ONCE and then putt out. Nothing tics me off more then seeing someone mark their ball and line up for their 3rd or 4th putt.

 

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Oh yeah we see it quite a lot here during Tourist golf season

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 G

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Hopefully so. My two pet peeves about the rules are fairway divots and marking your ball on the green. The first are obviously GUR, and in the second case mark ONCE and then putt out. Nothing tics me off more then seeing someone mark their ball and line up for their 3rd or 4th putt.

 

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I hear divots from a lot of guys, and I respectfully disagree that they should be a free drop. Life's not fair and we take the good with the bad, and I think hitting a good tee ball into a real garbage lie gives you an opportunity to test your mettle. A clean divot isn't that difficult to hit a shot out of and your playing partners always ohh and ahh a little when you just shrug your shoulders, go about your business, and pull off the shot. I've made more birdies out of divots than I can count largely because I relish the opportunity to really bear down. Most of the time I strike it better than a perfect lie out of the fairway because I stay with it so much better.

Sometimes a little rub of the green is just what we need to appreciate the perfect lies.

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Kelly craft didn't get a “birdie“ on that hole?? 🤣. Some of the rules don't make sense.

 

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Sorry, but these incidents are far from being "essentially the same issue" as entirely different rules address them.

 

And being "God made" has nothing to do with it either, as literally everything on the course (outside of the man-made objects (like tee markers, sprinkler heads, rakes, and flag pins) that you could hit and influence the flight of your ball are in fact "God made." ... So, using your logic, when Speith hit a tree limb on the last hole of the Master's week should he have been allowed to replay that shot because the tree was God made?

 

While I will agree with you that many of the Rules Of Golf are dumb, and/or overly complicated - perhaps the 2019 Rules Updates will eliminate some of the confusion - it's still up to the individual player to know the rules, and understand how they apply. Because some rules are intended to aid you, and other rules are to explain how penalties are applied relative to your own situation.

 

End of the day, as another poster mentioned, the expression "rub of the green" comes to mind.

Golf is a game where we're often rewarded by a good bounce in which we shouldn't really be rewarded, along with the odd times when we're penalized for something in which we shouldn't be penalized. ... They all count the same.

But as a wise old fella told me back when I was a young golfer, and complaining about one poor or unlucky shot that supposedly ruined a round, or in your example one shot among 143 that kept Kelly from making the cut - while you're busy nit-pickying one shot, I bet I can go back through your round and find all kinds of shots you mis-played or struck poorly that would make this whole conversation moot. Just like life, put on your bigboy pants and accept the bad with the good, because life's not fair.

The rule book refers to the bird as God made.

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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Sorry, but these incidents are far from being "essentially the same issue" as entirely different rules address them.

 

And being "God made" has nothing to do with it either, as literally everything on the course (outside of the man-made objects (like tee markers, sprinkler heads, rakes, and flag pins) that you could hit and influence the flight of your ball are in fact "God made." ... So, using your logic, when Speith hit a tree limb on the last hole of the Master's week should he have been allowed to replay that shot because the tree was God made?

 

While I will agree with you that many of the Rules Of Golf are dumb, and/or overly complicated - perhaps the 2019 Rules Updates will eliminate some of the confusion - it's still up to the individual player to know the rules, and understand how they apply. Because some rules are intended to aid you, and other rules are to explain how penalties are applied relative to your own situation.

 

End of the day, as another poster mentioned, the expression "rub of the green" comes to mind.

Golf is a game where we're often rewarded by a good bounce in which we shouldn't really be rewarded, along with the odd times when we're penalized for something in which we shouldn't be penalized. ... They all count the same.

But as a wise old fella told me back when I was a young golfer, and complaining about one poor or unlucky shot that supposedly ruined a round, or in your example one shot among 143 that kept Kelly from making the cut - while you're busy nit-pickying one shot, I bet I can go back through your round and find all kinds of shots you mis-played or struck poorly that would make this whole conversation moot. Just like life, put on your bigboy pants and accept the bad with the good, because life's not fair.

This is mostly to point out that the rules of Golf can be stupid. Since he missed the cut by 1 stroke, hitting the bird actually did cause him to miss the cut, were there shots that were in his control that he could have done differently, yes, but when you have no control or any idea that hitting a bird is going to happen it makes no sense in any way not to replay the stroke

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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I hear divots from a lot of guys, and I respectfully disagree that they should be a free drop. Life's not fair and we take the good with the bad, and I think hitting a good tee ball into a real garbage lie gives you an opportunity to test your mettle. A clean divot isn't that difficult to hit a shot out of and your playing partners always ohh and ahh a little when you just shrug your shoulders, go about your business, and pull off the shot. I've made more birdies out of divots than I can count largely because I relish the opportunity to really bear down. Most of the time I strike it better than a perfect lie out of the fairway because I stay with it so much better.

Sometimes a little rub of the green is just what we need to appreciate the perfect lies.

My ball in a divot in the middle of the fairway is just bad luck; doesn't mean I like it even though I know it's the rub of the green.  The pros play out of divots from previous days that grounds crew repairs before the next round; maybe they get in a divot from the current day but that's rare.  Very few people repair divots at my muni, and some of them are deep and at a 45* angle to the green.  I'd play out of a repaired divot like the pros see, but some lies in those divots are not playable for me, and I defy a pro advance the ball to the green.  I have to take an unplayable lie penalty for hitting a straight ball in the fairway.  Just another reason why the pro game is much easier than the game we play.

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My ball in a divot in the middle of the fairway is just bad luck; doesn't mean I like it even though I know it's the rub of the green. The pros play out of divots from previous days that grounds crew repairs before the next round; maybe they get in a divot from the current day but that's rare. Very few people repair divots at my muni, and some of them are deep and at a 45* angle to the green. I'd play out of a repaired divot like the pros see, but some lies in those divots are not playable for me, and I defy a pro advance the ball to the green. I have to take an unplayable lie penalty for hitting a straight ball in the fairway. Just another reason why the pro game is much easier than the game we play.

That's a good point and you're right about the pros of course. I wasn't thinking of the muni course deep ditch digging. I'm fortunate to play mostly well kept tracks and forget about the courses I grew up on sometimes

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For those who believe that the rules are excessively complicated, I suggest you read the original 13 rules.  Try to imagine playing under those rules.  They were really simple, and apparently that's what most of us want.  No free drops, no marking the ball on the green, no cleaning the ball.  Every rule we have came as a response to some situation that occurred.  I like simplifying the rules, and hope it continues, but its pretty tough to write rules that cover all of the necessary issues. 

 

I challenge anyone to write a workable rule allowing relief from divot holes.  Include a definition of a divot hole.  Be sure that it also defines when the hole has healed enough that you no longer get relief.  And find some way of stopping short of allowing preferred lies anywhere in the fairway

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