I’m happy Jim Furyk won the Canadian Open this past weekend, and I’m even happier he moved up to second in the Official World Golf Ranking. Other than that Tiger fellow, Furyk is the best on the planet right now. He held off a pretty tough field en route to his second win of the season.
While Furyk earned the biggest paycheck of the week, Jonathan Byrd took a pay cut in the final round.
Byrd would have finished at -12 and in a tie for third if not for a rules infraction on the front nine. Instead, he finished at -10 and T5. Bryd took his practice swings in a bunker while standing too far from the ball, violating rule 13-4a, which prohibits testing the condition of a hazard.
The rules violation was clear, and Byrd has only himself to blame for not knowing the rules. However, the rule itself is silly and in desperate need of modification. Jonathan Bryd has won plenty of money to secure his card for next season, but it could have happened to someone right in the thick of the race for the card. There are several rules that unjustly cost golfers a lot of money.
Divots in the Fairway (Rule 13-1)
This is one of the worst rules in all of golf (and earned the top – or bottom – spot in our previous article on dumb rules). If a ball lands in a divot, the golfer must play the ball as it lies. In other words, if the divot is in the fairway, the golfer is penalized for doing what he is supposed to. I don’t hit nearly enough fairways, and when I do get lucky, it’s nice to have a good lie. The same goes for professionals. This situation occurred at last month’s PGA Championship at Medinah and to Geoff Ogilvy at the U.S. Open.
At the PGA, Tiger Woods hit into a fairway divot on Saturday. The world’s best made it look easy, hit a great shot and made the birdie putt in the process. Woods isn’t necessarily human, so the example isn’t very fitting in this case – astute readers will note Woods hit another spectacular shot from a divot at the Open Championship in 2005 at St. Andrews as well. At least 50% of the PGA Tour professionals would have had a very tough time making par from such a lie.
The late and great Payne Stewart won two U.S. Opens in his career, but it very well could have been three. Stewart lost the 1998 U.S. Open by one shot and made bogey from a fairway divot on the 12th hole in the final round. Hitting fairways in any U.S. Open is a premium, and a golfer certainly shouldn’t be penalized for doing so. This rule is a no-brainer to change.
Testing Hazard Conditions (Rule 13-4)
This is the rule that sparked Thrash Talk this week, and it’s also the rule that cost Jonathan Byrd a few extra dollars at the Canadian Open. I rarely play from a bunker because most of the courses I play don’t have many. If I did, I would probably violate this rule every time.
Standing in the sand and taking a practice swing or two shouldn’t affect the way the ball is played. When a golfer hits a shot from the bunker, they dig in with their feet as much as possible to get a good grip. Jonathan Byrd didn’t dig in at all and was simply taking a practice swing without thinking. If this helped him in hitting the bunker shot, I stand corrected. However, it’s quite clear that sort of thing doesn’t help or hurt the golfer in any way, shape, or form.
I’m not going to sit here and say this rule should be completely scrapped. It shouldn’t. There are times when a golfer could possibly dig in and take a practice swing away from the ball. Such behavior should be penalized. However, common sense should be used when dealing with rules violations. More than likely, Jonathan Byrd would have hit the same shot whether he took zero practice swings or a million. The game of golf is hard enough without these silly rulings.
Signing the Wrong Scorecard (Rule 6-6)
The fairway divot rule is bad, but this one takes the cake. Every season, golfers on every professional tour are disqualified for breaking this rule. If a golfer signs the wrong scorecard, they get disqualified. That’s absurd to say the least. After grinding for 18 holes or more, golfers have to worry about signing the correct scorecard as well. That doesn’t have anything to do with how well they played, and it doesn’t belong in the rules of golf. This is one that should be scrapped altogether.
In this day and age, do we really need the scorecards to be signed? I can get online and keep up with everyone’s score as they are playing. With all the new technology, everyone already knows where golfers stand in relation to par. Whether or not golfers shoot a 60 or 80, signing the wrong scorecard has nothing to do with how they played on the golf course. This dumb rule needs no further explanation.
