Who Plays by the Rules?

[sean_miller]

I really only violate a few rules

I was watching a playing round with Fred Couples a few years ago (early Golf Channel - back when they had shows about golf) and he laughed about this one. He said amateur golfers penalize themselves too much based on what they see on TV. He cited the example of a ball trickling - and I mean trickling, not bounding - into the first cut of rough, or into some fallen leaves. In a televised tournament there'd likely be a spotter and the position of the ball would be flagged. And why spend the full 5 minutes on every "lost ball". He also suggested the average hacker would enjoy the game more if they didn't even keep score.

[alo1984]

What about the kind of arrogance from a player who completely disregards people behind or infront of him, and drives/walks back to the tee box to hit another ball instead of taking a drop to keep the pace going...?

I've really developed a problem with this kind of thinking. Why is it necessary to finish a hole in five stinking minutes?! Just relax, you're playing golf, okay. I agree, six hour rounds can and do get hard to deal with but man it isn't the fault of people trying to play by the rules. Even if it is, as a die hard golf fan who posts on forums like this, I would think you might have some appreciation for someone taking the game and their score so seriously.

Now, if I see you running up and down the fairway in a cart or taking FOREVER over each shot, or waiting until your playing partner has finished hitting and cleaned his club before you hit, then I may get upset about your pace. But, I will not get upset if I see you taking a drop correctly or consulting the rule book, or returning to the tee, etc.

[sean_miller]

I've really developed a problem with this kind of thinking. Why is it necessary to finish a hole in five stinking minutes?! Just relax, you're playing golf, okay. I agree, six hour rounds can and do get hard to deal with but man it isn't the fault of people trying to play by the rules. Even if it is, as a die hard golf fan who posts on forums like this, I would think you might have some appreciation for someone taking the game and their score so seriously.

You wouldn't but a lot of people would. People are resorting to violence all over on golf courses. One person's "following the rules as outlined by the USGA" is another person's "straw that broke the camel's back".

[nhwoj]

if i'm playing a bunch of friends, i don't really care. I play by the rules as in i don't blatantly break rules and stuff but if I'm playing with friends and they accidently ground the club on the bunker, im not gonna make a big deal about it.

Very well put. Most of my friends, myself included, don't pay much attention to the exact rules during rounds. I think if you follow the basics (play the ball as it lies, replay balls hit O.B., no grounding your club in a bunker, etc.) you can play a very fair round of golf. But if it's just a round for fun, nobody else is gonna care what you, so following rules is all up to you.

[SouthernILGolfer]

I loosely follow the rules for the most part. Like if i hit a ball ob, ill go to about where i think it went out and take a drop, same way as hitting into a hazard. Ive never seen anyone go back to the tee to rehit an ob tee shot after they went to look for it. If i hit one that i think went ob, ill hit a provisional but if i think i can find it and dont ill just drop one where i think it went out instead of going back to speed up play. If someone ahead of me came back to tee off again i would probably be wtf unless it was an official tournament or something. Just take a drop and move on. And if the ball comes to rest against a tree i might move it to avoid hitting the tree and damaging my club or hurting myself, i know thats against the rules but i feel if its somewhere where i cant make a swing its ok to move it just like if it lands on the cart path or very close to it. Most courses allow you to take a free drop if you hit the ball on the wrong green, i know it sounds crazy but some of the courses around here are tight and ive come close a few times with an errant tee shot, local rules i guess.

[golfro]

I've really developed a problem with this kind of thinking. Why is it necessary to finish a hole in five stinking minutes?! Just relax, you're playing golf, okay. I agree, six hour rounds can and do get hard to deal with but man it isn't the fault of people trying to play by the rules. Even if it is, as a die hard golf fan who posts on forums like this, I would think you might have some appreciation for someone taking the game and their score so seriously.

I can appreciate someone taking the time to correctly play the game by the rules and take their score seriously. Fourputt has already stated that he's quicka bout his reteeing so thats really no problem...I can hold another minute or two, no biggie.

what i can't appreciate is when the course is already playing slow and i'm ready to tee up and up comes some guy walking up the fairway to rehit his tee shot. it puts pressure on me now to keep up with the pace and have the guys behind me riding my ass about playing too slow. i'm not aiming this at Fourputt since he already stated that it rarely happens and when it does, he's quick about it... but there are a lot of people who do this, portraying the mentality that their game matters more than anybody else on the course. This is just downright arrogance. I recently played a round behind a foursome who completely disregarded pace of play...spending 5 minutes after each tee box digging around the hazards looking for the ball. When asked if we can play ahead, their response was "oh come on, we'll be quick from now on" and they do the same each hole. At one particular hole, a guy had tee'd off and topped his ball off the drive driving straight into the thick rough only 50 yards infront of the tee box. His group proceeded to spend 5 minutes looking for the ball as we watched and waited...and the guy actually walked back to the tee box to hit another ball. By this time, the foursome behind my group had already caught up and were waiting behind us... Once again, the guy tee's off the ball and this time he drives it about 200 yards into the thick rough to the right of the fairway... spent another 5 minutes waiting for him to just take a drop and move on (which he did) but he made no effort to hustle. This was towards the end of the round so I bit my lip and just finished playing...but Its this mentality that annoys me...complete ignorance to standard play, disregarding anybody else on the course but himself. theres official USGA rules, but you also have to consider the somewhat "unwritten" rules and standards when playing on a golf course.

[Fourputt]

Nice. but your condescending tone suggests otherwise.

You set it up... I just called it like I saw it. I could say that you come across the same way when you berate me for playing golf as it's intended to be played, then make assumptions without any facts to back them up. I don't know why I should have to defend my right to play the game the right way, by the rules. I wouldn't have to justify myself to most Europeans. Certainly not to a Scot.

