No more caddie alignment help - LPGA

Drumdog

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This has always been a burr under my saddle, but seeing this announcement this morning made my day a little brighter.

Golf Channel's Randall Mell..."If you're an LPGA fan and never liked seeing caddies line up players before a shot or putt, you can rejoice."

  • "This week's season-ending CME Group Tour Championship marks the last time you will have to endure it.

  • "When the LPGA resumes play in its season opener at the Diamond Resort Tournament of Championship next January, the new Rules of Golf forbidding caddies from aligning players will be in effect."
Praise the golf gods.
 
I fully support this move!
 
They should be able to line up their own putts and shots. They all have coaches to help with that if needed.
 
It's about time they changed this. I know I struggle with alignment maybe more than any other aspect of my game. If I could have someone line me up for every shot I'd likely score a couple strokes better each round.
 
What does this do to improve the game? These nit a person out there if they had access to someone to stand behind them and ensure they were aligned properly wouldn’t take it. There a large amount of amateurs that would benefit fro having someone properly align them.

Just another silly ruling imo
 
I love this! I always hated that they could do that, it should be up to the player to get themselves lined up correctly.
 
Mixed feelings on this one. Did not really seem to impact pace of play from what I could see but just never seemed right that a professional golfer would need, or should get, that sort of assistance during the course of tournament play. I would personally love it and would benefit from that type of assistance.
 
It’s about time
 
Honestly don't watch much LPGA golf on tv, so can't recall every seeing them get aligned in the past. Nevertheless, I think it's a good decision to make, let the players get aligned themselves.
 
What does this do to improve the game? These nit a person out there if they had access to someone to stand behind them and ensure they were aligned properly wouldn’t take it. There a large amount of amateurs that would benefit fro having someone properly align them.

Just another silly ruling imo

I don't believe this is an "improve the game" ruling for amateurs so much as it is a ruling designed to treat professional athletes like professionals. The caddie can still give the player advice on the read but they can't direct which way their body is lined up. Seems fair enough to ask that a professional golfer line up their own feet in relation to a putt.
 
Don't hate this change. Always found it odd that it was allowed to be begin with.
 
Granted it doesn't look right that a professional needs assistance in getting lined up, but a player and his caddie are supposed to be a team. To me it falls into the allowable "advice" category. Why not carry it a step further and say the caddie can't tell you what club to hit; the golfer has to determine that on their own after being given the yardage, etc. As long as what the two decide to do within the time-frame allotted for preparing and making the shot I really don't see an issue. I put it in the category of the grooves and anchoring rulings that really haven't impacted the game at all except at the amateur level - unnecessary.

Playing devil's advocate here. :devil:
 
I don't believe this is an "improve the game" ruling for amateurs so much as it is a ruling designed to treat professional athletes like professionals. The caddie can still give the player advice on the read but they can't direct which way their body is lined up. Seems fair enough to ask that a professional golfer line up their own feet in relation to a putt.

Bingo.


So happy this is being done away with.
 
I don't believe this is an "improve the game" ruling for amateurs so much as it is a ruling designed to treat professional athletes like professionals. The caddie can still give the player advice on the read but they can't direct which way their body is lined up. Seems fair enough to ask that a professional golfer line up their own feet in relation to a putt.

Never said it was about improving for amateurs. I’m saying it does nothing to improve the game on the lpga tour. It’s a knee jerk reaction imo to either complaints about pace of play and/or as some mentioned in here about optics regarding professional golfers getting/needing help.

Th comment about amateurs was that many have poor and/or inconsistent alignment and would benefit from having someone align them on their shots.

I don’t care if a professional golfer or amateur used a caddie to align them just as I dont care that they get yardages, club selection, shot shape, target, etc. If it’s there and in the rules use it to your advantage. Why not just have caddies go back to show up, shut up, keep up approach and raking bunkers and tending flags.
 
Never said it was about improving for amateurs. I’m saying it does nothing to improve the game on the lpga tour. It’s a knee jerk reaction imo to either complaints about pace of play and/or as some mentioned in here about optics regarding professional golfers getting/needing help.

Th comment about amateurs was that many have poor and/or inconsistent alignment and would benefit from having someone align them on their shots.

I don’t care if a professional golfer or amateur used a caddie to align them just as I dont care that they get yardages, club selection, shot shape, target, etc. If it’s there and in the rules use it to your advantage. Why not just have caddies go back to show up, shut up, keep up approach and raking bunkers and tending flags.

I agree with you that if it's not in the rules you should be able to take advantage of it but that's why they're changing the rule, isn't it? The way I see it is that getting yardages, club selection, shot shape, targets, etc. are all advisable things from a caddie to player. Alignment is a part of the swing and I believe the player should be in command of all physical aspects of the swing. For me, it's a part of the game and for you it's a part of the teamwork between caddie and player. Fair enough point if you're looking at it that way.
 
I've been taught from early on that golf's three biggest hurdles are stance, posture, and alignment. And just the same as I wouldn't want to see someone physically put the player's chin in the right place or adjust their grip, I never much cared for seeing a caddie verify alignment. Even if it didn't actually slow down pace of play, it just looked like such a crutch for the player.
 
I'm all for the change, and I'm most curious to see just how, or if, it effects scoring.
 
I agree with you that if it's not in the rules you should be able to take advantage of it but that's why they're changing the rule, isn't it? The way I see it is that getting yardages, club selection, shot shape, targets, etc. are all advisable things from a caddie to player. Alignment is a part of the swing and I believe the player should be in command of all physical aspects of the swing. For me, it's a part of the game and for you it's a part of the teamwork between caddie and player. Fair enough point if you're looking at it that way.

All those things are part of the game. Rule 8-2a/1 allows a golfer to use a club as an alignment aid before a shot as long as it’s removed before the golfers attempts to hit the ball. The caddie aligning the player to me is just another form of alignment aid in the pre shot.




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Is this going to be implemented as a local rule at each stop or will it be an actual ROG change?
 
I'm for it as well. Glad to see the rule change.
 
All those things are part of the game. Rule 8-2a/1 allows a golfer to use a club as an alignment aid before a shot as long as it’s removed before the golfers attempts to hit the ball. The caddie aligning the player to me is just another form of alignment aid in the pre shot.




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Good point !
Through the years I've found it interesting that male Tour pros have refrained from having their caddie check address alignment. Considering the money at stake, I would have expected at least a few male pros to
have used their caddie this way, not I do not recall any of them ever doing so.
 
Good rule, now they need to stop caddies from helping all pro players read greens, because it's basically the same thing.
 
Good point !
Through the years I've found it interesting that male Tour pros have refrained from having their caddie check address alignment. Considering the money at stake, I would have expected at least a few male pros to
have used their caddie this way, not I do not recall any of them ever doing so.

It is interesting in how the men don’t use it.
 
I'm all for the change, and I'm most curious to see just how, or if, it effects scoring.
I don't think if changes at all. I watch a lot of golf and even with all those eyes on alignments they never back the player off or adjust their aim.

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I don't think if changes at all. I watch a lot of golf and even with all those eyes on alignments they never back the player off or adjust their aim.

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You are right about that.
 
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