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What Rules of Golf would you change?

LICC

LICC

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Which golf rules need to go?

In our latest installment of the “Great Golf Debates” writers Christopher Powers and Joel Beall tackle the pressing question: Which golf rules need to go?
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I definitely agree on the OB penalty. It is overly harsh and illogical. Just play it like a penalty area.

I also agree on the divot rule, allow for a free drop out of the divot.
 
I want the divot rule changed. It sucks to get penalized when you hit a shot where you're supposed to. Divot in the middle of the fairway should be a free drop!!
 
I agree with both the OB rules and the divots in the fairway. My home course which has some kind of water on 22 of the 27 holes made all of their hazards into lateral ones. I also believe there should be no OB inside the boundaries of a course.
 
Many if not most are allowing the local rule to drop and take 2 strokes for OB/Lost ball, so I think this rule is no problem at this point, if you only want to lose 1 stroke well, tough, golf is hard.

The fairway divot rule will never change IMO, it leaves to door open for fluffing every lie, and just because you won't consider every dent a divot doesn't mean many others will be as honest as you. they won't, so too bad, golf is hard.

I'm starting to lean towards reversing the flag rule, it's making the game easier and I don't like that, also it looks messy to me, I want a clean green to putt on, it's not speeding up anything so I think it should be changed back to always remove the pin, I think....
 
i would say a free drop when your ball is in a divot thats in the fairway only. i mean a drop, not a lift, clean and place..
 
MrDC said:
Many if not most are allowing the local rule to drop and take 2 strokes for OB/Lost ball, so I think this rule is no problem at this point, if you only want to lose 1 stroke well, tough, golf is hard.

The fairway divot rule will never change IMO, it leaves to door open for fluffing every lie, and just because you won't consider every dent a divot doesn't mean many others will be as honest as you. they won't, so too bad, golf is hard.

I'm starting to lean towards reversing the flag rule, it's making the game easier and I don't like that, also it looks messy to me, I want a clean green to putt on, it's not speeding up anything so I think it should be changed back to always remove the pin, I think....
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There are two problems with the OB rule. One is that it is too harsh. One bad swing should result in one penalty, not two. But you can disagree and want rules to be harder. Ok. But it also is illogical. It makes no sense to impose one penalty on a ball that ends up in the bottom of a pond but two penalties on the same exact bad swing that ends an inch past a white stake.

The divot rule is silly. If the best argument is that people won't be honest, you can apply that to lots of rules of golf.

I like leaving the flagstick in. It may save only a little bit of time but it saves a hassle.
 
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I think fourteen clubs is a club or two too restrictive, but It's not something I'd argue about.
 
My first thought of change was to get rid of at least half of the rules. At least for the amature ranks. The game is complicated enough.

I don't know about others, but there are of rules that I just never encounter when playing.

But, in the spirit of the thread title, I'd like to see the 14 club rule changed to allow for 15 clubs.

I have this 4i that is just gathering dust. If it were in my bag, it would get some use.
 
smaller drivers
less clubs
that stupid knee drop rule
 
It is impossible to define a divot, so don't expect any Rule of Golf to allow relief from one.
Certainly relatively new divots are obvious, but an aged divot is less identifiable, and, or, subject to interpretation.
 
DG_1234 said:
It is impossible to define a divot, so don't expect any Rule of Golf to allow relief from one.
Certainly relatively new divots are obvious, but an aged divot is less identifiable, and, or, subject to interpretation.
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If they can define "embedded" they should be able to define a divot.

Another rule that needs changing is the unplayable ball rule. Because a ball does not need to be unplayable to take relief. A player can pick up any ball not OB or in a Penalty Area and move it back with a one-stroke penalty, even if the ball is sitting perfectly.
 
WLG1952 said:
My first thought of change was to get rid of at least half of the rules. At least for the amature ranks. The game is complicated enough.

I don't know about others, but there are of rules that I just never encounter when playing.
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I'm on board with the less rules overall. It's too complicated. Some are never needed, and others just complicate things. Playing with a couple higher cap players this last year has taught me that. They'll end up in a weird situation and ask me how to play it. Heck if I know sometimes.

Look how many pros need to call a rules official over (not when they're just doing it to cover their *ss). If someone whose occupation is playing golf isn't sure how to apply all the rules to every situation, how is the average person supposed to?

So let me just hold up play while I reference it on my phone, and still end up making an educated guess as to how it's supposed to be interpreted and applied to this weird situation I'll probably never see again in my life. I'm actually grateful when there's one of the semi-annoying guys, that thinks he's a rules official and loves to argue about them, in my group.
 
LICC said:
There are two problems with the OB rule. One is that it is too harsh. One bad swing should result in one penalty, not two. But you can disagree and want rules to be harder. Ok. But it also is illogical. It makes no sense to impose one penalty on a ball that ends up in the bottom of a pond but two penalties on the same exact bad swing that ends an inch past a white stake.

