Bifurcation of the Rules

[tahoebum]

Bifurcation means many different things. To some like Nicklaus or Player it means rolling the golf ball back for pros. That ship has sailed and I see all sorts of issues doing this including legal challenges.

To others like Brandel Chamblee, it means removing limits on club and ball design for amateurs to make the game more fun/easier which to me makes sense.

To others it means a more relaxed set of rules like free drop from divots or footprints for amateurs. I don’t see even 10% of amateurs following the rules and lots of clubs having local rules in place anyway so I’m not sure how much of a difference this would make. We have a handful of seniors that play with long anchored putters and the club allows them to use those “illegal” putters in the weekly men’s league. A couple guys b*tch about it but they are the type that always have something to complain about it.

 

[DataDude]

A couple of points noted as I read through this thread.

As for bifurcation and handicap. Every group I have played with for 20 years plays by some variation on the actual rules of golf so instead of 1 variant of bifurcation there are infinite variants. Some mentioned the OB or lost ball retee. I haven't seen someone walk back to the tee since I played high school golf 20 years ago. The more rules a player is lax on then the easier it is for them to score. This would lower their handicap. Under the assumption that any handicap is used in a competition with rules then this is not a problem because they have articially deflated their handicap below what their actual skill is so they should be easier to beat. No big deal there to me unless it bothers your ego to see someone with a lower handicap that you know you can beat. In that case my advice is to invite that person into your weekly money game and massage your ego with their money in your wallet.

As for bifurcation that already exists via local rules. I think all OB, tall rough, woods, etc should be lateral hazard. If you find it you can play it, unless it is actually marked OB (don't hit out of my backyard please) and if you cannot find it then drop on the line of entry for a 1 stroke penalty just like water. I think all bunkers should be waste area. Bunker conditions are just too inconsistent from course to course and too dependant on the whims of the players on the course. Make them waste area and allow grounding of the club. This would allow for more variation in bunker design and less maintenance costs for clubs as well. Win- win IMO.

As for bifurcation of equipment. I don't want to see that. I think the equipment could easily get out of hand for the amatuer game and require new courses and too much expense for local course management.

 

[GolfTravelDude]

I organize and go on many golf trips...We always play by Dougs Rule.....The entire course plays lateral...especially when in foreign places where they play faster than US players do mostly.

 

[SquirrelyDave]

I strongly disagree with this.
And bifurcation doesn't immediately mean every piece of equipment is open to new rules. But if you wanted to include the ball, freeze it for tour players and then allow further technology for amateurs.

To use equipment as an example, there is absolutely no reason at all that the groove rule should be in place for amateurs. There is no reason at all the belly putter should have been banned for amateurs. These were knee jerk reactions by a tired, but trying organization to penalize the best 100 players in the world.

To borrow a page from your playbook....why not start with rolling back the mower? We keep hearing how the pros hit the ball too far, and on and on and on. As has been said, they’re not playing the same courses most of us are, and even when we do play the same course, it’s not in the same condition they play it in. So make them play on softer fairways, and greens that aren’t quite as perfect. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to equipment to get more roll on a wet fairway.

 

[tahoebum]

To borrow a page from your playbook....why not start with rolling back the mower? We keep hearing how the pros hit the ball too far, and on and on and on. As has been said, they’re not playing the same courses most of us are, and even when we do play the same course, it’s not in the same condition they play it in. So make them play on softer fairways, and greens that aren’t quite as perfect. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to equipment to get more roll on a wet fairway.

Love this! I played Hazeltine a couple days after the 1991 US Open and was 20 yards longer because of the roll. Watering landing areas can totally change driving distances but still gives the advantage to the long hitters.

Another point is does the PGA Tour need to do this. I would argue that golf is hard and lower scoring even at the highest level is mostly mental and the flat stick and short game are still paramount to lower scoring. The depth on tour is better than ever as the junior and college players continue to get better. With better players, better course conditions, and better equipment we are not seeing lower scoring. Length of courses plateaued more than a decade ago with the average length of a PGA Tour course has fluctuated in that same 7250-7290 range since 2008.

If equipment, the ball, and depth of field are so much better, shouldn’t we see lower scores?

 

[Jman]

I’m a massive fan of the idea. Make it harder on pros and not competitive ams, not us.

 

[JB]

If the difference in scoring was mostly mental and putting, shorter players on tour would have far more success. To say bomb and gouge isn’t alive and well on tour is ignoring far too much data that exists. A quick look at the top 10 putters on tour this year.



But once again, it is proving my point. Professionals are playing on courses that are longer. They have galleries searching for golf balls. They are better in every facet of the game. Are forced to wear pants, walk courses, not use distance measuring devices.

Yet they are also the reason for the groove rule, longer putters and a number of other aspects of the equipment rules that flat out make the game harder for the golfing public. I am not sure what the debate is though. If professionals aspects have not changed in years, and amateurs are not getting significantly better (handicaps HAVE improved over the last 10 years), then it appears as though separation would make perfect sense.

Being penalized for the lazy doesnt impact professionals. Being penalized for poor conditions doesnt impact professionals. Yet both happen to every day golfers at courses everywhere.

 

[OGputtnfool]

Absolutely. The first Rule for amateurs I’d get rid of is out of bounds/lost balls. Everything should be lateral hazards. Makes sense for pace but also watching a guy walk back to the tee to hit again is the worst.

There's never a reason to walk back to the tee and pace of play is very minimally impacted if provisionals are used liberally.

 

[Templet0n]

For all equipment? Not necessarily. But I’m 100% not in favor of the decisions for 25 million golfers being done because 100 are getting too good.

It has finally happened. We completely agree. haha.

 

[5150]

Nailed it. The groove rule really is the perfect example.

Fair enough. I’m personally not concerned about equipment all that much so it’s not a driving factor for me, but I recognize that I’m in the minority here.

 

[RetiredBoomer]

I think everything about the game---courses, equipment, rules----should be optimized for the recreational players who keep the game alive.

If the best players threaten to break sixty every round, than that's the way a hundred players will play. Who cares?

Recreational participants play on the same spec bowling lanes, pool tables, and tennis courts as the world's very best.

Dedicating 150 or more acres of golf course to the extremely exceptional player makes little sense to me.

 

[mski]

If there is ever bifurcation of the rules then I want a participation trophy after each round too.

 

[SquirrelyDave]

If there is ever bifurcation of the rules then I want a participation trophy after each round too.

I usually get a participation trophy:

 

[Pepetito]

Do you think with the vast amount of rules/decision, the game would be more inviting if they separated the rules a bit from tour players to amateurs? Arguably, the top 100 players in the world are the reason that many of the rules exist.

No

 

[Luchnia]

I think I get both sides of this "rules" coin, yet I keep hearing that golf associations want to make it better by the new rules or whatever they can do to get more people involved. Around here incomes are not that high and golf cost more than the average Joe can afford. Rules are just another obstacle for them. When I started playing I struggled with the rules of the game. Heck, sometimes I still struggle with them and now we have the WHS in play and I am learning these.

 

[OITW]

I think that a separate set of rules for amateurs vs pros is needed to make it more fun and easier to understand for the masses, it would also help to grow the games.