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What Rule Would You Change?

I actually don't mind playing out of divots. It just means you have to go into the ball that much harder.
 
The 10th hole at our club is a dogleg left. All large trees and and OB (the range) left of the trees. I hit a towering Esox fade right into the trees. The ball went all the way through without hitting a thing. As close to the green as I've ever been off this tee. Right in a terrible divot.

Man, did I get screwed. I should be able to move that because I hit the fairway.

Kevin
 
Here's the fifth divot I've been in this year... And by faaaar the worst!

37c6ba81.jpg


This fairway gets very hard in the summer, which meant that I couldn't even dig the ball out. I ended up hammering a screamer down the right side of the fairway into the deep rough. Ended up with a par, but the ball was easy more than half in the ground..

And it's just unlucky.. There wasn't another divot within ten yards, just terribly bad luck. I ended up with a par after an incredible third shot and a solid putt, but man, talk about a frustration moment!
 
That really sucks Canadan. I absolutely hate when my ball is in a divot in the FW. This could easily be avoided if people replaced or filled their divots.
 
Nice par. That's the way to do it if you catch a bad break. That should be satisfying, not frustrating.

Kevin
 
Change in rules on golf

Change in rules on golf

If this should be merged with another thread then do so.


But what rule(s) on golf would you like to see changed the most?


Personally I don't like the rule on the ball lying in the divot. If it rolls into one you shouldn't be punished for your ball rolling into it. What others out there would you liek to see changed? IF anything do you ever see these rules being changed.
 
I know what you mean, I hate end up in a divot. However...

How is a divot defined? Do you get relief from a fresh divot only? How deep must the divot be? If there's a patch that has no grass, and could be a divot, is it a divot? Can a divot still have grass?

I'm not trying to be clever...just what I started to think after I agreed with you :D
 
Castor Hades said:
I know what you mean, I hate end up in a divot. However...

How is a divot defined? Do you get relief from a fresh divot only? How deep must the divot be? If there's a patch that has no grass, and could be a divot, is it a divot? Can a divot still have grass?

I'm not trying to be clever...just what I started to think after I agreed with you :D
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This is exactly why there is no relief from them. Too hard to define. For those who say that it should be called ground under repair, it isn't being repaired so it doesn't qualify. It also isn't an abnormal ground condition, because divot holes are not abnormal on a golf course. They are in fact quite normal and expected on a golf course.
 
I think I posted about this in another thread, but I'd like to hear Rick's input on it.

I heard a former USGA commissioner interviewed, and they asked him what one rule he would change if he could.

His response was that he'd remove the drop from golf, for two reasons:

1) It would speed up the game if the player could just place their ball
2) You've already been penalized. It's not really fair that players sometimes get double-penalized by an unlucky drop. If players can place the ball, every player is going to pick the most advantageous lie they can, so they're all equal.

That made a lot of sense to me.
 
wadesworld said:
I think I posted about this in another thread, but I'd like to hear Rick's input on it.

I heard a former USGA commissioner interviewed, and they asked him what one rule he would change if he could.

His response was that he'd remove the drop from golf, for two reasons:

1) It would speed up the game if the player could just place their ball
2) You've already been penalized. It's not really fair that players sometimes get double-penalized by an unlucky drop. If players can place the ball, every player is going to pick the most advantageous lie they can, so they're all equal.

That made a lot of sense to me.
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Who said that?
 
Smallville said:
Who said that?
Click to expand...

I didn't hear the introduction, but I'm 99% sure they said he was a former executive director of USGA, so it may have been David Fay. Or perhaps it was a former director of Rules & Amateur status.
 
wadesworld said:
I think I posted about this in another thread, but I'd like to hear Rick's input on it.

I heard a former USGA commissioner interviewed, and they asked him what one rule he would change if he could.

His response was that he'd remove the drop from golf, for two reasons:




1) It would speed up the game if the player could just place their ball
2) You've already been penalized. It's not really fair that players sometimes get double-penalized by an unlucky drop. If players can place the ball, every player is going to pick the most advantageous lie they can, so they're all equal.

That made a lot of sense to me.
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That makes alot of sense really....no multiple drops for balls rolling or studying drops to get the best lie....just take you club lengths and place the ball within the last club length.

Quick and simple
 
What Rule Would You Get Rid Of?

What Rule Would You Get Rid Of?

if you had the power to rid one rule from the books, what would it be?

i'd say either take away OB's (make them the same as hazards), or make winter rules year-round.
 
wadesworld said:
I think I posted about this in another thread, but I'd like to hear Rick's input on it.

