Playing by the rules........ Is there one here who can cast the first stone?

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by turtleback

That is a good point.  In a casual round, on rare occasions, if I find my ball OB but didn't hit a provisional and the course is a little slow I might just take a drop for expediency's sake.  But I will do it the right way, add in TWO strokes, so that I am not benefiting compared to where I would have been had I gone back and re-hit.  And since the rest of the round was played according to the rules the round still has to be submitted for handicap purposes.

Who's to say that the tee shot you didn't go back to retake wouldn't have gone out of bounds as well?

Don't get me wrong, I understand what you are saying, and if there is a "right" way to do it I suppose this would be it.  And I can totally understand the need to do this on a Saturday morning when the course is backed way up and you're gonna piss everybody off if you go back...  I guess the best thing to do in those situations though is to pay just a little more attention to the ball and take a provisional if there is even a slight chance.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by walk18

Ball marks can be repaired at any time whether in your line or not.

I meant pitch marks that are OFF the green when your ball is also off the green.

I may be wrong but... I do not think you can repair a ball mark that is off the green if your ball is off the green. Imagine hitting a high ball onto a soft fringe and leaving a mark but the ball does not go on the green and the pitch mark is now in your intended putting line. (Not plugged but near the pitch mark). I thought you could not fix that mark -- just one of those odd tough breaks. Even when the mark is not in play, I thought it was like the rule (that is changing next year) about not raking bunkers until your ball is out of the bunker even when the raking has no impact on your ball, lie, testing sand, etc.

[jgreen85]

I'm cool with following the rules for the most part. I will, however, violate rules for convenience. When cleaning my ball on the green, I won't mark it every time. If I need to drop due to cart path, etc., I'm not taking out my driver and doing all this other bs to determine where to drop. I'll move back and find a place to drop. As long as I'm not giving myself an advantage, the rules nazis can kiss my a**.

[Kobey]

Bottom line, the rules were established to promote fair play in competitions.  That's why so many of the penalties are loss of hole or disqualification.  I'm not too sure how I would disqualify myself if I was playing alone or with my friends just for fun.

Originally Posted by tristanhilton85

Golf isn't basketball.  Period.  There are no comparisons.

I completely disagree.  Golf is just like any other game or sport.  They all have rules that are strictly enforced in competitions but almost all are played recreationally with a more relaxed version of them.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by TommyGunUK

I think if your playing with a true beginner, the occassional mulligan, and waving of certain rules has to be done. The game is hard enough without the additional strains of the tough rules.

For the beginner, sure.  But just because you are playing with a beginner doesn't mean YOU shouldn't still play by the rules.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by tristanhilton85

Who's to say that the tee shot you didn't go back to retake wouldn't have gone out of bounds as well?

Don't get me wrong, I understand what you are saying, and if there is a "right" way to do it I suppose this would be it.  And I can totally understand the need to do this on a Saturday morning when the course is backed way up and you're gonna piss everybody off if you go back...  I guess the best thing to do in those situations though is to pay just a little more attention to the ball and take a provisional if there is even a slight chance.

You are definitely right and the provisional is the way to go.  It is just that on rare occasion a ball can take a funny bounce and end up in an unexpected place.

[DoGolf Brian]

I agree that the majority of "average" golfers wouldn't find the sport nearly as enjoyable within the strict confines of the rules. A significant piece of the golf experience is the ability to massage the rules of the game to align with the particular group you're playing with. An inability to due so would become annoying. More importantly, requiring golfers to "know" the rules would restrict new entrants, hurting the sport in the long run.

I'm positive I've made mistakes on the course, but I'm just as sure that the individuals I play with didn't care...they likely make the same mistakes themselves.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by TommyGunUK

The only rule I'm not a fan of is having to go back and play your ball if you cant find it. It causes such a delay to everyone behind you and in your group. Even if I was in competition and my "opponent" was meant to go back to the tee I would ask him to play it as a lateral hazard, taking a sensible guess at where best to place it.

If he is truly your opponent in match play, then you are only hurting yourself anyway if you elect to ignore a rule.  If it's a stroke play competition then he is your fellow competitor , and you have an obligation to the rest of the field to hold him to the Rules of Golf, not the "Rules of TommyGun".  Every player in a stroke competition is responsible to the entire field for maintaining the integrity of the rules.  Sorry if that goes against your principles, but if you don't believe that then you have no business in the competition in the first place.

[camper6]

Originally Posted by GJBenn85

I've been playing only 8 months.  If from day one I had followed the rules 100%, I would have given up the game after a month.  With each round I play, I try to adhere to the rules based on my knowledge of them (I am still learning all of the rules) but it sure does not prevent me and my playing partner(s) from taking a mulligan or two.  What encourages me to learn the rules and adhere to them is the fact that because I am now penalizing myself for things I would have never penalized myself for in the beginning, my scores are still on a downward trend indicating my game is actually improving.

I occasionally catch my playing partners breaking a rule, either knowingly or unknowingly, but do not say anything since it is casual and frankly I do not care unless something is on the line (which there never has been to date).

Wonder if there is a rule about shoving the head of a club up someone's *** for ruining a casual round of golf?  I hate the concept of pairing out of fear of being paired with a rule Nazi such as youself.  In casual golf, worry about your own game.  Only in competition or a bet do you have the right to ruin my round of golf if I do not happen to follow the rules 100%.

