What rule, or rules, do you ignore?

[Piz]

What have you been smoking?  What part of "farthest from the pin" do you not understand?  How is tending the pin holding up play?  Are you new to the language?  If so, my apologies and buena fortuna.

[Ernest Jones]

Just now, Piz said:

What have you been smoking?  What part of "farthest from the pin" do you not understand?  How is tending the pin holding up play?  Are you new to the language?  If so, my apologies and buena fortuna.

I've actually been smoking quite a few things, so maybe it's me that has lost the plot...

Can you draw a sketch of a scenario where you are off the green, but another player (or players) is on the green but farther away than you AND is on your line?

 

[iacas]

17 minutes ago, Piz said:

My apologies then.

When did I ever suggest the person closest to the pin go first?

I said I often support playing in an order that doesn't require replacing the flagstick, and little else.

My college players will have the flagstick replaced though, but might not in casual play.

Plus, this please:

2 minutes ago, Ernest Jones said:

Can you draw a sketch of a scenario where you are off the green, but another player (or players) is on the green but farther away than you AND is on your line?

 

[Piz]

Yes.  That has nothing to do with the topic but yes.  Whenever a hole is cut close to an edge; it is possible to be in quite close proximity to the hole without being, officially, on the green.  Observing the path traced by the putts preceding yours can give you an understanding of what the ball does as it dies...regardless of whether it drops or not.  The reaction of the other golfer "Wow, that doesn't break as much as I thought" can also help.  A putt does not have to be "on your line" for you to abstract some useful information from it.  I can watch the last 2 or 3 feet and say to myself  "Hmm...even uphill it is straighter than it looks...I'll go left edge max"  Granted being closer does not always confer an advantage...but I would appreciate the opportunity.

[Phil McGleno]

19 minutes ago, Piz said:

Yes.  That has nothing to do with the topic but yes.  Whenever a hole is cut close to an edge; it is possible to be in quite close proximity to the hole without being, officially, on the green.  Observing the path traced by the putts preceding yours can give you an understanding of what the ball does as it dies...regardless of whether it drops or not.  The reaction of the other golfer "Wow, that doesn't break as much as I thought" can also help.  A putt does not have to be "on your line" for you to abstract some useful information from it.  I can watch the last 2 or 3 feet and say to myself  "Hmm...even uphill it is straighter than it looks...I'll go left edge max"  Granted being closer does not always confer an advantage...but I would appreciate the opportunity.

 You are a 14?-Maybe worry more about playing at a good pace than the really small help that this can give you?

I do not even worry about this and can spot you a shot a hole.

[Piz]

Have I landed on another planet in my sleep?  Am I a brain in a vat?  What possible objection could anyone have that the person farthest from the hole, when we are all inside 50 feet or so, play first?

[iacas]

10 minutes ago, Piz said:

Have I landed on another planet in my sleep?  Am I a brain in a vat?  What possible objection could anyone have that the person farthest from the hole, when we are all inside 50 feet or so, play first?

Again, as others have said… occasionally, it makes sense from a pace of play perspective for the person closer but off the green to hit on (with the flagstick in) rather than take the flagstick out for the person to putt, then to put it back in for the person 4' closer to them but off the green, to chip.

Pace of play. Convenience of not having to replace and remove the flagstick multiple times.

[lastings]

4 hours ago, colin007 said:

Um....I think you're making it a bigger deal than it needs to be. Play ready golf.

For real.  If you're stressing out about this rule on a regular basis, your focus is probably misapplied.  Enforcing this every single time instead of just playing ready golf *might* save you one stroke per year.   I emphasize the word might because the circumstances have to be just right to really improve your read on a putt.  Then, you actually have to make a putt, from off the green, that you otherwise wouldn't have if you just putted first.  And remember, there is a certain amount of luck in making any 10 foot+ putt from the fringe.  Even for the pros.   

Seriously, this might save you a stroke a year.  You can save yourself a stroke or two a round by just spending and hour a week putting in your living room. 

[Piz]

You guys are pathetic.  That really is the word.  I don't like being asked to proceed by people who can't seem to get their s*** together.  Why would I?  Any advantage is good...correct?  Then why would I not step on your neck if given the opportunity?  If I pay attention to everything I am told; I am supposed to be an amalgam of mother Teresa and Genghis Khan...with some Ben Hogan thrown in besides?  That's a tall order...and I don't need any shit along the way while I'm trying to fill it.  Neither (need I say?) does anyone else.  That much is obvious.  What else you got?

[Shindig]

12 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

His question over-rides the example though.  Have you never hit a ball that you "knew" you'd find but didn't?  Whether it be because it ended up under leaves, or fell in a gopher hole, or got picked up by another group, etc, etc ... we've all done it.  If that hasn't happened to you in a casual round of golf then you have not been playing for very long.

You guys are way off on an unnecessary tangent here.

It's been a while.  I'm sure it has happened in the past, but I can't remember the last time it happened.  Part of that is me getting old, and part of that is me playing mostly courses I know pretty well (and whose rough isn't very rough).

It probably happened to me at some point at hole 9 at my home course though, as a hook puts your ball with a bunch of range balls that escaped the practice area.  Part of why I now aim well right on that hole... even though any foursome turns into a search party of four as soon as a hook happens there. 

As for casual rounds, ... yep, if it happens, you're right.  If it's an even halfway busy course, I'm probably dropping and hitting four (assuming tee shot was lost), unless I can easily get back to the tee to hit 3.  And that's only happening if I'm in the desert in the summer, because I've played 18 without seeing people sometimes on those.

But the key part is, you're right.  I know this is the internet and I'm not supposed to admit the person saying the opposite of what I'm saying is right, but here we are.

