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How Close Do You Follow the Rules?

JB

JB

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Playing recently my friend said "Just move it out of there" because there were some damage that we know was not going to impact the shot, but would have made me very messy and possibly ruin my pants. It is an area normally marked off as GUR, but was not at this time, so it got me thinking about all rules.

How closely do you follow the rules of golf in their entirety during your rounds?
 
I don't. It can usually start right at the first tee where I'll take a breakfast ball, especially at 6:30 in the morning and no range time. My rounds aren't full of mulligans, foot wedges, or the like ... but on the rare occasions that it could potentially occur, I'm not standing in a mud puddle and taking a full swing, nor am I hitting a ball out of a snaggle of roots. It's also silly to expect someone, who lost a ball out of bounds, to go back and re-tee if they had failed to hit a provisional. No, just take a drop right here and tack on two to the score for that hole.

And oh yeah, I'm pulling out those rocks from the sand trap. For my benefit and those who come after me.

Gee, reading this sounds like I'm the biggest freaking golf cheater in the world!
 
I try my best but I know I don't follow all the rules of golf. I don't think i've ever gone back to a tee box and re-hit an out of bounds drive for example and I know i've lost some balls there!
 
JB said:
Playing recently my friend said "Just move it out of there" because there were some damage that we know was not going to impact the shot, but would have made me very messy and possibly ruin my pants. It is an area normally marked off as GUR, but was not at this time, so it got me thinking about all rules.

How closely do you follow the rules of golf in their entirety during your rounds?
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In the example you used, unless it's a tournament, I would encourage a playing partner to move it and would hope they would do the same for me.

Other examples where my clothes or clubs would be impacted, like rocks in bunkers, I'll more than likely encourage the move or adjustment as long as we aren't playing in a large group for money, or in a tournament. For standard GHIN posting, I don't believe the score would be impacted and wouldn't think twice about the suggestion or move.

I play to the rules in season as best as I can, but I am not a freak about them.
 
I make every effort to play by all the rules every round, always have.
 
We always let members of our group to take drops where it's obvious that there is potential for injury or damage of property (club/pants/shoes/etc). And for sake of pace of play, if one in our group loses a ball, we allow them to take a drop and distance, rather than going back to their last position to rehit.

Aside from that though, we pretty much follow all the rules.
 
Will be super curious how people who responded in the "Should divots be GUR" thread a certain way answer.

For me, I try to follow to the best of my ability. But there are definitely times where the group may decide something that I don't honestly know if it 100% follows the rules to the letter. I also don't measure out my drops with one or two literal club lengths every time. I 100% honestly don't think that effects the integrity of the game, or my scores. Sooooo...sue me. I'm still calling it golf.
 
I use common sense and do things that speed up the pace of play. No need to head back to a tee box or have someone risk injury to follow the rules. I only strictly follow the rules if i am in a tournament.
 
I can't remember the last time I took a breakfast ball, but if it is a casual round and someone is going to possibly injure themselves or damage their clubs/clothing I will tell them to move the ball and hope they would do the same for me.

Also, have had a couple instances where a ball is lost but we have a general idea of where it went in. We won't go back to the spot of the previous shot as that would just take a ton of time (usually walking), we will drop at the spot where we agree the ball was lost. This is done more to prevent slow play and some laziness.
 
Howzat said:
I use common sense and do things that speed up the pace of play. No need to head back to a tee box or have someone risk injury to follow the rules. I only strictly follow the rules if i am in a tournament.
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^^ Yep same here.

During rounds with my buddies we almost always have a little something on the round to make things interesting so we'll follow the rules pretty close to the letter, but using your examples in the OP we'd definitely let the guy move the ball to get a shot without making a mess. We're pretty chill most of the time, but lost balls are lost balls and OB is OB kind of thing.
 
I can guarantee that every amateur or golf hacker breaks some sort of rule during every round. No matter what. Everyone thinks they try to follow them to the best of their ability, but in all reality, they chose to follow the one's that they know or care about. They don't break the obvious one's (don't ground your club in a hazard, etc.) But can you imagine the outrage you would have on courses if people were to go back to the tee because they hit a ball OB & didn't hit a provisional?
How many people really know the rules? I mean, truly, know the rules ... have taken a USGA sanctioned class at a club that goes over every rule? I'm sure not many. So many people may or may not be breaking a rule & they just don't know it. Nor do they know how to react when a rule is broken ... how to go forward with the rest of the round.