Ball Moves after Grounding Putter (Rule 18-2)
The other bad rules listed above rarely affect me. This rule, however, affects me numerous times throughout the year. In Oklahoma, it’s very windy most of the time, and I’ve played in 30-40 mph wind on more than one occasion. It’s tough enough to hit any shot in wind this bad, but golfers also have to worry about the ball moving on the green. If a golfer grounds his putter and the ball moves, the golfer is penalized for their efforts.
It’s windy enough in Oklahoma, and I can’t imagine how tough it is to play some of the European courses every week. I haven’t seen this rule violated many times, but it has happened. The wind isn’t considered an outside agent per the rules of golf, but it should be. In no way should the ball moving before making a putting stroke affect the outcome of the score.
The rules should allow the ball to be replaced regardless of the putter being grounded. I violated this rule in a high school tournament, and I’ve been pissed ever since. The game of golf is tough enough on the mind as it is. Taking a penalty stroke for something so silly just makes things worse on a windy day. If I lived somewhere where the wind wasn’t a factor, maybe this one wouldn’t be a big deal to me. However, I do live in a windy state, and it affects me all the time.
Some people will argue this rule and tell golfers not to ground the putter in the first place. That’s easier said than done though. I don’t know about you, but I struggle on the greens as it is. When I can’t ground the putter, my aiming and balance is much worse. I have a set routine like everyone else, and the wind throws me off like crazy. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks like this either. This rule needs to be tossed in the dumpster.
The Final Say
The rules of golf are set up to help the game of golf and its golfers, and for the most part, they do a great job. I can’t imagine how wild and crazy this game would be if there were no governing rules. Actually, I probably wouldn’t ever play because things would get out of hand. As good as the rules of golf are, however, there will always be rules that need to be modified or scrapped altogether.
The rules I discussed (with the exception of the fairway divot rule) have nothing to do with a golfer hitting a golf shot. Golfers shouldn’t be punished for doing silly things that don’t affect the outcome of the round. Taking practice swings in a bunker, signing the wrong scorecard, or having the ball move after grounding the putter have absolutely nothing to do with how the shot will be played. These penalties take their toll on professional golfers every year, and it’s time for a change.
That’s all I have to say this week, and now it’s time to speak your mind. Do you think any rules of golf should be modified or scrapped altogether? If so, do any of the ones I listed fall under that category? If not, why should golfers be punished for silly rules violations like the ones mentioned in the article? If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!
Photo Credits: © USGA.org.
Your subtitle makes it sound as if the rules don’t change. They do, and quite frequently (every four years, with revisions to Decisions and other things every two years between).At any rate, to play devil’s advocate:
Thanks for the comments, and you bring up great points.
Try not to play devil’s advocate now and give your actual opinions. 🙂
I figured some would disagree because of the history of the game, but that’s the fun part of it all. Change isn’t always a bad thing, and some of the rules are in definite need of some tuning up at the very least.
I definitely don’t write in hopes of making everyone happy, but I think most know that already.
The playing from the divot inthe fairway rule has always bugged me…the divot is a ‘man made’ obstruction, similar to a cart path, in my opinion. Just allow a drop no nearer to the hole.
I agree unintended consequences of rule changes to interpretations of similar situations is an issue. If we are playing a game in which integrity is so prized, why do we not trust golfers to acknowledge whether it was the wind or the golfer who caused ball movement? Are the penalties appropriate to the infraction? In the wind on the green example I fail to see what advantage a golfer gains unless the ball moves more than a balls width. As long as the ball is replaced there should be no penalty. The focus needs to be more whether a golfer gains an unfair advantage. I would suggest situations like Tigers roof top drop or pros who aim for the grandstands on purpose and take a drop in to a perfect lie to avoid hazards is a much more troublesome issue. I still think the stroke and distance penalty on OB shots should be adjusted to nearest point of relief with a penalty stroke. If for no other reason than to speed up play. Hackers tend to hit provisionals in some nearly as bad places, and if they are walking this can take forever.
the biggest problem I see would be to find the “cut line” if you adjust these rules. All of the ones you listed(once you make these kind of situation legal) would bring in a judgment call, which USGA tries to (I’m sure) avoid. Question like – is it a “divot” or just a dry-spot on the fairway? Did you dig your feet in the bunker for 5 or 10 seconds? Did the ball moved because of the wind or did you ground it too close and touched it? I don’t think having any of them changed is realistic.
