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Golf Channel Unveiling "Relaxed" Rules Of Golf


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http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/relaxed-rules-easing-and-adding-common-sense/

Here goes...

For all who play golf just to have fun, we offer 7 rules to govern all play.

1.    MAXIMUM SCORE Double par (i.e., 6 on par-3s, 8 on par-4s, 10 on par-5s).
2.    PENALTIES All are 1 stroke, including out-of-bounds, water and lateral hazards, lost balls and unplayable lies. Drop a ball near where the original was lost and play on.
3.    SEARCH TIME Two minutes to look for your ball. If lost, proceed under Rule 2.
4.    UNFORTUNATE LIES With your playing partners’ consent, balls may be dropped out of divots or footprints, away from tree roots and any other dangerous lies.
5.    CONCEDED PUTTS Putts may be conceded with your playing partners’ consent.
6.    EQUIPMENT No restrictions, including number of clubs.
7.    COMMON SENSE When in doubt, use common sense and fairness.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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Yep.

Already discussing here......

Not sure that it doesn't support it's own thread though if mods want to move the posts to this thread.

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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I don't really understand #6, about equipment. Are people really clamoring to add a 15th club?

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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I don't really understand #6, about equipment. Are people really clamoring to add a 15th club?

. +1. Most would do better to take out a few clubs. Especially that damn 60* wedge! ;-)

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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. +1. Most would do better to take out a few clubs. Especially that damn 60* wedge! ;-)

I think ahead about the course I am playing and adjust my clubs accordingly, But I would love 15 clubs instead of 14 so I could carry the same everywhere. And my most lofted wedge is 64! :)

—Adam

 

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I don't really understand #6, about equipment. Are people really clamoring to add a 15th club?

I took it to mean anchored putters (I know the USGA didn't ban them). I just assumed Golf Channel throw out the rules about what is and is not a legal stroke, and they figured that by saying no restrictions on equipment, people would realize they can use any equipment any way they want. They never mentioned this in the show, so I am probably off-base. That's what came to my mind though when I read that rule. A couple things I remember they said on Morning Drive that I'm not certain are reflected in the 7 "rules:" 1. When dropping you can go to the nearest manicured area. They may have even said "closely mown" area- I'm not sure. I don't think they even specify "no closer to hole." Just put it in the nearest spot you can reasonably hit from. Don't ever drop in thick stuff. Get a good lie and move on. 2. No drops necessary. You can place it by hand. The rules above say "drop" but I swear they were talking about placing the ball anytime it needed moving or replacing. I could be wrong. This is how rumors start and vague rules get misinterpreted!

My Swing


Driver: :ping: G30, Irons: :tmade: Burner 2.0, Putter: :cleveland:, Balls: :snell:

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I think ahead about the course I am playing and adjust my clubs accordingly, But I would love 15 clubs instead of 14 so I could carry the same everywhere. And my most lofted wedge is 64! :)

At handicap 10, you are probably not the group of golfers the relaxed rules are aimed at. Someone shooting in the 100's+ will probably not score all that much better with more clubs.

Ogio Grom | Callaway X Hot Pro | Callaway X-Utility 3i | Mizuno MX-700 23º | Titleist Vokey SM 52.08, 58.12 | Mizuno MX-700 15º | Titleist 910 D2 9,5º | Scotty Cameron Newport 2 | Titleist Pro V1x and Taylormade Penta | Leupold GX-1

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.

+1. Most would do better to take out a few clubs. Especially that damn 60* wedge!

Nope. I'm keeping it! :dance:

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

My Whackin' Sticks: :cleveland: 330cc 2003 Launcher 10.5*  :tmade: RBZ HL 3w  :nickent: 3DX DC 3H, 3DX RC 4H  :callaway: X-22 5-AW  :nike:SV tour 56* SW :mizuno: MP-T11 60* LW :bridgestone: customized TD-03 putter :tmade:Penta TP3   :aimpoint:

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  • Moderator
Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

.

+1. Most would do better to take out a few clubs. Especially that damn 60* wedge!

Nope. I'm keeping it!

I have never even tried one.  58 is fine for me!  But this is a tad :offtopic:

My problem with the "relaxed" rules is it being only used to stroke the egos of players.

1.    MAXIMUM SCORE Double par (i.e., 6 on par-3s, 8 on par-4s, 10 on par-5s).  - Why?  For ESC, you are capped anyway.  Match play this is limited as well you don't keep playing out when you competitor has been done for three strokes.


2.    PENALTIES All are 1 stroke, including out-of-bounds, water and lateral hazards, lost balls and unplayable lies. Drop a ball near where the original was lost and play on. - An ego stroking add.  What does 1 stroke really mean?  It is just a number.