You're missing the point of the first post.  They are asking for strokes and playing for money.  And they are negotiating the strokes as well.  The strokes are given reluctantly and are given only if playing by the rules.  No you shouldn't shove the head up someones behind for ruining the round.  You shouldn't ask for more strokes than you deserve if you're going to break the rules while playing if you're playing for money.  No money involved?  Just go do your own thing.  Too much discrepancy between a near scratch player and a casual golfer anyway as far as giving strokes and knowing the rules.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

I may be wrong but... I do not think you can repair a ball mark that is off the green if your ball is off the green. Imagine hitting a high ball onto a soft fringe and leaving a mark but the ball does not go on the green and the pitch mark is now in your intended putting line. (Not plugged but near the pitch mark). I thought you could not fix that mark -- just one of those odd tough breaks. Even when the mark is not in play, I thought it was like the rule (that is changing next year) about not raking bunkers until your ball is out of the bunker even when the raking has no impact on your ball, lie, testing sand, etc.

You can't repair a pitch mark off the green at any time*. It doesn't matter where your ball is.

You can repair a pitch mark on the green at any time. It doesn't matter where your ball is.

* It's nice if you repair it after you've hit your shot and you're walking away, but if it's in your line, stance, area of intended swing, you cannot repair it.

[Deryck Griffith]

I play a pretty clean game of golf and am proud that my handicap accurately represents my golf game.  I have however, made the decision a long time ago to not let other people's interpretation of the rules bother me all that much during casual play.  Most of the people that I play with also play a clean game of golf so I'm lucky in that sense.  Of course, there are some "less obvious" rules that people don't realize and I may make a suggestion to what the rule is and most of the better players I play with, say "oh crap" and follow the rule.

I make suggestions to some of the people I play with who aren't that great as well but I don't crucify them either.  They are learning and can barely hit the ball so enforcing all of the rules on them on a consistent basis not only takes away from my own game, it discourages them and all of the "fun" part of it, which is what really matters.  For example, if my brother who can't consistently break 120 hits a drive that slices to the right and at the end of it's flight, the ball goes out of bounds, I'll let him drop at the point of entry EVEN THOUGH the rule states that he must re-tee due to the OB white stakes (or hit a provisional).  Why, well because if I enforce the rule on him, it'll probably take him 4-6 more drives to finally get one in play.  Not only is that a waste of time for someone who doesn't keep a handicap and really doesn't care and just wants to have fun, it's not doing anything to help him either.

Now, the players who claim to be X handicap, and are really Y handicap, well those guys I don't say "much" to either and I don't care that they promote themselves as such...why?  Because their games get exposed very quickly when I play with them and really, they are the ones that are left to be embarrased on their own without me needing to say anything.  I may suggest here and there if I see a rule broken but I don't let it upset me.

Tournaments are the ONE place that I will enforce rules to the maximum...why, well because tournaments are not "casual," it's an organized competition.  It's important to mention though that despite tournaments, I personally always follow the rules if I'm playing casually with people or by myself IF I'm playing for a score.  Of course, there have been times where I have "practiced" on the course and hit 4 balls at a time and stuff.  During those sessions, I don't keep score and the objective is to practice hitting shots so the rules are necessarily followed.

If I'm playing a casual game for money, I usually only play with people I know well (friends, customers) and people that I know play a clean game of golf.  With these people, I don't have to worry about the rules.

[Fourputt]

Let's face it. players who post for handicaps but don't play by the rules only hurt themselves anyway.  They display a vanity handicap which they can't possibly play to if the rules are enforced, so in any actual competition they put themselves at a significant disadvantage.  These are the sort of players that one should want to get into a cash game with, then make sure that they do play that round by the rules.

[Deryck Griffith]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

These are the sort of players that one should want to get into a cash game with, then make sure that they do play that round by the rules.

Absolutely!

[TommyGunUK]

Originally Posted by turtleback

For the beginner, sure.  But just because you are playing with a beginner doesn't mean YOU shouldn't still play by the rules.

Definitely, thats what I meant.

I cant tolerate those people who cheat for better scores. They have a great round, the handicap goes down, and then next time they have to cheat even more.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by TommyGunUK

Definitely, thats what I meant.

I cant tolerate those people who cheat for better scores. They have a great round, the handicap goes down, and then next time they have to cheat even more.

That's what I don't get. Why would anyone want to play a cheater for money? Life is too short for that nonsense. Refusing to play the guy because you don't trust his scores should get the message across.

[WWBDD]

I think some of you golf on the internet more than in meatspace.

Nobody walks back to the tee in a regular round of golf.

Flame on.

[meenman]

Originally Posted by WWBDD

I think some of you golf on the internet more than in meatspace.

Nobody walks back to the tee in a regular round of golf.

Flame on.

Ok, so I've never seen someone *walk* back to the tee box, but every week I see at least one golfer drive back (usually on a lost ball on a par 3 or one that rolled into a hazard that cant be seen from the tee)

[rustyredcab]

Always go back unless I'm simply going to be in my pocket for the rest of the hole. When I'm lucky enough to be walking (usually means I'm a guest at a club with caddies), I walk back. I do admit that I am the play-a-provisional nag in my group. I think hitting a provisional after a bad swing is a good way to start getting a good swing thought ready for the next tee.