I feel sooooo sorry for a golfer who loses money because he didn’t know the rules. I do hope my sarcasm is obvious. There is absolutley no excuse, for these folk, (who make a tremendous amount of money for playing golf well,) to not know the rules. And by the way — sand has many different properties and much can be assesed by the savy golfer who slyly takes a “practice” swing within the bunker. As a general statement to your artical, I say go play golf at the Old Course, in Scotland where the game was born from the earth those many years ago. You will find you do not get relief from such things as a cart path or even a road. Golf is a hard game. It teaches us many things about ourselves and others, life is challenging and golf is a game of life. Deal with the challenges golf gives you any way you wish, but I think whining about rules you don’t like will not improve your game one stroke.
And to the post above concerning lost ball or O.B. — You are right, but a rules change is not necessary. It is the resbonsibility of the Rules Commitee at each golf course to develop local rules to deal with slow play issues. Examples of this are holes # 7 at Adobe Creek in Petaluma, Ca. and #16 at The Links at Bodega Harbour. (I’ll let you do the research if you want their specifics.)
The rules are there for a reason, and as in life there are no gaurentees. If your ball is in the fairway, be proud that you hit the fairway. If you find that ball in a divot, challenge yourself to hit the best shot you are able. besides, the very name fairway suggests that where ever your ball lands in the fairway is fair! So play it as it lies and challenge yourself to be a better golfer. You will be the better in the end.
The End.
b.
Landing in too many fairway divots ? Keep an extra pencil or 2 in your bag, or tucked in the adjusting strap on your visor or hat, and a small notepad, and take note of the yardages where most of them are, and next time take more or less club to miss that area.
The only proposed rules change I would agree with is the penalty for the ball moving on the green with the putter grounded. I’ve played in similar windy conditions, and if allowed, I’d wait it out until I liked it. But would that be 2 seconds? 2 minutes? 2 hours?
Ball in a divot is “rub of the green” and just a tough break. Besides, the pros sure play on far better conditioned courses than the ones I play on. It would be interesting to see how they do on a beaten up muni.
Testing the condition is a serious infraction. Since bunkers can be composed of heavy sand, light sand, loosely compacted sand, or even wet sand, testing the condition will definitely influence the players swing. You shouldn’t be there in the first place and should pay the price for doing so. To take it a step further, I’d actually like to see more deep grass bunkers on the PGA tour to truly penalize the pros for hitting errant shots to the green. Right now, they have few problems from the greenside bunkers and often aim for them.
As for signing a wrong card, that’s just a mental lapse. No excuses for that.
One rule I think seriously needs reconsideration is the infraction for repairing spike marks on the green. Tour officials claim this would slow play down, but if they’re going to put such emphasis on preparing the greens to their desired condition, why not continue to maintain that condition during play? Slow players are just slow players, not because they spend time fixing conditions on the green.
1. Fairway Divots: Play it as it lines is the general rule in golf and playing it out of divots is part of that. I see no reason to change this rule.
2. Bunker practice swings: With modern bunkers becoming less and less penal I can see no reason to keep this rule unless the USGA wants to demand inconsistent bunkers.
3. Signing wrong scorecard: I cannot imagine how eliminating this would improve the game. Remember, it is not just the tour you are talking about here competition extends all the way down to a club championship where these things are not tracked nearly as methodically.
