If you could change ONE rule, what would it be?

[deasy55]

What's the problem then? The rule is there for a reason

Originally Posted by TheDude27

You should be able to ground your club in a sandtrap provided you dont move the ball.  Thats the dumbest of the rules that are commonly seen.  As if you can't tell what the conditions are like when you walk into the bunker by feeling the sand with your feet.  Also what good would grounding your club do if you are hitting a sand shot and you hit several inches behind the ball anyways. Its just a dumb rule, period. It should be the same rule as addressing the ball not in a bunker(ie you cant tamp down /etc in an attempt to improve your lie).   Also if you fall in a sand trap you are allowed to touch the ground with your club or body to prevent the fall or cushion the fall with no penalty.  You can see a video on this on the USGA website in the rules area "Ball in Hazard" Video.

[ochmude]

I don't really have a problem with not being allowed to ground your club in a hazard.  Sure, you can feel out the lie with your feet, but you have to keep in mind that it's supposed to be hazardous to play out of a hazard.  Not being allowed to ground your club increases the difficulty of the shot.

Hitting off the tee=you can manufacture a perfect lie and clean your ball before you put it in play

Hitting on the green=you can't move your ball but you can at least clean it, and you'll probably have a nice lie depending on conditions

Hitting in the fairway=you'll probably have a good lie depending on conditions

Hitting in the rough=you'll probably have a crappy lie

Hitting in a bunker=you'll definitely have a crappy lie and you can't even ground your club to help with your alignment and ball contact

Basically, it seems to me that the rules are setup to reward you for being accurate and to punish you for being inaccurate.  Sucks for me because I can't break 100 currently, but I certainly understand it and that's part of the allure of the game for me.

[B-Con]

Basically, it seems to me that the rules are setup to reward you for being accurate and to punish you for being inaccurate.

Um, yep. The sand and water aren't there purely for decoration...

[stevepgeorge]

Originally Posted by Soup Fan

Simple. Add 2 to the stroke allotments for every hole. Par 3 becomes Par 5. Par 4 becomes Par 6. Par 5 becomes Par 7.

Suddenly I am a pretty good golfer!

Suddenly I'm a fan of Soup!

[tji]

Anchoring the putter to your body.   Use a putter as long as you want, but anchoring it to your belly or chest seems inconsistent with all the other rules governing club form, grip, etc.

A vertical shafted putter is non-conforming.  Croquet style putting is not allowed.  I'm not sure why belly putters are allowed.

[acetoolguy]

I really don't like the play it as it lies when your in a divot. The guy who created the divot did not have to play out of one, so why can that player change the course for those coming up behind? I think you should call it ground under repair and get relief.

Other rules that might need review?

[deasy55]

When does a divot stop being a divot? Might as well call the whole course ground under repair

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

I really don't like the play it as it lies when your in a divot. The guy who created the divot did not have to play out of one, so why can that player change the course for those coming up behind? I think you should call it ground under repair and get relief.

Other rules that might need review?

[acetoolguy]

Pretty sure I can tell the difference between dirt and grass.

Originally Posted by deasy55

When does a divot stop being a divot? Might as well call the whole course ground under repair

[iacas]

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

Pretty sure I can tell the difference between dirt and grass.

Not to sound like a jerk, but no, you can't. Especially not well enough to define it. Read previous posts: "when does a divot stop being a divot" is a big part of the reason why this rule won't ever work. I think there's a video, too.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

Pretty sure I can tell the difference between dirt and grass.

Especially on a course where the fairways are in bad condition.

You'd be giving yourself a lot of relief there

The other thing you have to consider is this: There is nothing that says that in the fairway you are supposed to be hitting off a perfect piece of grass.

So...why would there be a rule that would give you relief from a divot?

Hacker's definition of a divot:  Any place on the fairway where I reckon my lie could be a little nicer.

[acetoolguy]

And I can tell the difference between a bare spot on the fairway and one mde with a golf club. The reason, as I stated, is because the guy who made the divot did not have to play out of one, just the people that follow him. No, it does not have to be perfect, trust me my course is far from it, but the rules allow that to be taken under consideration with the 'ground under repair'. If we can figure out standing water we can figure out a divot.

And don't misunderstand, I play the ball down all the time. It may be why I hate getting punished for a drive in the middle of the fairway.