3.    SEARCH TIME Two minutes to look for your ball. If lost, proceed under Rule 2. - Like this one.


4.    UNFORTUNATE LIES With your playing partners’ consent, balls may be dropped out of divots or footprints, away from tree roots and any other dangerous lies. - Stop whining and thinking the Golf Gods hate you and hit the ball.  Life isn;t fair.  Just ask Ox!


5.    CONCEDED PUTTS Putts may be conceded with your playing partners’ consent. - Play match play.  There are plenty of conceded putts there.


6.    EQUIPMENT No restrictions, including number of clubs. - Taylormade must have had this one put in.


7.    COMMON SENSE When in doubt, use common sense and fairness. - When in doubt, play the ball as it lies and the course the way you found it.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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Although I like the one stroke penalty, and the extra club(s)  provisions. I think just hitting a ball, finding it and hitting it again would work just fine for those golfers not out for a sanctioned score. . If you get to the area where you think the ball should be, but can't find it immediately, then just drop another ball, add a stroke, and play from there. That would speed up play to some degree, but would not totally solve the problem of slow play, which is what I think these simplified rules are trying to address. .

What is slow play to some, is always going to be normal pace of play for others. Slow play will never be regulated out of the game of golf. It's just as much a part of the game as a bad putt, or any of the other bad things a golfer might suffer through during a round of golf. Besides, even though I play a lot, (2-3 rounds a week) I don't see what I consider slow play that much as it is. Maybe 3-4 times a year, and those slower rounds are usually on weekends.

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

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At handicap 10, you are probably not the group of golfers the relaxed rules are aimed at. Someone shooting in the 100's+ will probably not score all that much better with more clubs.

But I'd be an 8 if had that extra club! Seriously though, I think they should give 15 clubs a look since a lot of changes to iron and wedge sets have happened in the past 20 years. I do agree that if you are playing well you are fine with less. I'm OCD enough to want a "complete" set and I think newer players would benefit in some way (well I know someone like my father-in-law would)

—Adam

 

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

At handicap 10, you are probably not the group of golfers the relaxed rules are aimed at. Someone shooting in the 100's+ will probably not score all that much better with more clubs.

But I'd be an 8 if had that extra club! Seriously though, I think they should give 15 clubs a look since a lot of changes to iron and wedge sets have happened in the past 20 years. I do agree that if you are playing well you are fine with less. I'm OCD enough to want a "complete" set and I think newer players would benefit in some way (well I know someone like my father-in-law would)

You say that as if there were never any equipment improvements until the 1990's.  Clubs and balls have been undergoing evolution for more than 100 years.  It was changes in club technology back in the 1920's that spurred the limit of 14 clubs to be put in the rules.  It idea was to keep skill in the game, to require the player to develop skill with his swing, not just the ability to pick a club.

More clubs for beginners just makes their decisions slower and more complicated.  Players should start with fewer clubs and work up to the max of 14.  These so-called "rules" aren't really for experienced players.  They are aimed at trying to make the game more attractive for beginners, so lets really hit at the heart of the matter.

Make golf cheaper and you will attract new players to the game.  New players don't give a damn about rules - not the real rules and not these unworkable , butchered up "rules".  New players care about cost and time spent playing.  That actually means shorter courses, and equipment to match.  Shorter courses means lower taxes, lower maintenance costs, shorter rounds (it takes less time to walk a shorter distance).

Stop me if I'm wrong, but aren't the "ideas" on that list all things that beginners already do, without needing to feel secure that they are following a rule?  In fact isn't it more likely to confuse or disillusion a player who carries these "rules" around with him, then gets told regularly that he's not actually playing by the rules?  Or he enters a small competition that asks for his handicap and he gives them an estimate based on his play by those rules, but this tournament plays by the real rules, and he shoots 20 strokes over what he thought was his handicap because he incurs a 2 stroke penalty every time he uses "common sense".

And just what is "common sense" anyway.  Different people are imbued with widely varying levels of the sort of logical behavior we call common sense.  It certainly has nothing to do with golf.  A typical beginner won't have a clue how to apply common sense to golf, and it certainly won't be applied the same by different players.  I envision a lot of on course discussions and arguments over the "common sense" procedures for a dozen different common situations, and that will just make them play slower than they already do.

I suggest that we put the beginning player on a shorter course (either a shorter layout, or the forward tees on a regular course), give him six or seven clubs, a dozen balls and a handful of tees.  Give him a very basic idea of what his goals should be, then tell him not to worry about rules until he gets more of a handle on moving the ball in the intended direction.  He can pick up the rules like most of us did, a little bit here and there, and if he decides that the game is what he wants to get into, he can get the book and start to really learn the rules when they will make a bit more sense to him.

