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

[David in FL]

They already have a shorter name for that. The PGA Tour has been using it for years when they play LCP. They call it "Closely mowed areas".

Closely mowed areas include areas other than the fairway though. A shaved area designed to funnel balls to a collection area behind a green as an example. Plus it doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely as mine does. :-P

[mdl]

With the guys I play with most often, two players will sometimes play at the same time.  No reason not to if you are in the rough on opposite sides of the fairway and not disturbing each other.  Order of play is irrelevant in stroke play, despite the wording of the rule.

I wish this was standard.  I'm usually just playing with one friend so am paired with strangers who aren't likely to want to play that way.  And even if they are, no other group is so the course is super slow anyway.  But I'd be a huge advocate of golf etiquette culture moving towards this for casual rounds.

Also, I wish more people thought of ready golf as getting as close to your ball as reasonable while other people hit, even if that means getting closer to the hole than the player hitting.  I'm usually one of the longer guys, and I also tend to walk fast.  So I pretty much always walk up level with my ball and well off to the side.  If I can get close to my ball as the last guy before me is hitting without being in his way or a distraction I'll do that too.  I hate it when there are other long guys in my group who hit one just a bit shorter than mine and feel the need to stand 70 yards back while the two old short hitters play their shots, then stroll up to their ball clearly expecting to go before me because he's slightly away, even though I could have been almost done with my whole pre-shot routine and about to hit as he's just getting up to our balls.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

We could even rename it.  Maybe call it "That place on the course where you should never have bad luck, or a bad lie, and therefore don't have to play the ball as it lies".......

.....a little wordy, but it kind of rolls of the tongue once you get used to it.

They already have a shorter name for that. The PGA Tour has been using it for years when they play LCP. They call it "Closely mowed areas".

And if you have read the recent posts, you would know that I've proposed a change which would eliminate that from the rules.  That phrase is used only once in the rules, in Rule 25-2, and in my opinion it doesn't even need to be used there.  Allow the embedded ball rule to apply through the green there is no need to ever mention the word "fairway".

Either that or they do add it to the definitions, then change a half dozen rules to accommodate the new definition - yeah, like that's going to happen.

[chrstianrockboy]

Mine is more of a course maitence and design rule. If i could change it i would advocate changing green speeds. Specificaly, limiting how fast they could run.  Slowing the greens would reduce 3 putts, improve quality of a players round, and make them more likely try golf again. Further courses wouldnt have any advantage over each other if it was mandated by the USGA.

[David in FL]

Mine is more of a course maitence and design rule. If i could change it i would advocate changing green speeds.

I agree. The average green should absolutely be sped up...... :-)

[grubby98]

Other than a divot in fairway should be a free drop. The next rule that needs changed is if your playing partner asked you to move your mark and you forget to move it back you shouldn't get a penalty. The penalty should go to the player asking you to move your mark and then not reminding you to move it back since you only moved it because of them.

[Phil McGleno]

The other player is not responsible for your ball.-Your ball interferes with his shot.[quote name="grubby98" url="/t/7089/if-you-could-change-one-rule-what-would-it-be/180#post_960397"]Other than a divot in fairway should be a free drop. The next rule that needs changed is if your playing partner asked you to move your mark and you forget to move it back you shouldn't get a penalty. The penalty should go to the player asking you to move your mark and then not reminding you to move it back since you only moved it because of them.[/quote]

[MS256]

Mine is more of a course maitence and design rule. If i could change it i would advocate changing green speeds. Specificaly, limiting how fast they could run.  Slowing the greens would reduce 3 putts, improve quality of a players round, and make them more likely try golf again. Further courses wouldnt have any advantage over each other if it was mandated by the USGA.

I realize these proposed rule changes are all hypothetical but FWIW there is no way to legislate green speeds. There are actually legitimate reasons for cutting the grass longer or shorter on different types of greens, in different conditions, and at different times of the year.

Then there are less controllable factors like how wet or dry it is, the thickness of the grass, the health of the grass, and even what time of the day it is.

For greens to be as fast as I like them they are always right on the borderline of dying. Bent grass in the summer in the south is almost always on the verge of death and Bermuda always has a good chance of winter kill, especially if it is mowed very close.

Basically there is nothing natural about getting grass to grow at the height it is on a green. It's like training the grass to do something it really wasn't meant to do.

[Golfingdad]

Other than a divot in fairway should be a free drop. The next rule that needs changed is if your playing partner asked you to move your mark and you forget to move it back you shouldn't get a penalty. The penalty should go to the player asking you to move your mark and then not reminding you to move it back since you only moved it because of them.

Interesting idea. I don't think I'd go that far, but I'd be for proposing that both players get a penalty. And in the case of match play, I'd be for changing the rule to no penalty at all OR just give the opponent the option to have him replay the shot from the correct spot. If I asked a guy to move his mark for me and forgot to remind him to move his mark back and he made the putt, I would allow the putt to stand. If I won a match 1-up because I won a hole because I forgot to remind my opponent to replace a mark that I asked him to move for me, I'd feel like a jerk.

[chrstianrockboy]

Oh I'm sorry, I was on a rant thinking about 2or 3 greens at my home course. I always thought that green speeds were easily controlled mainly with grass height, didn't realize all the other variables.

[Dirtyzecret]

1 mulligan on the front nine and one on the back nine :)

[chrstianrockboy]

On picking up and marking the ball in match play, could always reintroduce the stymie, it would be good for some laughs.

[David in FL]

The other player is not responsible for your ball.

^^^^ This ^^^^ I bet I haven't forgotten to move my mark back twice in my entire golf career.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil McGleno

The other player is not responsible for your ball.

^^^^ This ^^^^

I bet I haven't forgotten to move my mark back twice in my entire golf career.

Yeah.  No reason to be that uninvolved in the game.  I actually keep my ball in my hand when I do it so as to remind me that I have to replace it.  If I had already marked it and put it in my pocket, I take it out and hold it in my hand.  Sort of like the old thing of tying a string around your finger.

[boogielicious]

Yeah.  No reason to be that uninvolved in the game.  I actually keep my ball in my hand when I do it so as to remind me that I have to replace it.  If I had already marked it and put it in my pocket, I take it out and hold it in my hand.  Sort of like the old thing of tying a string around your finger.

Good idea.  Kind of like laying your wedge over the flag stick!

I like the way the rules are today for the most part.  One rule that should be considered is allowing us to fix spike marks on the green versus just pitch marks.  I do now after putting, but it would help if they are in your line.

[flopster]

Good idea.  Kind of like laying your wedge over the flag stick!

I like the way the rules are today for the most part.  One rule that should be considered is allowing us to fix spike marks on the green versus just pitch marks.  I do now after putting, but it would help if they are in your line.

Yes it would be nice but I think we would see pro's on TV tamping down spike marks for 2 or 3 minutes in the worst cases, this is why soft spikes are only allowed but of course we now have these adizero shoes tearing up greens worse than tungsten.

[Golfingdad]

OK, I thought of one during the Players yesterday.  I was watching somebody hit their third shot on 17 form the drop area, and seeing how many divot holes there are in that small circle, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to allow players to place their ball in designated drop areas.

[David in FL]

OK, I thought of one during the Players yesterday.  I was watching somebody hit their third shot on 17 form the drop area, and seeing how many divot holes there are in that small circle, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to allow players to place their ball in designated drop areas.

But then it wouldn't be a drop area......