tqcishark

thanks, I think that answers both questions

me neither, but I have said such a thing before and someone with access to the complete book of golf decisions usually produces the answer

two of you missed the real question, I think. Just because I can take a stroke and distance penalty on my tee stroke does not mean I can re-tee. Or does it? When can you re-tee, and when must you take a drop on teeing ground? Again, I'm not looking for any persons' opinion. I'm looking for the exact rule or decision.

I can't disagree with anyone about re-teeing versus taking a drop at the spot of original shot. The question is, when can you re-tee? To be clear, I want the rule or decision, not an opinion.

I try to play by the rules, as much as playing by the rules is practical. Practical is usually a question of pace. If a player in my group hits two consecutive tee strokes OB, we employ the mercy rule. Take a drop where the last ball went out. Have mercy on your playing partners. I had a situation Sunday playing with an unfamiliar playing partner, I failed to clear the water hazard hitting to the green off the tee on a par three. I was not aware of a drop zone, and was really wanting to take the stroke over, so I prepared to re-tee and hit again. My playing partner said I could not re-tee, I could only drop and hit off the teeing ground or some point forward towards the water hazard. Not knowing the rule or desiring to debate his call, I went to the front of the tee box, took a drop and hit again. I got over. No big deal. I was more intrigued by his call than anything. I did not know if this was correct or not, but it sounded right. Fast forward an hour tothe final par 3, also hitting over water. Rules guy shanked a ball into the water. This was a little different because we did not see a splash, blocked by the crest of the hill. It was fair to say, we were virtually certain his ball came to rest in the hazard, with no drop zone. He walks back, declares a lost ball and re-tees. A learning golfer could carry a rule book and I'm not sure he would definitively make either call quickly. I would love to hear some opinions, including the mercy rule.

this pretty much sums it up

I always carried my bag but when I got into my 40s the fatigue factor was notable. I played with a guy pushing a clicgear and I was sold. I bought one and never looked back. The clicgear cart is a caddilac of golf trollies. I like the three wheeler because I can begin my club selection as a I approach my ball. I can carry gear, there's drink holders, an umbrella holder. I also bought the cooler bag that clips on under the cart, but I rarely use it.

played some cold golf through the winter, mostly disappointing double bogey golf. My last round before the arctic blast broke into the 80s. After a month long winter shutout, I returned with a second round in the 80s. First time I shot back to back rounds in the 80s. 2015 is looking good.

if you let MJ play through do you get an autograph?

Mother nature says no

I struck two buckets of balls today at lunch. It was a good day to golf

I spent years playing typical hacker double-bogey golf, never honestly breaking 100 on a championship course. Not once. To my credit, I never cheated to break 100. No mulligans, foot wedges, improved lies were used to break that barrier. Recently I applied myself and practiced a better swing and pretty easily shaved 15 - 20 strokes per round in about a year. But its been a challenge to improve or even maintain a level of better golf without the same or more commitment to practicing consistently and correctly, including resisting temptations to overswing and take risks. I did take a couple of lessons, but maybe not the way some golfers do it. I spent enough time at the range working on proper mechanics and grooving a repeatable stroke to the point where I could hit every club with consistent straightness and distance. Then and only then did I take a lesson. In my mind it would be a waste of money getting a pro to fix big flaws and make big changes. What I wanted from the pro was minor changes to improve what I already accomplished on my own. I didn't approach it like that. I asked the pro if I needed to overhaul or just tweek stuff. He liked my swing. He just wanted me to change minor things, as I had hoped. I took some lessons way back and it took me a long time to recover from trying to change everything on his schedule. The lessons I had more recently, after working some things out on my own, were way more beneficial. I admit I've struggled to maintain bogey golf consistency. Wrist surgery, bad weather, too much work and a new set of clubs all introduced set backs. But I also sort of got tired of just scoring around 90, so I decided to change my short game, to rely on wedges a little more. For me its worth it to take a step backwards because I know the next corner I have to turn has to do with confidence to take a full swing inside 100

okay, you got me. Can I buy the book on amazon?

short game includes putting, chipping, pitching, sand play, bunker strategies , so its not 9 - 18 and for some of us its not even close. When you talk about "missing away from bunkers" that is course management. I don't agree that consistently hitting good shots from a greenside bunker is easier than learning to hit a full shot off the turf or tee. Course management isn't easy for everyone. I totally understand the concept that hitting long a straight is sort of a prerequisite to good scores, and I see you are hardover on this point. I think there are handfulls of techniques and dozens of variations of those techniques in the short game that must be learned. I also think feel shots require a little more concentration but that to is my opinion