4. Wind and the putter: I agree with Mr. Thrash.
It would seem that the idea of rules, is to make the game impartial, give it structure and prohibit one person from finding an advantage over another beyond the God given limitations of skill.
In order to do that the primary step should be to first create a set of rules that can be read and understood. In my experience this is not the case. I have witnessed several occasions in both club tournaments and matches with visiting clubs where groups have stood around reading and re-reading a rule only to finally say, “play it both ways, record both scores and we’ll ask the pro when we get in.”
Because of the pedantic way in which some snobbish club originally wrote the rules to keep the riff-raff out we have inherited a convoluted rules encyclopedia burdened with arcane regulations such as fixing a ball mark, BUT NOT a spike mark and capricious rulings such as disqualifying Craig Stadler for kneeling on a towel to keep his pants dry or letting a small army move a boulder for Tiger.
I’d like to see penalties for NOT replacing a divot, conceding a putt in stroke play or throwing cigarette butts on the course.
Bay, there are already penalties for those actions. They’re social penalties, and those who choose to enforce them are what I call “good guys.” I only warn a guy once or twice about etiquette infractions before I stop playing with him.
I don’t think the Rules of Golf are a result of a snobbish club trying to keep the riff-raff out, and I don’t find the Rules to be terribly complex. Some situations can be odd, but in most cases, if you use common sense and play the ball as it lies, you’ll be fine.
I agree with all you said (I was being a bit facetious with the ettiquette stuff) except the complexity part. The entire rules of golf could probably be condensed into a half dozen simple rules. For instance, if you can repair something in your line on the green, then you should be able to repair ANYTHING in your line.
Fairways have white, yellow and red stakes. Learn those and we’re about done.
Oh yeah, if you mean to play the ball, that’s a stroke anything else should be considered inadvertant and played the same as a ball being hit by another on the green, put it where your opponent agrees and proceed.
There are simple guidelines to follow: In match play the constant is that your opponent controls your ball, I like that in most all situations.
When I was learning the game I had a regular partner who had the perfect response on questionable rulings. If I were in a predicament I didn’t understand and asked him how to play or how to drop he would always reply, “What would you tell me if that was my ball?”
Ball in divot – bad break but play it. Unless the divot is 3 or 4 inches deep, it shouldn’t be THAT difficult to hit.
Testing hazard conditions – I have no problem with this rule either, although I don’t see why taking a practice swing too far away from the ball counts as “testing the conditions”. How far away is too far? This seems like it would be similar to a player receiving a penalty for practicing their putting stroke “too far” away from their ball that is on the green. Why is that okay but practicing too far away from your ball in the hazard is not? Don’t know.
Siging the wrong scorecard – not really a fan of this one primarily because the penalty is so severe – DISQUALIFICATION. Plus, you are only DQ’d if you sign for a lower score than you actually shot. If you sign an incorrect scorecard for a higher score than you actually shot, then that is your score. I sometimes think that the penalty should be more like a two-stroke or 4-stroke penalty rather than DQ. You receive a 2-stroke penalty per hole when you carry more than 14 clubs in your bag. But the maximum penalty is 4 strokes – you would never receive eighteen 2-stroke penalties if you carry more than 14 clubs for an entire round. Both seem to be “mental errors” and should be penalized equally.
Ball moves after putter is grounded – Don’t really like this rule but don’t know if it needs changing.
I have a serious curiosity, though, about the difference between ball marks and spike marks. What is the logic behind allowing ball marks to be repaired and not spike marks? The rules of golf exist so nobody gets an unfair advantage. When all golfers are allowed to repair ball marks, nobody is getting an unfair advantage. But when golfers are NOT allowed to repair spike marks, some golfers may receive an unfair advantage – namely those who tee off earlier than others. Early birds probably don’t encounter spike marks because the greens have usually just been cut or rolled. But golfers who tee-off later may encounter the spike marks that the early-birds created. Allowing spike marks to be repaired can also eliminate the question as to whether a mark on the green is a spike mark or ball mark that wasn’t repaired completely.