Dave's Journey With the Rules of Golf

[dennyjones]

Congratulations.   It sounds like a ton of work but I'm sure it is rewarding.

[bkuehn1952]

I hope to see more posts from you, @DaveP043, related to your Rules experiences.

I was looking at a thread on a golf site. Reading some of the comments and discussion on a Provisional/Lost/Unplayable situation was like listening to fingernails on a chalk board. So many comments such as, "You MUST search for your ball" and "If you find your ball in an unplayable spot, just go play your provisional." It is always amazing to me how little we golfers know of the Rules of Golf.

[DaveP043]

  On 1/29/2025 at 3:04 PM, bkuehn1952 said:

I hope to see more posts from you, @DaveP043, related to your Rules experiences.

I was looking at a thread on a golf site. Reading some of the comments and discussion on a Provisional/Lost/Unplayable situation was like listening to fingernails on a chalk board. So many comments such as, "You MUST search for your ball" and "If you find your ball in an unplayable spot, just go play your provisional." It is always amazing to me how little we golfers know of the Rules of Golf.

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This reminds me of the old game Telephone, where someone tells a story to someone, that person tells it to the next person, and after a few re-tellings you see how badly mangled the story gets.  Most golfers learn the rules in a similar fashion, learning from someone who really doesn't know the rules themselves.  This isn't really helped by the fact that many golf professionals aren't all that knowledgeable about the rules.  In addition, most golfers have been told that the Rules are SO complicated and SO difficult to read that they never try to read for themselves.

Now, having vented a bit, is there anything in particular you'd like to read?  

[Rulesman]

Explain this:

 

Send 3 and 4 pence we're going to a dance.

Edited January 29 by Rulesman

[bkuehn1952]

  On 1/29/2025 at 9:31 PM, Rulesman said:

Explain this:

 

Send 3 and 4 pence we're going to a dance.

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I cheated and searched the phrase. Good example. 

[DaveP043]

  On 1/29/2025 at 9:31 PM, Rulesman said:

 

Send 3 and 4 pence we're going to a dance.

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Perfect!  I think I'll leave this alone and let the rest of the group figure it out.

[dennyjones]

Guess..  

It used to cost girls 3 pence and guys 4 pence to get into a dance?

[DaveP043]

  On 1/29/2025 at 3:04 PM, bkuehn1952 said:

I hope to see more posts from you, @DaveP043, related to your Rules experiences.

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Something just popped into my head, based on your mention of the folks who "know the rules" but are generally wrong.  Another comment I read was "the Rules ALWAYS said.....".  When I come across those I often go to 

www.ruleshistory.com

to see if the rules ever said that.  You can find every (almost?) version of the rules since the first set in 1744.  Its fun to return to the conversation and say "You're a little bit right, the rules said that at one time, but that changed in 1984.  You've been playing under the wrong rule for 40 years!"  

[DaveP043]

I'll try to post a bit more here as the season moves on.  Yesterday was my first "referee gig" this year, the first of a two-day event for juniors.  No real unusual rulings, but a couple of slightly complicated situations with two consecutive drops.  There's a hole with a Red Penalty Area down the right, with a cart path running parallel.  On a couple of occasions a player had to take Penalty Area relief.  Two clublengths from the point of entry required dropping no further left than the center of the cart path.   Once that relief procedure was completed, he took relief from the cart path.  Due to the relatively small distance between the path and the PA, the Nearest Point of Complete Relief was to the "fairway side" of the path.  I made the Player consider a drop to the PA side, with the player's feet clear of the path (i.e. complete relief from interference), but that would have put the drop in the Penalty Area, which isn't acceptable.

Something which I now see as common, this 36-hole event is defined as four 9-hole stipulated rounds.  This is done so that, if bad weather sets in, there can be legitimate results if everyone has completed at least 9 holes.

[iacas]

  On 3/23/2025 at 1:42 PM, DaveP043 said:

Something which I now see as common, this 36-hole event is defined as four 9-hole stipulated rounds.  This is done so that, if bad weather sets in, there can be legitimate results if everyone has completed at least 9 holes.

