Local Rules for HS Match Tomorrow

[iacas]

I've finished up my local rules sheet for the Mega Match (every team plays six, top four scores count, total medal) hosted by my team tomorrow. I've attached them.

I'm dismayed at how few kids know even the majority of the rules. They repair ball marks in the fringe before putting over them, they drop a ball near where a ball is lost, all sorts of things. One kid two weeks ago had both a "4" and a "3" written in for one of the holes. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him the 4 (since giving him a 3 when he had 4 would get him disqualified), and that was later over-ruled to give him a 3! Technically, he had a 43 for the hole!

[CusePhil]

I've finished up my local rules sheet for the Mega Match (every team plays six, top four scores count, total medal) hosted by my team tomorrow. I've attached them.

I am still new to golf and also need to catch up on some of the rules. But come on, even I know a lost ball is stroke and distance

. Regarding the rules sheet, the only thing I would change would be putting rule number 8 in the hole assignments section at the top. Sounds like fun, I hope you team plays well

[iacas]

I am still new to golf and also need to catch up on some of the rules. But come on, even I know a lost ball is stroke and distance

I gave my kids hole location sheets WEEKS ago when practice started. I told them "these are where they'll be - they're all VERY tough spots, but if you hit to the middle of the green and take two putts, you'll pick up about a shot every four holes on everyone else."

Guess how many I ever saw putting to the hole locations in practice? Yes, the answer is "less than three." I have edited the PDF since to make note of rule 13-2 in the lift/clean/place rule. The tees have a little sand on them - just what couldn't get brushed off - and I didn't want people brushing the area of their stance or swing prior to placing the ball. As for the Rule 8 thing, I figure there's no harm in mentioning it, effectively, twice. With a 2pm start and as slow as these guys play, they need to get done quickly. Hence the slow play rule/penalty. And no, very few high school players know the rules. Two stories: Playing a team last year, one of the alternates was dropping a ball on the far side of a big pond tucked on the inside of a dogleg. I drove up and asked him what he was doing. Turns out he hit the ball into the water from the TEE (about 200 yards across the water from where he was dropping) and he thought he could drop on the line the ball was travelling when it crossed the hazard... on the side of the hazard far from the tee and closer to the hole. And, worse yet, the other three in his group were letting him. My other story involves a kid who hit his ball near a water hazard. The two kids in his group (stroke play qualifier for a match play event) and the kid who hit the ball looked for his ball near the water for some time. The kid returned to the tee and hit another ball to roughly the same location. Then he slammed his driver down in disgust and broke it. Then they found a ball that may have been his first one (or his second - they don't know). They let him take a drop, add a penalty stroke, and play it as if it was his first ball, despite the fact that: a) he'd basically declared it lost when he returned to the tee (no, he didn't say "you keep looking, I'll go hit a provisional"), b) they took more than five minutes to find the ball, c) he didn't identify his first or second ball - they were exactly the same. Same #, everything. He signed for a six when he, in reality, finished the whole with a wrong ball and didn't correct it. He should have been DQed, either for that or for signing for a wrong score. Instead they let him count his penalty. But the other kids in his group didn't know well enough to point all this out anyway - they let him just count his one-stroke penalty. Derrrrr!!!!! P.S. In both instances, one of the kids on MY high school team was in the group. And I harp on them about the rules, so they tend to know them better than most.

[Buran]

My golf coach (and several others in my conference) hand out printouts with the major rules, and what to do in each occurence. For example, it has what options you can you can do in a water hazard, (red and yellow stakes), what options you have for ob, lost ball, unplayable lie, and it also tells what the penalty is. I always keep a copy of it in my bag next to the rule book, as it provides an easy way to determine what options you have.

[MaRx]

Most of the high school players rely heavily on their coaches (whether you realize it or not). If you dont, you'd better have a different source of teaching if you want to succeed. For me, my high school golfin career was where I matured the most as a player. I didnt really get along well with my teacher for some reason, but I listened to what he had to say. My point being, the way the high school players play, could be a direct reflection of their coach.

[CusePhil]

And no, very few high school players know the rules. Two stories:

Those stories are hilarious. When you get back, fill us in on the outcome of the match and any other amusing rule violations that I am sure were prevalent today.

[iacas]

Aside from slow play - though most kids played in four hours (we shotgunned twelve groups on twelve separate holes) - there weren't any problems. If I had my druthers, I've have handed out about six shots in slow play penalties, but the coach (I'm just the assistant, remember) thought that would be pretty "prick-ish" to do. Eh, whatever...

Anyway, despite having the pin sheets for a MONTH now, my team didn't play well at all. This is our home course. In that month, none of them ever putted to the match pins regularly. It showed. They averaged about 37 putts today for the six of 'em. We finished fifth. We should have been no worse than third or so. Lots of kids hit provisionals, thankfully.