Ben Crane Intentionally Drives Wrong Fairway

[billchao]

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/04/ben-crane-decides-playing-your.html

Quote:

Clever, though unoriginal. I drive the wrong fairway all the time

[DocPangloss]

[saturday]

Although it's unorthodox and pretty rare to see I have no problem with it. Was listening to people on Sirius today freaking out over it.. it's not against the rules.

[natureboy]

Clever. Looks like there is a young tree filling in the gap of an older one that fell on the tee box. As long as he didn't put another group in his landing area - well played.

[Robbyboy]

Dangerous and slows pace of play.

[Natural Patrick]

Watching Crane's pace of play is Painful. My God is he slow.

[Chilli Dipper]

The big question is, will the players walk onto the course tomorrow to find a spruce tree somehow materializing itself over Crane's gap?

Quote:

In the first round of the (1979) U.S. Open, (Lon) Hinkle, playing with (Chi Chi) Rodriguez, was waiting on the eighth tee. With nothing better to do, he surveyed the landscape. Suddenly, he saw it: an alternate path to the green.

Hinkle and his caddie decided on a 220-yard shot through a hole in the sparse collection of trees. He hit a 2-iron and found the 17th fairway. Then he hit another 2-iron to the green and two-putted for birdie. He finished the round with a 70 and shared the lead with Andy Bean, Keith Fergus and Tom Purtzer.

Rodriguez took the same route as Hinkle. Up went the tree, although it was little more than a meager scarecrow in the wind.

In the second round, Rodriguez had the honor on the eighth hole. He teed his ball on top of a pencil, used a driver and lofted his ball over the tree. Hinkle did the same, following up with a 6-iron shot to the green and another birdie.

[nevets88]

"Shortcut!" he says, smugly.

[MrFlipper]

I hope they put up a tree overnight.

Did he wait for that fairway to clear? Did those players know he was coming that way?

Any place else with casual players, this is a good way to start a fight.

And this is why there is "in course out of bounds" which is a solution as well.

So hurry up and put up a tree!

[dkolo]

I hope they put up a tree overnight.

Did he wait for that fairway to clear? Did those players know he was coming that way?

Any place else with casual players, this is a good way to start a fight.

And this is why there is "in course out of bounds" which is a  solution as well.

So hurry up and put up a tree!

Safety OB is lazy course design. If you don't want someone to undertake a shot, make it so they physically can't or have no benefit to. I also think it winds up being unnecessarily penal in a lot of cases, but that's farther down my list of issues with it.

[jamo]

I don't really understand the objections. No one got hurt, they didn't get a slow play penalty, the Earth didn't stop spinning. I also don't see a "solution."

[dkolo]

I don't really understand the objections. No one got hurt, they didn't get a slow play penalty, the Earth didn't stop spinning.

I also don't see a "solution."

If they really want to stop it, they can move the tee boxes closer to those trees or put a hospitality tent right next to the tee markers. I think Crane's idea was awesome. It's like if the teacher in high school worded a question vaguely that allowed for a correct smartass answer and then got upset for a kid answering that way. Blame the teacher / course set up team.

[Ernest Jones]

I don't really understand the objections. No one got hurt, they didn't get a slow play penalty, the Earth didn't stop spinning. I also don't see a "solution."

[quote name="dkolo" url="/t/81605/ben-crane-intentionally-drives-wrong-fairway/0_100#post_1134008"]If they really want to stop it, they can move the tee boxes closer to those trees or put a hospitality tent right next to the tee markers. I think Crane's idea was awesome. It's like if the teacher in high school worded a question vaguely that allowed for a correct smartass answer and then got upset for a kid answering that way. Blame the teacher / course set up team. [/quote] I agree. He didn't break, or even bend any rules. He used a creative strategy to make birdie. Good job I say. If they want to put up a tree so be it, but until they do he should take that route every time. I will concede that it might be a good idea to get his caddie to scope out the other fairway to ensure he isn't hitting into another player.

[Abu3baid]

I agree. He didn't break, or even bend any rules. He used a creative strategy to make birdie. Good job I say. If they want to put up a tree so be it, but until they do he should take that route every time. I will concede that it might be a good idea to get his caddie to scope out the other fairway to ensure he isn't hitting into another player.

Except one important thing you are missing.. He two putted for par ;)

[saevel25]

Well played Ben Crane.

No where in the rules does it say that you have to play the hole as it is designed. If the course leaves an opening, then take it. As long has he was careful in not hitting into other golfers, then I see no issue with it.

If they want to stop it, plant a tree for next year.

[Ernest Jones]

Except one important thing you are missing.. He two putted for par ;)

Oops, you're right, it was the subsequent Chi Chi story where they birdied.

[Dave2512]

I like it!

[iacas]

Looks like nothing but proper GamePlanning to me! #lightshades #distancegradient