Rolling 'em...

[Rickins]

Sorry, Erik, it's not "closed". I owe Peter an apology.

Yes, I did climb on my "high horse" a little. There was no offense intended.

In a friendly round, I would never expect you to play out of a pile of rubbish. Pull it out and we call it "good".

I apologize for the "BS" statement and to you, Peter.

Rick

[Peter_in_Atl]

Sorry, Erik, it's not "closed". I owe Peter an apology.

Apology accepted. That was very refreshing. You don't get that on many discussion boards. Please accept my apology for reacting the way I did.

All the games I play are "friendly". I don't have any golfing buddies. None of my friends play and I've only been a member of a club since July. I haven't played with the same person twice.

[Rickins]

No apology needed, Peter. Your reaction was completely understandable.

Rick

P.S. Let those fellas at your club win a hole, or two, next time out. You'll get lots of golfing buddies.

[Rafcin]

only "by the book" for me and I'm trying to keep my playing partners/opponents to the same. Why? A few years back I played with my buddies always in a "friendly" mode. A lot of gimmies, improved lies, etc. One day I decided to enter a competition.... Shot 93 with 45 putts ! All of sudden I found out I don't know how to play from deep rough and every 3ft putt was impossible to make. Day after this fiasco I bought the "Rules and Interpretations" book and never (knowing about it at least) violated the rules since....
I still have fun playing the game

[Rickins]

A few years back I played with my buddies always in a "friendly" mode. A lot of gimmies, improved lies, etc. One day I decided to enter a competition.... Shot 93 with 45 putts ! All of sudden I found out I don't know how to play from deep rough and every 3ft putt was impossible to make.

The integrity and sanctity of the game aside for a moment, this is a "bottom line" of sorts. We don't improve when we eliminate the incentive to do so. Inherently, I think most of us realize this but think we'll take the fun out of the game for ourselves and our playing partners by sticking hard and fast to the Rules.

My last few rounds have been back "by the book" and I haven't noticed a quantifiable difference in my scores, frankly. Looks like I've been blowing smoke up my own kilt all along. Rick

[iacas]

The integrity and sanctity of the game aside for a moment, this is a "bottom line" of sorts. We don't improve when we eliminate the incentive to do so. Inherently, I think most of us realize this but think we'll take the fun out of the game for ourselves and our playing partners by sticking hard and fast to the Rules.

How are you ever going to learn to hit from a divot if you roll your ball every time you find a divot? Or out of deep rough? Or a plugged lie in a bunker? Or off a dewy fairway with mud on the side of your ball?

[Rickins]

How are you ever going to learn to hit from a divot if you roll your ball every time you find a divot? Or out of deep rough? Or a plugged lie in a bunker? Or off a dewy fairway with mud on the side of your ball?

Very true and goes, at least in part, to my point. The situations you cite are going to occur - hopefully not too frequently, but...

I've asked myself a number of questions based on the responses to this thread and, in a sometimes roundabout way, they've always come back to whether, or not, I'm looking to improve my game. Okay, sure, who doesn't? A good start, I think, was going back to playing the game the way it was meant to be played. Just a start and not particularly noteworthy to anyone but me. The rest may, or may not, follow but I'm sure it'll include divots and deep rough. Oh, I just know it's going to include deep rough! Rick

[LarryK]

Oh, I just

FWIW, I could never understand people who improve lies in the fairway (divot lies notwithstanding).

For the six or seven times a round that I actucally hit a fairway, my initial reaction is usually "How could it get any better than this?"

[Rickins]

FWIW, I could never understand people who improve lies in the fairway (divot lies notwithstanding).

I suppose there are two ways to look at this one, Larry. Like you, lots of folks are tickled to death to be in the fairway whatever the lie may be. (I've had more than my share of rounds where I've shared that sentiment exactly!)

Others justify rolling 'em out of divots for the same reason that they're allowed to repair ball marks on the green, i.e. divots are an unfair "interference" created by another player. I may agree with the rationale to some extent but the Rules don't and that's what we have to live with. Rick

[LarryK]

No, I actually understand the rationale for rolling it out of a divot, although as you say, it is clearly against the rules.

What I DON'T understand are golfers who take a perfectly acceptable lie in the fairway and then feel compelled to roll it around "jest a little bit" to make it an absolutely PERFECT lie, sitting up as high as possible.

....like if they got lucky enough to hook up with J-Lo, they'd nag her to get a boob job.

[Rickins]

....like if they got lucky enough to hook up with J-Lo, they'd nag her to get a boob job.

Ooooh...that

should be against the Rules! Rick