Rule you would like to change?

[fixyurdivot]

So you have been appointed as the USGA Grand Poo-pah and can change any rule you like - what would it be?

 

Mine would be that all balls not in a hazard can be picked, cleaned, and replaced just like on the green.  This game's hard enough, what the hell were they thinking?    

[jb0330]

I would like to have more clubs in my bag.

 

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[DiscipleofPenick]

Free drops from unmaintained areas through the green. I mean divots in the fairway, holes in the rough, tangles of exposed roots(why break a club) obvious cart tire marks. We're not all playing pristine courses.

 

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[CFrazier]

OB should be played as a lateral hazard.

 

 

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[MGoBlue100]

OB should be played as a lateral hazard.

 

 

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Amen. I've played it a lot this way in the past. Who has time to go back to the tee box? The game is slow enough as it is.

 

 

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[Thin2win]

Amen. I've played it a lot this way in the past. Who has time to go back to the tee box? The game is slow enough as it is.

 

 

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I like the different penalties for OB vs. Lateral hazard. That said, I'd amend the OB rule to say that you can drop within 2 clubs of entry just like a lateral, but with a 2 stroke penalty. I think it would help pace of play, and keep OB as the same level of penalty it is now.

 

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[HardcoreLooper]

I'm all for a root-and-rock rule. If the architect routed the hole around trees with enough space between them to hit a shot, the intention is that you should be able to hit some sort of recovery shot without risking life, limb and club.

 

I'm looking forward to see how courses use the new "penalty area" rule that's coming. Redline all of the thick forests, bushes and OB. Let people take a 1 stroke penalty and keep moving. Two shot penalties are killers that disproportionately impact weaker players, but one shot penalties still give the average player a chance at salvaging a decent score for the hole. One shot penalties also give the stronger player just a little bit more incentive to take a risk, because the downside isn't nearly so bad.

[SteddyGolf]

Pace of play! Anything over three hours for a round you have to add one stroke for every 15 mins. Maybe I'm different but I play the game to play the game. I'm not smoking cigars and taking shots of Fireball. 18 holes 10 minutes per whole = 180 mins or three hours. So riddle me this Batman.......if a hole takes on average longer than 10 minutes then why are tee time 8 minutes apart (6 in some areas) ?

 

Oh yeah, anything under three hours you get to substract one stroke for every 15 minutes!

[Woobie]

Free drop if your in a divot on the fairway. It's like being penalised for hitting the target area.

 

 

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[fixyurdivot]

Pace of play! Anything over three hours for a round you have to add one stroke for every 15 mins. Maybe I'm different but I play the game to play the game. I'm not smoking cigars and taking shots of Fireball. 18 holes 10 minutes per whole = 180 mins or three hours. So riddle me this Batman.......if a hole takes on average longer than 10 minutes then why are tee time 8 minutes apart (6 in some areas) ?

 

Oh yeah, anything under three hours you get to substract one stroke for every 15 minutes!

 

As soon as 3 hours becomes the standard, someone will argue that any round over 2-1/2 is slow play.

 

 

Free drop if your in a divot on the fairway. It's like being penalised for hitting the target area.

 

 

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Absolutely.  This like spike marks seems much more reasonable.

 

 

I like the different penalties for OB vs. Lateral hazard. That said, I'd amend the OB rule to say that you can drop within 2 clubs of entry just like a lateral, but with a 2 stroke penalty. I think it would help pace of play, and keep OB as the same level of penalty it is now.

 

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This is a good one and would help pace of play as well.

[fixyurdivot]

I think it's too hard to "define a divot".

Also, for the same reason, the Rules do not separate rough from fairway, it's often times too hard to make that definition.

 

Divot - a spot where fairway grass once grew before it was removed by a golf club. 

 

Yeah, as someone who worked in aerospace for 30 years and was involved with a myriad of specifications, I know all too well how challenging defining things can be.  

[SteddyGolf]

Touche' but I hope you know my recommendation was a little tongue and cheek. However, since you opened the cubard I'll reach right in. Competitive Golf is a whole different ball game. If you are doing it for a living then of course take all the time you need within the confines of the rules. If you are a weekend golfer then you must always be aware of the “groups” behind you and not just the one directly behind you. One slow group often adversely effects everyone behind them for at least the 5 hours they are leading the way. This point kind of speaks to your financial point. Slow play drives golfers away from your course. I also believe that guys like me must be self aware in that I play faster at 54 years old walking with a bag on my back than the average golfer. I am just as responsible at slowing down to the average as the slow folks are at maintaining the pace.

