"Don't Know the Rules" Coach in Today's HS Match

[iacas]

I'm just the assistant volunteer coach, but my boys played against a city team at a rinky dink par-32 course today. Holes go 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 and that's that. The last 8 go side by side, zig-zagging back and forth.

Anyway, the first hole and the 9th hole go kinda like this:

|
|
|
|-------
|

Where "|" is the first hole (500-yard par 5) and "-" is the 9th hole (180-yard par 3). There's a fence there to prevent heel jobs off of one or long shots off of 9 from hitting people on the other hole.

A kid on the other team hits a ball over 9, it hits the fence, it drops down, and it rolls under the fence (on the side of 1). Simple ruling, I figure: nearest point of relief (stance and swing) is on a cart path, so then you again find the nearest point of relief and drop within one clublength of that. So the kid does, but he clips a tree and is on the other side of the fence. Fine - same deal, but this time there's no path, so he drops, plays onto the green, and two-putts for a five.

Of course, that whole process took literally 20 minutes because the opposing coach was busy calling everyone in the world trying to get a "local rule" that said his kid got to play from 9's side of the fence. Which makes no sense, but he tried like the devil anyway. He said things like "the fence is there to keep balls from going on the other side, so why should he have to play from that side?"

Uhhh, duh?!?! Right? Who cares what the purpose of the fence is, stuff happens. Y'know?

Finally, the coach tells everyone he's going to protest if he loses and then makes his kid play another ball from 9's side of the fence. The kid makes 3 from there. The first group took 45 minutes to play the par 3. Three groups behind them were all standing on the tee waiting and watching.

Anyway, the 5 eventually stood. Rule 24-2 is not that hard to understand.

[muda]

but did your team win and force the other coach to protest? inquiring minds want to know.

[iacas]

but did your team win and force the other coach to protest? inquiring minds want to know.

We won 33-27. Had his penalty not counted it would have been 32-28, so it ended up not mattering.

I think that after 10 different people all told him that he was wrong, he gave it up anyway. I'm sure the fact that he would lose anyway helped. No protest. I kinda wish he had - would have made him look silly to the league.