Originally Posted by Shorty

Especially on a course where the fairways are in bad condition.

You'd be giving yourself a lot of relief there

The other thing you have to consider is this: There is nothing that says that in the fairway you are supposed to be hitting off a perfect piece of grass.

So...why would there be a rule that would give you relief from a divot?

Hacker's definition of a divot:  Any place on the fairway where I reckon my lie could be a little nicer.

[deasy55]

Divots aren't GUR for the same reason you can't touch a spike mark on the green. People would be taking the piss out of the rules.

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

And I can tell the difference between a bare spot on the fairway and one mde with a golf club. The reason, as I stated, is because the guy who made the divot did not have to play out of one, just the people that follow him. No, it does not have to be perfect, trust me my course is far from it, but the rules allow that to be taken under consideration with the 'ground under repair'. If we can figure out standing water we can figure out a divot.

And don't misunderstand, I play the ball down all the time. It may be why I hate getting punished for a drive in the middle of the fairway.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

And I can tell the difference between a bare spot on the fairway and one mde with a golf club. The reason, as I stated, is because the guy who made the divot did not have to play out of one, just the people that follow him. No, it does not have to be perfect, trust me my course is far from it, but the rules allow that to be taken under consideration with the 'ground under repair'. If we can figure out standing water we can figure out a divot.

And don't misunderstand, I play the ball down all the time. It may be why I hate getting punished for a drive in the middle of the fairway.

Totally disagree.

And this discussion has been had. Re-read this thread. You've not presented a new opinion, and until such time as you can... let's leave the divot debate where it currently resides - in the past. Your vote has been heard.

[jamo]

And I can tell the difference between a bare spot on the fairway and one mde with a golf club. The reason, as I stated, is because the guy who made the divot did not have to play out of one, just the people that follow him. No, it does not have to be perfect, trust me my course is far from it, but the rules allow that to be taken under consideration with the 'ground under repair'. If we can figure out standing water we can figure out a divot.

And don't misunderstand, I play the ball down all the time. It may be why I hate getting punished for a drive in the middle of the fairway.

Standing water has a very simple test to see whether or not it applies to you. Being/not being in a divot doesn't. EDIT: Just read the post above mine. Don't reply to this one. :-)

[TheGeekGolfer]

Originally Posted by lamebums

Ball Lost or OB - Drop a ball nearest it went out or was last seen - one stroke penalty. Not stroke and distance. It also helps with pace of play for the millions of ordinary golfers out there, and they can still be within the rules.

+1

[trackster]

Marking your ball on the green.  I do this during my rounds and I think it gives me a huge advantage over if I didn't mark it.  I can line up the logo of the ball and everything.  Another thing is that their is no way that the ball is returned to the exact position that it was when it was marked.  So although it helps me alot i think it should be done away with.

[x129]

If you can ground your club, you could improve your lie. Also marking the ground where you want to hit,

Personally I vote to legalize slope measure and GPS systems. Advantages gained by better information are weak

Originally Posted by TheDude27

You should be able to ground your club in a sandtrap provided you dont move the ball.  Thats the dumbest of the rules that are commonly seen.  As if you can't tell what the conditions are like when you walk into the bunker by feeling the sand with your feet.  Also what good would grounding your club do if you are hitting a sand shot and you hit several inches behind the ball anyways. Its just a dumb rule, period. It should be the same rule as addressing the ball not in a bunker(ie you cant tamp down /etc in an attempt to improve your lie).   Also if you fall in a sand trap you are allowed to touch the ground with your club or body to prevent the fall or cushion the fall with no penalty.  You can see a video on this on the USGA website in the rules area "Ball in Hazard" Video.

[hero12]

Ridiculously raked or dragged sand traps.  I was playing league the other day and one of my opponents hit into a bunker.  When we got there, it was sitting in the middle of the trap right where the drag had gone through.  There was a line of stand about an inch wide running the length of the bunker that was about 3 inches higher than the rest of the sand.  His ball came to rest on the top of this line of sand making it a near impossible shot.  I feel he should get to pickup the ball, rake the area, then drop it.  I know it is something that is near impossible to govern, but he is a good player and he had no chance of getting up and down.  Think of hitting a wedge off a 3 inch tee to a pin 20 yds away, not that easy.  This would only apply to grounds keeping issues, so you will still have to play your fried egg.