dacatalyst41

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With all of the USGA rules that seem to have hampered golf (and cost some players a tournament) over the last year, what rule would you change immediately if given the chance and why?

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Hitting out of a divot. Just plain stupid.
 
Hitting out of a divot. Just plain stupid.
Agree 100%! Maybe the dumbest current rule.

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I am an agreement. A divot should be ground under repair

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Disagree about divots. The most basic axiom of golf is the concept “play it as it lies”. Sure it is a bad break to end up in one but it doesn’t happen all that often, at least for me. I can’t remember the last time I had to hit from a divot and doing so isn’t really that hard in most cases. Then you get into the debate of when is a divot hole no longer a divot and just a depression in the ground. Golf is an outdoor sport and not always meant to be fair. I’ll probably catch a lot of flack about my position on divots but so be it.

For me the rule I would change is the one that bans anchoring putters. It hasn’t gotten rid of the belly or long putters and you can’t tell if a guy is anchoring or not so it “looks” just as bad. If it truly were the advantage claimed guys whose livelihood depends on golf would all be doing it.


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I think golfers should be able to repair spike marks on the green if they are in the line of play. The rules permit the repair of ball marks but does not permit the repair of spike marks. That's the rule I would change although divots in the fairway would be a close second.
 
I think golfers should be able to repair spike marks on the green if they are in the line of play. The rules permit the repair of ball marks but does not permit the repair of spike marks. That's the rule I would change although divots in the fairway would be a close second.

Isn't this going to be allowed in 2019?
 
Disagree about divots. The most basic axiom of golf is the concept “play it as it lies”. Sure it is a bad break to end up in one but it doesn’t happen all that often, at least for me. I can’t remember the last time I had to hit from a divot and doing so isn’t really that hard in most cases. Then you get into the debate of when is a divot hole no longer a divot and just a depression in the ground. Golf is an outdoor sport and not always meant to be fair. I’ll probably catch a lot of flack about my position on divots but so be it.

For me the rule I would change is the one that bans anchoring putters. It hasn’t gotten rid of the belly or long putters and you can’t tell if a guy is anchoring or not so it “looks” just as bad. If it truly were the advantage claimed guys whose livelihood depends on golf would all be doing it.


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I agree with the first half. Not so much the 2nd half. I'd say outlaw anchoring and don't make it so easy to skirt the rules.
 
I'd change OB rules to be played as a lateral hazard.

Nothing less fun than hitting 3 from the tee.

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I agree with the first half. Not so much the 2nd half. I'd say outlaw anchoring and don't make it so easy to skirt the rules.

If they are going to outlaw anchoring it should include the “anchoring” of the shaft to the lead forearm. That is even how they describe what is being done. There is still a pivot point when the club is used that way- it’s called a shoulder.


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I'd change OB rules to be played as a lateral hazard.

Nothing less fun than hitting 3 from the tee.

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I would want the option to either take a penalty where you went OB so you drop and play 3 there, or re-load and be hitting 2 on the tee. According to the Golf Clash app, I'm hitting 2 from the tee.
 
I think the current USGA Rules of Golf are good, sensible.
Regarding the comments here about playing from a divot.......divot's are too hard to define so I doubt any Rule could or would be enacted pertaining to divots.
Regarding OB being changed to a one stroke penalty (instead of stroke and distance), some courses have OB as their primary defense, so eliminating stroke and distance would significantly change the experience of playing those courses. OB has always been the most severe of golf's penalties, and it would be a shame to eliminate that tradition and dimension of the game.
 
I really don’t understand what the big deal about hitting from divots is. I’ve played over 3,500 rounds of golf and hitting out of a divot in the fairways has at the most cost me 10 strokes total. Defining what a divot is certainly opens up a huge can of worms.
 
I'd change OB rules to be played as a lateral hazard.

Nothing less fun than hitting 3 from the tee.

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I believe this will be an allowable "local" rule change next year. You can go to where your ball went OB, take a line no closer to the hole, even out to the fairway and drop from knee height. You'll be hitting your 4th shot though just like you'd be after hitting 3 from the tee then hitting your 4th to the green.

As far as the anchoring ban mentioned I agree it isn't an advantage when putting. I start putting with a long putter last month and and one can tell I do not anchor. My top hand brushes my shirt on the motion of the putting stroke because my top hand is about a 1/2" from my chest. Messing around on the putting green I tried anchoring and it didn't really make me putt any better.
But one has to remember the anchoring ban relates to all clubs not just belly and long putters. Other clubs to be anchored would be using a hybrid or long iron to "putt" with when on the fringe or around the green. I think Faldo used to anchor his hybrid when he was just off the fridge or against the collar.
 
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