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I've done 9 two-hole rounds (never 18 1-hole rounds, though) in the past. 😄 

[DaveP043]

A report from day 2 of the event, an unfortunate situation occurred.  One player noticed that one of the other players in his group had what appeared to be stickers on several of his clubs, the ones on the face used with certain launch monitors.  Word got back to the rules staff, and we (surreptitiously) confirmed the presence of the stickers.  Those stickers are "external attachments", and their presence renders a club non-conforming.  If a Player uses a non-conforming club to make a stroke, he is DQ.  That's the easy part, the rule is pretty straightforward. 

The tough part, how to handle it.  We considered having a quiet talk with the player while the round was still going on, but decided against it.  We didn't want to DQ a player in the middle of the round, having him walking back to the parking lot on his own, as well as changing the pace and rhythm of the other players in his group.  Instead, the Official in Charge, a young employee of the Middle Atlantic PGA who will be heading up their junior program this year, had a discussion with the player at scoring.  The player took it with good grace, said he never knew they were a problem.  He works with a swing coach, who was the one to help him put the stickers on in the first place, and apparently the coach never told him he needs to take them off.   

Ther4e are a few things that a player may do once in his golfing career.  I think failing to identify his ball and consequently playing a Wrong Ball is one of those.  Getting DQ for stickers on a club face is another.  

[RickM71]

  On 3/25/2025 at 9:02 PM, DaveP043 said:

A report from day 2 of the event, an unfortunate situation occurred.  One player noticed that one of the other players in his group had what appeared to be stickers on several of his clubs, the ones on the face used with certain launch monitors.  Word got back to the rules staff, and we (surreptitiously) confirmed the presence of the stickers.  Those stickers are "external attachments", and their presence renders a club non-conforming.  If a Player uses a non-conforming club to make a stroke, he is DQ.  That's the easy part, the rule is pretty straightforward. 

The tough part, how to handle it.  We considered having a quiet talk with the player while the round was still going on, but decided against it.  We didn't want to DQ a player in the middle of the round, having him walking back to the parking lot on his own, as well as changing the pace and rhythm of the other players in his group.  Instead, the Official in Charge, a young employee of the Middle Atlantic PGA who will be heading up their junior program this year, had a discussion with the player at scoring.  The player took it with good grace, said he never knew they were a problem.  He works with a swing coach, who was the one to help him put the stickers on in the first place, and apparently the coach never told him he needs to take them off.   

Ther4e are a few things that a player may do once in his golfing career.  I think failing to identify his ball and consequently playing a Wrong Ball is one of those.  Getting DQ for stickers on a club face is another.  

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My daughter has fiducials (what they call the reflective stickers for launch monitors) on a few of her clubs. At the start of the high school season I told her to make sure to remove them before matches. She told the jv coach about them and he said not to worry about having the stickers on. 

I personally think this fits into the "stupid" rule category either way. 

[DaveP043]

  On 3/25/2025 at 10:21 PM, RickM71 said:

My daughter has fiducials (what they call the reflective stickers for launch monitors) on a few of her clubs. At the start of the high school season I told her to make sure to remove them before matches. She told the jv coach about them and he said not to worry about having the stickers on. 

I personally think this fits into the "stupid" rule category either way. 

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High school golf coaches are often not really knowledgeable about the rules, I have an issue when a coach tells a player NOT to follow A specific rule.  As for the "stupidity" of this particular rule, I can't see a way to allow SOME stuff on the club face without allowing everything on the clubface.

[RickM71]

  On 3/25/2025 at 10:35 PM, DaveP043 said:

High school golf coaches are often not really knowledgeable about the rules, I have an issue when a coach tells a player NOT to follow A specific rule.  As for the "stupidity" of this particular rule, I can't see a way to allow SOME stuff on the club face without allowing everything on the clubface.

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On further reflection, I take back my "stupid" comment. It does make sense when put in context that the rule is to prevent any external attachments to the face of the club. Any change to that rule to allow exceptions would complicate the rule unnecessarily when it is easy enough to remove the stickers, etc. 

I was surprised with her coaches advice and I've told her to just remove them before any competitions. 

[iacas]

  On 3/25/2025 at 11:09 PM, RickM71 said:

On further reflection, I take back my "stupid" comment. It does make sense when put in context that the rule is to prevent any external attachments to the face of the club. Any change to that rule to allow exceptions would complicate the rule unnecessarily when it is easy enough to remove the stickers, etc. 

I was surprised with her coaches advice and I've told her to just remove them before any competitions. 

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Good, sensical post. Kudos.