Anyway you look at it, I'm opposed to telling anyone that that ridiculous list is anything resembling a set of rules.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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Fourputt, you make a number of good points. However I'd argue that the de-lofting of irons and the addition of higher lofted wedges and hybrids should open the discussion for potentially more clubs. Skill comes from hitting the clubs, but at my home course no matter what I do, I have a gap, which seems silly given those 3 things I just cited. Even with 15 clubs, I would have plenty of times where I am between clubs. Not a panacea, but worthy of debate Instead of shorter courses, I'd suggest playing 9 holes instead of 18 like a lot of leagues do. Most courses by me offer 9 hole rates on green fees and carts. Finally, yes, it does seem silly to broadcast it as rules, but for 80% of golfers who do most of this anyway! it's no big deal. Heck, the course down the road from me has zero out of bounds because the course has fescue on it, surrounding it. Local rule is to play as lateral hazard, even if you hit it into the street. Strictly for pace of play. If more experienced players show up. I suspect they will play it as OB if they are playing for money. What I think by broadcasting this, like the GC did, is to give courses something to base suggestions to their clientele on how they can have more fun.

—Adam

 

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http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/relaxed-rules-easing-and-adding-common-sense/

Here goes...

For all who play golf just to have fun, we offer 7 rules to govern all play.

1.    MAXIMUM SCORE Double par (i.e., 6 on par-3s, 8 on par-4s, 10 on par-5s).

2.    PENALTIES All are 1 stroke, including out-of-bounds, water and lateral hazards, lost balls and unplayable lies. Drop a ball near where the original was lost and play on.

3.    SEARCH TIME Two minutes to look for your ball. If lost, proceed under Rule 2.

4.    UNFORTUNATE LIES With your playing partners’ consent, balls may be dropped out of divots or footprints, away from tree roots and any other dangerous lies.

5.    CONCEDED PUTTS Putts may be conceded with your playing partners’ consent.

6.    EQUIPMENT No restrictions, including number of clubs.

7.    COMMON SENSE When in doubt, use common sense and fairness.

I think TGC has been watching the five groups of 50+ men with whom I play when I visit a client ... it's their weekly game,, especially #3 thru #7.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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Fourputt, you make a number of good points. However I'd argue that the de-lofting of irons and the addition of higher lofted wedges and hybrids should open the discussion for potentially more clubs. Skill comes from hitting the clubs, but at my home course no matter what I do, I have a gap, which seems silly given those 3 things I just cited. Even with 15 clubs, I would have plenty of times where I am between clubs. Not a panacea, but worthy of debate

Instead of shorter courses, I'd suggest playing 9 holes instead of 18 like a lot of leagues do. Most courses by me offer 9 hole rates on green fees and carts.

Finally, yes, it does seem silly to broadcast it as rules, but for 80% of golfers who do most of this anyway! it's no big deal. Heck, the course down the road from me has zero out of bounds because the course has fescue on it, surrounding it. Local rule is to play as lateral hazard, even if you hit it into the street. Strictly for pace of play. If more experienced players show up. I suspect they will play it as OB if they are playing for money. What I think by broadcasting this, like the GC did, is to give courses something to base suggestions to their clientele on how they can have more fun.

The skill of golf is in learning how the clubs and balls function, then learning to adjust your swing to control that.  There is far less skill in simply learning one swing then picking different clubs to apply it to.  When the 14 club limit was introduced, some players were already bagging more than 30, and the ruling bodies could see how that was changing the actual swing skills that the game had always been built around.  Just because clubs have stronger lofts doesn't change that philosophy.  All it means is that you see fewer 3 irons and more gap wedges.

There have always been clubbing gaps in the game and unless I'm totally out of touch, the ruling bodies are determined that there always will be.  They will always expect the better player to have the ability to adjust his swing for situations as a way of using the skill that he has learned through practice and experience.  It's simple to learn to choke down on a club, or to play a 3/4 swing.  This isn't rocket science, but it is a game of skill, and it's important that the skill factor be retained.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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I support the concept ... maybe some tweaking on the rules they selected, but at least it is talking point.

Not everyone wants to be a serous golfer, some get out a couple times of year, do not take lessons ... for some its just a 4-5 hours out with their buds while enjoying adult beverages ...

Baseball, basketball, and football all have different rules from the pros, and those recreational leagues attract people by the droves to the sport ... many enjoy a sport that they otherwise would not participate ...

Ken Proud member of the iSuk Golf Association ... Sponsored by roofing companies across the US, Canada, and the UK

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Note: This thread is 3475 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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