Not a Sermon ... Just a Thought
 
Fairly close. I'll take a breakfast ball, move my ball if I might damage it and if my partner says it's good I'll take the gimmie. Oh and if I hit one in the woods off the tee and can't find it I take a lateral drop from where I saw it go into the trees and not go back to the tee.
 
For the most part and nothing to the point that it would hugely effect my score or handicap although the occasional 1st tee breakfast ball could be argued, but could be crossed with no time for a warm-up.
 
ish, meaning i follow them to my own satisfaction but in a tournament i'd probably be screwed

- if i hit a ball and drive up to find it ob, i'll drop and be hitting my 4th shot as if i hit my ball ob, re-teed and my 2nd tee shot ended up at the drop. same thing for a lost ball. drop roundabouts where i think it ended up, and follow the same stroke methodology.

- if i hit a poor putt sometimes i'll wipe it back to myself and try it again just for the satisfaction.

- i take gimmes.

- if i completely sh1t the bed on a hole, sometimes i'll pick up and use esc for my score.

- i admit this is the worst one i do, but if i accidentally nudge the ball and it wiggles, i'm not assessing a stroke. *hangs head in shame*

the way i figure, 1) i NEVER play competitive golf, and 2) the only person i'm hurting is myself if i ever have to enter a handicapped event since my index will be artificially deflated and it will be that much harder to be competitive.
 
I try to follow the rules for the most part, but sometimes with hazards and stuff its just easier/quicker to play without following them to the tee. (i.e. water hazards and OB off the tee come to mind)
 
Canadan said:
In the example you used, unless it's a tournament, I would encourage a playing partner to move it and would hope they would do the same for me.

Other examples where my clothes or clubs would be impacted, like rocks in bunkers, I'll more than likely encourage the move or adjustment as long as we aren't playing in a large group for money, or in a tournament. For standard GHIN posting, I don't believe the score would be impacted and wouldn't think twice about the suggestion or move.

I play to the rules in season as best as I can, but I am not a freak about them.
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This is perfectly said on all accounts.

I will play the ball down through the green in most cases, but I'm not putting myself in harms way ever. If in a tangle of roots, I will try and chip out or take a drop. If on rocks I may try a full shot at the peril of my equipment, or chip to a safe spot. I'm definitely not a rule freak and wouldn't expect anyone to play a potentially harmful shot even if money was on the line. Same with messy shots that should be casual water or GUR.
 
I/We (my regular group) try to stay true to the rules. But, we do play in-the-leather gimmies. Provisionals on possible OB's and Lost Balls to avoid the humbling drive back.
 
Howzat said:
I use common sense and do things that speed up the pace of play. No need to head back to a tee box or have someone risk injury to follow the rules. I only strictly follow the rules if i am in a tournament.
Click to expand...

I am the same way.
 
Canadan said:
In the example you used, unless it's a tournament, I would encourage a playing partner to move it and would hope they would do the same for me.

Other examples where my clothes or clubs would be impacted, like rocks in bunkers, I'll more than likely encourage the move or adjustment as long as we aren't playing in a large group for money, or in a tournament. For standard GHIN posting, I don't believe the score would be impacted and wouldn't think twice about the suggestion or move.

I play to the rules in season as best as I can, but I am not a freak about them.
Click to expand...

This is a great answer. I feel the same. If I do something like what was outlined above I'll keep the spirit of the game in consideration. I'm not looking to gain an advantage. I'm looking to protect myself from something. Except divots. Screw divots...
 
I follow them to the best of my ability/knowledge. There are so many rules and how to interpret them that I'm sure over the course of a round I should probably add some penalty strokes, I just don't know them all.
 
We don't go back to the tee for ball OB or back to whre the last shot was played from for lost balls during our casual rounds. Crowded courses, especially daily fee courses, aren't conducive to that, unfortunately. Too many don't even understand the Rules and what you are doing by coming back.
 
I range from very loosely to 100% of the rules. It really just depends who I am playing with and why I am playing.
 
In your situation, I'd have moved the ball out of there. I follow the rules, but sometimes your just playing a game and having fun. Sometimes it's more fun to not give yourself a penalty stroke such as when your ball is in a bunker that, due to rain, has been converted into a lake.

I prefer to play it as it lies, but sometimes, when it's just for fun, well, just have fun.

~Rock
 
Very close. If we do it wrong it is out of ignorance not to make the game easier.
 
I follow the rules if i'm recording a round for my hcap, playing in a tournament or for $$ with friends. Otherwise i'll do the same thing with friends and say "move it out of there so you don't hurt yourself" or if ob off the tee i will say "just drop up by me and take stroke and distance"
 
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