Why don't we just drop it?

[sean_miller]

What match is taking place during the typical casual round? Just like a casual (i.e. non-league) game of pickup basketball or touch football among friends. There are only about 1/2 a dozen rules you really need to worry about to have fun.

A good comparison is 8-ball. There are governing bodies, but if the pub you're in doesn't allow ball-in-hand, then you're SOL buddy.

[alo1984]

I can appreciate someone taking the time to correctly play the game by the rules and take their score seriously. Fourputt has already stated that he's quicka bout his reteeing so thats really no problem...I can hold another minute or two, no biggie.

In my opinion the scenario you have just described is not at all caused by following the rules. It was caused by ignorance and inconsiderate people. There is a difference.

[iacas]

i'm not aiming this at Fourputt since he already stated that it rarely happens and when it does, he's quick about it... but there are a lot of people who do this, portraying the mentality that their game matters more than anybody else on the course. This is just downright arrogance.

It's not arrogance. It's ignorance - that golfer should have hit a provisional.

[Fourputt]

What match is taking place during the typical casual round? Just like a casual (i.e. non-league) game of pickup basketball or touch football among friends. There are only about 1/2 a dozen rules you really need to worry about to have fun.

Our Men's club match play competitions are played whenever we can get them in. We have a date window to play each bracket (usually 4 weeks) and the players have to contact each other and set up when to play the match. It can be played anytime, weekday or weekend, and they are all played by the rules of golf. You can easily have a couple of official matches being played in the middle of a busy weekend of casual golfers. I've played matches where 2 of us are playing a match and the other 2 players are just playing a casual round. Once again, making that assumption is a bit premature.

By the way, with 8-Ball there are about a half dozen accepted "official" formats. The problem with pool is that there are several governing bodies, and they all tend to do their own thing. The first thing you have to find out when playing a tournament is whose rules you are playing by. It's to eliminate such issues that the USGA and the R & A joined forces to unify the Rules of Golf.

[tristanhilton85]

As far as the OB thing goes, if you are going to play by the rules then you really need to make sure that you hit a provisional if there is even a slightest chance that the ball is lost. Obviously if you're one of the people who just take a drop or use a foot wedge then this doesn't apply to you.

Now if you're ABSOLUTELY positive your ball was safe and it ends up OB or lost or whatever, then I have no problem if you have to run back real quick and re tee, but if you hit your first shot and think, "it's probably ok" you better be hitting a provisional.

[sean_miller]

Our Men's club match play competitions are played whenever we can get them in . . .

So you're talking about league play then. I wasn't.

[Fourputt]

So you're talking about league play then. I wasn't.

Sure sounded like it. But since nearly every round I play is returned for handicap, I am essentially playing an "official" round every time out. Even if it's just a so-called casual round, it still counts. I don't know why that's seems so hard for you to get. Every round is the same to me, casual, wagering among friends, or Club Championship. I don't view or approach them any differently. Golf is golf is golf....

[sean_miller]

Sure sounded like it. But since nearly every round I play is returned for handicap, I am essentially playing an "official" round every time out. Even if it's just a so-called casual round, it still counts. I don't know why that's seems so hard for you to get. Every round is the same to me, casual, wagering among friends, or Club Championship. I don't view or approach them any differently. Golf is golf is golf....

Playing any sport casually is still playing that sport (e.g. shooting hoops, playing shinny, snowboarding, whatever) whether or not the participant is playing by the rules adopted by the local governing body for competition purposes. However since your specific involvement in golf leads you to believe a practice or casual round of golf that's not played for an official handicap is apparently some other non-golf related activity, there is really no point discussing this further. We simply disagree.

At this point, please feel free to reiterate what you've said - and don't forget to add the completely non-condescending or arrogant forehead slap. That's always a nice touch.

[newtogolf]

Sure sounded like it. But since nearly every round I play is returned for handicap, I am essentially playing an "official" round every time out. Even if it's just a so-called casual round, it still counts. I don't know why that's seems so hard for you to get. Every round is the same to me, casual, wagering among friends, or Club Championship. I don't view or approach them any differently. Golf is golf is golf....

I agree with you 100%. It appears the problem is alot of golfers (not directed at anyone on here) claim to play a round for fun which okays them not to play by the rules, but then still turn their scores in for handicap. As I understand it, any score you turn in for handicap should have been played by all of the rules of golf.

[sean_miller]

I agree with you 100%. It appears the problem is alot of golfers (not directed at anyone on here) claim to play a round for fun which okays them not to play by the rules, but then still turn their scores in for handicap. As I understand it, any score you turn in for handicap should have been played by all of the rules of golf.

Some people don't understand there are two types of rounds. 1.) Rounds which at the outset are deemed competitive - whether against oneself to be turned in for their index or in an official tournament or match, and 2.) Rounds which are either just for practice or fun or are as part of a group of absolute beginners where the goal is just to get done as fast as possible before tempers flare - these rounds are not entered for handicap purposes.

[mdl]

I never play in competition, and I'm sure there are some of the more technical rules that I don't know. But I try to play by the rules. I don't improve my lie, I putt out, I don't ground my club in hazards, etc.

The only rule I sometimes break is the hitting of provisional balls. Where I play it's almost always completely packed, and I get really annoyed at groups who cause things to be even slower than they already are. So unless I think there's a really high chance that I went OB, I'll usually just try to find my ball, and if I can't I'll take a drop. If I lose my ball then I'll take a penalty, unless I hit it somewhere where it's not close to OB and I feel like I should be able to find it but don't have time cause I'm trying to keep pace.