I heard a former USGA commissioner interviewed, and they asked him what one rule he would change if he could.

His response was that he'd remove the drop from golf, for two reasons:

1) It would speed up the game if the player could just place their ball
2) You've already been penalized. It's not really fair that players sometimes get double-penalized by an unlucky drop. If players can place the ball, every player is going to pick the most advantageous lie they can, so they're all equal.

That made a lot of sense to me.
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Dropping goes as far as possible to replicate the randomness of the lie of a ball coming to rest after a stroke. This is the reason for dropping everywhere except on the putting green or when the player is allowed to re-tee. In those two circumstances the lie is not random, so there would be no logical reason for dropping. The only time you don't drop through the green or in a hazard is when you are following a rule which requires the ball to be replaced. Then you are placing it back in the same spot where it was before lifting, so again there is no logic for randomness because the ball originally came to rest there after a stroke.

As far as speeding up the game, 90% of the time you are just making a single drop and playing on, so I don't buy that argument. I just don't like the idea of placing the ball. It's another weakly considered "idea" for taking skill out of the game. If that was a USGA president who suggested it, then he had no business holding that position, in my opinion.

To be honest, the only time I can think of when a drop is not especially fair is when the player is required to drop in a bunker. This almost always results in a slightly plugged lie, and is usually worse than the original lie. It not that bad in a greenside bunker, but in a fairway bunker it's a disaster.
 
Oregon Jack said:
if you had the power to rid one rule from the books, what would it be?

i'd say either take away OB's (make them the same as hazards), or make winter rules year-round.
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What are your reasons for the two you'd get rid of?

I'm not sure what rule I'd get rid of. I'd love to see a rule where you could take a free drop if your ball is in a divot in the FW. I just hate that you can be severely penalized for hitting a good shot. I can definitely see where this could cause some grey areas, how do you define a divot?...etc. but I think it would be a good rule to have in place.

Edit: I thought I remembered an old thread on this. My comment/divot talk has already been covered in this thread...no need to rehash that debate.
 
Oregon Jack said:
if you had the power to rid one rule from the books, what would it be?

i'd say either take away OB's (make them the same as hazards), or make winter rules year-round.
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on the winter rules thing? To me it seems it would take away a part of the game if it was allowed to take a preferred lie after every single swing.


THPing on Tapatalk
 
Relief from divots in a fairway for me.
 
wadesworld said:
I think I posted about this in another thread, but I'd like to hear Rick's input on it.

I heard a former USGA commissioner interviewed, and they asked him what one rule he would change if he could.

His response was that he'd remove the drop from golf, for two reasons:

1) It would speed up the game if the player could just place their ball
2) You've already been penalized. It's not really fair that players sometimes get double-penalized by an unlucky drop. If players can place the ball, every player is going to pick the most advantageous lie they can, so they're all equal.

That made a lot of sense to me.
Click to expand...

That does make sense, I had never thought about that myself other than thinking that it sometimes takes a lot of time for a drop to be completed and then if the lie is not good the player will then take a lot of time choosing a club.
 
To save time- the OB rules could be adjusted. OB become lateral hazards with a TWO stroke penalty. Keeps "Pro from Dover" from insisting on going back to the tee if he didn't take a provisional. 2 club lengths from where it could be assumed to have gone out. take your drop and hitting 4. No real difference other than if you hit another and land in the fairway you have a better shot for your fourth. It would probably be a wash, since most people would probably hit another one OB... but on the OPPOSITE side of the fairway!
 
Sorry for the old thread bump, and the skim!

But it's been driving me nuts lately thinking about not being able to repair spike marks, if repairing a pitch mark is acceptable, than why not a spike mark?!?!
 
IceyShanks said:
Sorry for the old thread bump, and the skim!

But it's been driving me nuts lately thinking about not being able to repair spike marks, if repairing a pitch mark is acceptable, than why not a spike mark?!?!
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Where are you playing that you even see a spike mark any more? I can't remember the last time I noticed a spike mark that might affect a putt.
 
Fourputt said:
Where are you playing that you even see a spike mark any more? I can't remember the last time I noticed a spike mark that might affect a putt.
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All over the place. They are still called soft spikes and people shuffle their feet, walk hard and more. They definitely leave marks.
 
Fourputt said:
Where are you playing that you even see a spike mark any more? I can't remember the last time I noticed a spike mark that might affect a putt.
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Any time I play a course after an outing. What kills me is that there really isn't any good reason why spike marks can't be tapped down.
 
Dang foot draggers. I swear some people are ball room dancing out there its so bad.
 
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