Knee Drop Height - Absurd or Just Something to Get Used To?

[rehmwa]

7 hours ago, boogielicious said:

 No one is asking them to stand on one foot and rub their head while they drop.

BUT.....also allowed as long as the drop is from knee height.

I'm a little surprised they just didn't make it a club height.  (everyone pulls their LW and viola)..though I think knee height is simpler - unless you don't have knees.

Edited January 15, 2019 by rehmwa

[GolfLug]

No sweat.. this should be easy and I don't think weird. I think this is advantageous as far as dropping in thick fluffy rough as the ball won't sink in the grass as much, I think.

[Rkrider99]

Are we just getting crazy? Standing straight, the tips of my fingers are about even with the top of my knee. There is about 3-4 inches from the very top of my knee to the bottom of my knee. Is anyone really going to complain that I didn't drop it from exactly the middle of my knee? When they say knee height, is that from the top, middle, or bottom, of my knee?😉

[iacas]

39 minutes ago, Rkrider99 said:

Are we just getting crazy? Standing straight, the tips of my fingers are about even with the top of my knee.

Really? You have long arms I think.

[Fourputt]

This has to be one of the sillier discussions I've seen on the rules, either new rules or old ones.  It's ridiculously simple to do, shouldn't be any reason I can think of for disputing it logically.  It can't possibly be stretched into a debate over advantage or fairness or complexity.  Of all of the changes for this season, this will be the one I will be least likely to have any trouble remembering or executing.

[AlDena]

Do I get a choice? Left knee, right knee or weenie?

[boogielicious]

13 hours ago, AlDena said:

Do I get a choice? Left knee, right knee or weenie?

Spelling counts! Weeknee.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 1/15/2019 at 5:39 PM, iacas said:

Really? You have long arms I think.

You read my mind! Maybe he plays in the NBA!

[3jacker]

On 1/15/2019 at 7:28 PM, Fourputt said:

This has to be one of the sillier discussions I've seen on the rules, either new rules or old ones.  It's ridiculously simple to do, shouldn't be any reason I can think of for disputing it logically.  It can't possibly be stretched into a debate over advantage or fairness or complexity.  Of all of the changes for this season, this will be the one I will be least likely to have any trouble remembering or executing.

Agreed.  I hope to see a Tour player squeeze the ball between his cheeks and then squat down to "release" the ball from knee height.  Preferably at Augusta.

Edited February 18, 2019 by 3jacker

[Caveman59]

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 9:10 AM, iacas said:

Vote in the poll above.

The rules are the rules and I will follow them.  But maybe they should've stated that you could drop from shoulder height to the knee and had been a little more flexible on the rule. Just a thought.

[DaveP043]

Just now, Caveman59 said:

The rules are the rules and I will follow them.  But maybe they should've stated that you could drop from shoulder height to the knee and had been a little more flexible on the rule. Just a thought.

They had a specific reason for lowering the drop height...to decrease the ball rolling away, and so decrease the number of re-drops and eventual placing of the ball.  That would not have been accomplished by allowing a range like you suggest.  And really, the old rules didn't allow for any more flexibility than the new ones.

[iacas]

7 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

And really, the old rules didn't allow for any more flexibility than the new ones.

Right, people are complaining like the old rule was so much looser.

If the situation had been reversed - we used to drop from knee height but their stated reason was "we want more random lies so we're dropping now from shoulder height," - I feel like people would still be complaining "why not just make it knee to shoulder height."

Also… why would anyone want to drop from shoulder height? You're less likely to control exactly where it hits and it's more likely to bury deep into the rough or bunker sand, etc. Dropping from knee height is better for the player.

[Caveman59]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 12:46 PM, DaveP043 said:

They had a specific reason for lowering the drop height...to decrease the ball rolling away, and so decrease the number of re-drops and eventual placing of the ball.  That would not have been accomplished by allowing a range like you suggest.  And really, the old rules didn't allow for any more flexibility than the new ones.

I understand the reason for the rule change and why they chose to change it.  But,  depending on where the ball is being dropped, it really won't matter at what height it would be released from.  In some cases there is going to be some roll out, no matter what height the ball is dropped. 

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, Caveman59 said:

I understand the reason for the rule change and why they chose to change it.  But,  depending on where the ball is being dropped, it really won't matter at what height it would be released from.  In some cases there is going to be some roll out, no matter what height the ball is dropped. 

Nobody has said there’s never gonna be roll out.

[Rulesman]

1 hour ago, Caveman59 said:

  In some cases there is going to be some roll out, no matter what height the ball is dropped. 

Of course. That is the point of some randomness.

But it will probably be less the lower the drop height and therefore less likely to finish outside the relief area.

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, Caveman59 said:

I understand the reason for the rule change and why they chose to change it.  But,  depending on where the ball is being dropped, it really won't matter at what height it would be released from.  In some cases there is going to be some roll out, no matter what height the ball is dropped. 

That's right.  The only way to avoid any roll is to allow you to put a tee in the ground and set the ball on it.  there are some slopes where the ball cannot even be placed and remain.  How would allowing a player a range of drop heights, up to shoulder high, address that?  The Ruling Bodies have reduced the roll out, while maintaining a certain amount of randomness, as @Rulesman mentions.  

[iacas]

Disagree completely with the commentary.

That is a penalty. Rightly so.

[colin007]

"They need to"? Whose fault is it that golfers look pathetic? This is the typical knee-jerk response I would expect from....myself. 🙂