[boogielicious]

6 hours ago, Piz said:

You guys are pathetic.  That really is the word.  I don't like being asked to proceed by people who can't seem to get their s*** together.  Why would I?  Any advantage is good...correct?  Then why would I not step on your neck if given the opportunity?  If I pay attention to everything I am told; I am supposed to be an amalgam of mother Teresa and Genghis Khan...with some Ben Hogan thrown in besides?  That's a tall order...and I don't need any shit along the way while I'm trying to fill it.  Neither (need I say?) does anyone else.  That much is obvious.  What else you got?

Please don't escalate this discussion into a flame war. You prefer to play in order of distance from the hole, which is fine. Others state that in stroke play, while preferred, it is not entirely necessary to play in that order and may improve pace of play if done in a ready golf manner in certain situations.

Let's move on now.

[newtogolf]

9 hours ago, Piz said:

You guys are pathetic.  That really is the word.  I don't like being asked to proceed by people who can't seem to get their s*** together.  Why would I?  Any advantage is good...correct?  Then why would I not step on your neck if given the opportunity?  If I pay attention to everything I am told; I am supposed to be an amalgam of mother Teresa and Genghis Khan...with some Ben Hogan thrown in besides?  That's a tall order...and I don't need any shit along the way while I'm trying to fill it.  Neither (need I say?) does anyone else.  That much is obvious.  What else you got?

Let's say a guy is in the bunker, the rest are on the green.  Bunker guy thins it across the green and is still furthest from hole.  In this case it's not a matter of him getting his s*** together, it's that he has to rake the bunker and walk across the entire green to get to his ball which is more than enough time for one or all of the guys on the green to putt rather than them standing around watching the guy rake the bunker and walk to his ball.  

[mcanadiens]

Order of play thing is obviously something that is way different in tournament play than it is in casual play.

When my buddies and I are hacking it around, the stick stays in the hole until everyone is on the green unless somebody is tending sand, walking long distances or that sort of thing. Then someone tends the flag as the others putt.

Common sense prevails. Pace of play improves.

[BamaWade]

34 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

Bunker guy thins it across the green and is still furthest from hole.

Hey...leave me outta this!

[DaveP043]

10 hours ago, Piz said:

You guys are pathetic.  That really is the word.  I don't like being asked to proceed by people who can't seem to get their s*** together.  

This is a bit over the top, I'd say.  I can understand your preference, but there are just times when its more efficient for a closer player to go first.  In my casual groups, we'll do it either way, and nobody gets upset.  If I'm off the green but closer, and I'm asked if I want to play first, sometimes I'll just decline and go to tend the flag.  Sometimes I'll go ahead.  Nobody gets excited.  We'll even do this in competitive stroke play rounds.  We might even do it in competitive match play, although that's a little less likely.  If the folks you play with get excited when you choose to wait, perhaps they need to have the rules, and the reasons for your choice, explained to them (calmly and non-judgmentally).  But its really not something to get excited about, its just golf.

And generally speaking, its really bad form to insult people who hold opinions different to yours.

[Fourputt]

 

32 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

Order of play thing is obviously something that is way different in tournament play than it is in casual play.

When my buddies and I are hacking it around, the stick stays in the hole until everyone is on the green unless somebody is tending sand, walking long distances or that sort of thing. Then someone tends the flag as the others putt.

Common sense prevails. Pace of play improves.

Even in tournament stroke play, we play ready golf.  The Men's Club pace of play policy is strict.  Falling behind results in penalties, so when it's reasonable, we play out of turn rather than wait for someone who is away but not yet ready to play.  He may be tardy for a perfectly good reason, but that still doesn't justify the rest of us waiting on him unnecessarily.  

The ready play policy does not apply in our match play bracketed tournaments.

[lastings]

10 hours ago, Piz said:

You guys are pathetic.  That really is the word.  I don't like being asked to proceed by people who can't seem to get their s*** together.  Why would I?  Any advantage is good...correct?  Then why would I not step on your neck if given the opportunity?  If I pay attention to everything I am told; I am supposed to be an amalgam of mother Teresa and Genghis Khan...with some Ben Hogan thrown in besides?  That's a tall order...and I don't need any shit along the way while I'm trying to fill it.  Neither (need I say?) does anyone else.  That much is obvious.  What else you got?

You know what, man?  This is really unnecessary. 

Are you wrong?  nope, you are not.  but, does that matter?  no, it doesn't.  People here are talking about you being overly fanatic to enforce a rule, so you can gain an advantage.   And, judging by your response here, not only are you fanatic about enforcing this rule, you are probably a pretty big richard about it on the course.  All to save a stroke a year.  maybe.  

So no, you are not wrong.  but, to what end?  I'll tell you exactly what end.   If you were in my regular golf group of 12 guys, you'd be the last person on my list that I'd call to fill out a foursome.  Weather or not being fanatical about gaining every advantage is worth the consequence of being the type of golfer people don't really want to play with is up to you, I suppose.  Not really my business.  

 

[Lihu]

22 hours ago, lastings said:

These are not the rules of golf, these are the rules of how to account for your handicap when you don't feel like following the rules of golf.   

so, as the question asks, "What rule, or rules, do you ignore?"  Your answer is this rule.  you don't walk back to the tee and re-tee your ball, thus ignoring that rule. 

There's a difference between not feeling like doing something and doing it to maintain speed of play. In general I follow those rules, and have walked back to the tee to re-hit a couple times. It's very rare, though.

If you were to play the rest of the hole by dropping a ball where you are required stroke and distance, then that would be deemed as "practice". You already forfeit the hole by not following the stroke and distance rule, so why break more rules as well? If pace of play is an issue then take your expected score and don't break more rules.