The divot rule is silly. If the best argument is that people won't be honest, you can apply that to lots of rules of golf.

I like leaving the flagstick in. It may save only a little bit of time but it saves a hassle.
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The OB rule generally only comes into play off the tee with a long club like driver, otherwise it's usually just a hazard, so it's not too harsh as the player can always choose to club down, leave this rule alone and let those who make bad choices suffer.

The divot rule is the only one that would leave the lie condition open to interpretation by the player - is that a divot? what other rules are like that? none, that's why it will never change.

I'm on the fence about the flag stick, yeah the hassle sucks but I've played with enough groups now that want in/out/in/out that just dropping the thing from go is less of a hassle, not sure about this one yet.
 
I think OB and divot in the fairway. That said, I think it’d be tricky to manage the divot rule. Who decides if it’s a fresh divot? Maybe just play preferred lies in the fairway?
 
MrDC said:
The OB rule generally only comes into play off the tee with a long club like driver, otherwise it's usually just a hazard, so it's not too harsh as the player can always choose to club down, leave this rule alone and let those who make bad choices suffer.

The divot rule is the only one that would leave the lie condition open to interpretation by the player - is that a divot? what other rules are like that? none, that's why it will never change.

I'm on the fence about the flag stick, yeah the hassle sucks but I've played with enough groups now that want in/out/in/out that just dropping the thing from go is less of a hassle, not sure about this one yet.
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A player can choose to club down if they see a big lake adjacent to the fairway too, but that is only one penalty. The OB stroke and distance penalty is inconsistent. And too harsh.

A divot can be defined, therefore not under the interpretation of the player. Embedded balls have definitions based on how much of the ball is in the ground.
 
ToddJ027b said:
I want the divot rule changed. It sucks to get penalized when you hit a shot where you're supposed to. Divot in the middle of the fairway should be a free drop!!
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Game over, this is the correct answer.
 
LICC said:
If the divot still has dirt on the bottom, free drop.
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Seems reasonable, so long as all playing agree on the conditions.
 
LICC said:
If they can define "embedded" they should be able to define a divot.
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Embedded is easy to define. If the ball is resting within it's own pitch mark it is embedded. If one is not sure whether the ball is embedded or not he.she may pick up the ball to check. If the ball is sitting within a pitch mark relief is allowed. If the ground/soil is not broken then the ball is not embedded and the player must replace the ball as it previously lay.
Considering that a divot probably has a 30 day lifespan, it would be impossible to define what is a divot. Obviously a day old or week old divot is easy to define, but beyond that time frame it becomes difficult to ascertain whether a less than ideal lie is due to a an aged divot or some other ground condition.
 
Definitely OB/lost ball and divot rules need to change/be eliminated. I could go either way on the drop, but I do like the lower drop better. I've never had to worry about my caddy lining me up since I've never had a caddy, and I've never seen grandstands on any course I've played, so I'll leave those to the people for who it's a factor. :LOL:
 
First, I would get rid of the anchored putting ban. And don't get me started on why.

The OB rule should be changed so that if you FIND your ball (that is, you have identified it as yours) and it's OB, you MUST take a drop two club lengths in bounds from where it went out and take a one-stroke penalty. If you DON'T find your ball, treat it like a lost ball--stroke and distance.

Hitting out of a divot isn't hard to do. Go the range and spend some time practicing it. No sympathy on this one.
 
Drop at knee height. Change to drop at knee height or above.
 
OB is supposed to be scary, plan for it. In most cases, you've hit the ball off of club grounds. Aim away or club down; golf is hard.

LICC said:
If they can define "embedded" they should be able to define a divot.

Another rule that needs changing is the unplayable ball rule. Because a ball does not need to be unplayable to take relief. A player can pick up any ball not OB or in a Penalty Area and move it back with a one-stroke penalty, even if the ball is sitting perfectly.
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When would it be to a player's advantage to take a drop and stroke penalty on a perfectly playable ball? Maybe I'm missing something.
 
First post, just joined last week. OB should stay, IMO, but I totally agree with the divot scenario. My ball heading into the woods is my fault. My ball coming to rest in a divot is somebody else's fault. It amazes me when I am watching a golf telecast, seeing a pro hit from the fairway, and seeing dozens of unreplaced divots laying all around him (or her). Are the caddies told not to put them back, or.....?
 
burkey burk said:
First post, just joined last week. OB should stay, IMO, but I totally agree with the divot scenario. My ball heading into the woods is my fault. My ball coming to rest in a divot is somebody else's fault. It amazes me when I am watching a golf telecast, seeing a pro hit from the fairway, and seeing dozens of unreplaced divots laying all around him (or her). Are the caddies told not to put them back, or.....?
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I believe those are filled in with a sand and seed mix to regrow since most don't retake anyway.

Welcome to THP!
 
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