Long game versus short game is a false dilemma. Some days its one, some days its the other. For both long and short, course management is the key. I think to score well you have to be able to make good choices without expending a bunch of mental energy. For most of us I think, good effortless course management leads to better shots, long and short. And vice versa...getting in trouble leads to taking risks which often leads to swing tension. And then short game and long game suffer. In this light I think its almost unfair to compare regular golf to pro golf. Pro golfers get to have a caddy slash coach providing advice. I wonder which pro golfer would be on top if they all had to carry their own bags and make decisions by themselves.

. Sorry I missed your post and thanks for looking it up. Is there a way to search decisions on the USGA website? I think the book of decisions is like 600 pages long.

right on. If you love to play it really shouldn't matter where you play or with what clubs. Some of my most enjoyable rounds were on munis, or paired with golfers I didn't know, or with rental clubs. My regulars will play til we drop. I have walked 36, rode 45, and routinely walk extra holes when the course is open. People quit golf because they get frustrated with mishitting golf balls period. Some people can't accept failure. Doesn't matter whther you shoot scratch or double bogey golf, you will fail to hit the shots you want, and can be quite frustrating. But if you love eye-hand coordination games, golf is hard to beat. If you walk, golf can be a decent way to get some exercise too. I maintain a love for golf, even when I'm playing like doo-doo is to stay focused on what I can do and not what I did. I do understand paying more to play decently marshalled courses. Some of our munis aren't marshalled, and it can be a problem.

Here's my take. That situation seems covered partially by several rules, but there is not a single rule in the book that completely talks to a ball lodged in the side of the cup. In tournament stroke play I am sure there would need to be a decision, and am willing to bet the decision would be no ace.

$25 to walk 18, thats roughly $7/hr to be entertained. You pay that much to sit in the dark and watch a movie

I never quit. Never think about it. Not an option. I play with a guy who checks out bigtime when he is playing bad. His actions in bad rounds have been epic. Once in a walking round he got so mad he left his bag at the farthest hole from the clubhouse and declared he was finishing with his approach wedge and one ball. Literally left his bag on the 12th tee box and began up the fairway with one club and one ball. I will never forget what he did. I wish he had quit and walked back. I played well that day but the round sucked. The round sucked because the rest of us had to endure his whining and negativity the rest of the way. That incident is burned in my memory as a reminder that golfing with company is not just about me or my score. My priority is to do stuff that makes golfing fun for my golfing companions. If I'm really sucking I take my medicine, keep pace, and try to stay focused on what is ahead, not behind.

I've never seen anyone smoke pot on the course. Not sure I've ever smelled pot on any course. I have not smoked pot golfing. Hope this helps.

I generally agree with your approach. I play with a lot of guys who don't pick up, acting like there's a significant difference between 100 and 120. Some have learned to finish out quickly. One of my regular playing partners is known for gigantic blowups.but he knows how to keep pace even when the wheels are off. I never expect him to pick up. But when I'm with other newby hacker types, and they are taking some ill-advised drop behind more trouble, I always politely suggest they take a little walk and drop right in the middle of the fairway, way far away from trouble. Its pleasantly surprising how many novices seem relieved to accept the offer, and I'm always glad they accept. Not yet upset anyone for offering, they usually don't know the rules anyway.

not that its a big deal but you're sort of arguing a point that is notably more extreme than the one I made. I said "Longer hitters tend to be more accurate" Its not an absolute. I too play with bogey+ golfers who can pound the ball. But they also top, slice and shank enough tee strokes that their average drive is not long at all. Just because you CAN hit a ball 300 doesn't mean you're a long hitter, and it certainly doesn't mean you're accurate. To be a long hitter, you need to have a long average. I think the data shows a long driving average strongly correlates to accuracy. I actually believe high handicappers who routinely try to rip the cover off are some of the least accurate golfers. The unwavering pursuit of 300 yd drives probably keeps more guys from improving than beer. Lastly and this is sort of off topic, but I think claims of 300 yard drives might outnumber 300 yard drives by a factor of ten to one.

hypothetically if we all started taking our gimmes at the tee box we could keep it even lighter, shoot par AND avoid the aggravation of that bloody mary chugging SOB.