 

Again my whole strokes gained strokes lost was suppose to be a joke. I laughed when I wrote it but I guess I should have included a disclaimer.

[gaussman1]

I would get rid of stroke and distance penalties, and make them distance only. If you hit your tee shot OB or lost ball territory just reload and now you're hitting your second shot.

I would also permit provisionals for balls that may be playable within a hazard, so you can hit a second shot then go look and see if the first one is playable. If not, the provisional becomes the ball in play.

[silver & black]

Pace of play! Anything over three hours for a round you have to add one stroke for every 15 mins. Maybe I'm different but I play the game to play the game. I'm not smoking cigars and taking shots of Fireball. 18 holes 10 minutes per whole = 180 mins or three hours. So riddle me this Batman.......if a hole takes on average longer than 10 minutes then why are tee time 8 minutes apart (6 in some areas) ?

 

Oh yeah, anything under three hours you get to substract one stroke for every 15 minutes!

Not buying this one. As much as I hate slow play.... why should I/we be penalized because the group ahead of us slowed down play to that extent?

[HardcoreLooper]

I would also permit provisionals for balls that may be playable within a hazard, so you can hit a second shot then go look and see if the first one is playable. If not, the provisional becomes the ball in play.

This. The rules on when you can and cannot play a provisional are too restrictive.

[null]

Troll so hard

[excourse]

Consider fw divots as gur, and allow players to mark, clean and line up their putts ONCE per hole, unless they putt it into a bunker or muddy lie.

The option for 6 hole rounds.

And to test players skill, cut the number of clubs from 14 to 12, or even 10.

 

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[GolfJunkie302]

The more I think about it, one Rule I would like to change is allowing the ball to have a line.

Today, watching on television Kevin Na take so much time trying to get the line on his ball aimed properly, my thoughts now are to disallow that line. I know Fowler and Tiger also use a line, as do many other Tour pros , but the USGA could make a Rules change (similar to what happened when certain types of anchoring was banned), and those players who have been using a line will have to stop doing so. And so will Titleist and other ball companies who put a small line on their golf balls.

Kind of ironic that your screen name is Topline, yet you want to get rid of alignment lines!

 

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[Peaksy68]

About the only rule I would like to see changed is divots (repaired or not) on fairways should be treated as GUR. Miss the fairway, bad luck, and get on with it.

 

For the pro's I'd love to see a shot clock, they will adapt and it will be more dynamic viewing.

 

I'm happy with stroke and distance for a lost ball, how can you possibly work out where to drop?

[tony@CIC]

The more I think about it, one Rule I would like to change is allowing the ball to have a line.

Today, watching on television Kevin Na take so much time trying to get the line on his ball aimed properly, my thoughts now are to disallow that line. I know Fowler and Tiger also use a line, as do many other Tour pros , but the USGA could make a Rules change (similar to what happened when certain types of anchoring was banned), and those players who have been using a line will have to stop doing so. And so will Titleist and other ball companies who put a small line on their golf balls.

I think the line doesn't add any more time than no line. Na would have taken as much time either way. 

[fixyurdivot]

About the only rule I would like to see changed is divots (repaired or not) on fairways should be treated as GUR. Miss the fairway, bad luck, and get on with it.

 

For the pro's I'd love to see a shot clock, they will adapt and it will be more dynamic viewing.

 

I'm happy with stroke and distance for a lost ball, how can you possibly work out where to drop?

 

I'm still not in favor or visual shot clocks like those used in the Euro Tour - just don't like the aesthetics and it having the feel of an NBA game.  Maybe they can come up with something else. For sure on the other two changes.

[palvord]

Eliminate the pre-manufactured greens books with every detail given to the player already.

 

If the player wants to take their time to make one and continue to update it, like they do with yardage books, fantastic. I just don't like the idea of giving a professional player information that most everyone else has to work to obtain.

 

 

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[palvord]

.

Even the yardage books the players use are not updated by the players.

There are now companies that do all the heavy lifting, just like the greensreading books, and supply them to the players.

I guess that's the overall thing that I'm not a fan of then. And it's a weird nuance that I have with the game of golf. I think that more information is great, however I really like the idea of the players needing to actually do some work with their caddie to get that information, rather than a book just be handed to them.

 

 

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[Charli]

Pros should Be allowed to wear shorts given a certain temp