sjduffers

Bring back the stymie, instead. Have them chip it over your ball.

Hmmm... Did you see the part quoted, just before the bold area (that you added)? It's a quote, possibly attributed to Phil that basically said the same thing I did, that you find out of topic. Yet, you quoted it... Makes one wonder... I am sure you'll have a good explanation, though. Yes. Phil could have done that, taken his marbles and gone home, and at this point in the proceeding probably should have done that, because it was ridiculous. Did you see what Poulter had to say (about the course, and the hours of abuse by the "fans")?

Forgive me, I have only read the first 4 pages or so of replies and, as I said, came late to the discussion. I am just offering my opinion on the topic. It may coincide with that of others: hey, that has happened before, too! 😉 I know, the reference to 1-2 from 14-5 deals with stopping or deflecting a ball in motion. But Phil made a stroke, following the definition of the stroke. Look, I get it that it's bad optics. Let's laugh about it, like Phil did and move on. And let's turn to the real tragedy of the game: the US Open is turning into an annual mockery because... [I won't repeat myself].

However, the language in 1-2 that says that for any situation explicitly covered by another rule, that other rule applies and not 1-2, provides the rationale for using 14-5 and applying a penalty of 2 strokes, regardless of intent, i.e. even when made deliberately. QED.

I am late to this discussion, obviously. While I agree that taking an unplayable and re-doing the putt would have been a better course of action and would have saved some strokes to boot too, as the worst would have been an 8 (bogey putt down the hill, penalty for 6, nudge it by for 7 and tap-in for 8), I wouldn't be so harsh on Phil. First off, whether deliberate or not (obviously this infraction was deliberate), rule 14-5 is not written with intent in mind. It is a fact-based rule, the kind that @iacas loves to talk about: the Rules of Golf are written based on observable facts, not on intent. Right? You have made that point many times. So, what is different here? You, and many others, don't like the black eye do the game and to the USGA. I'd say blame Mike Davis for that, who mistakingly believes that the score of an US Open should be par or worse. He screwed up many times already, and to me, this is one time too many and he needs to go. The setup was unfair to the Saturday afternoon players compared to the morning ones, when it is well known that wind blows in the afternoon in that part of the country. He even overreacted a bit the next day, moving 11 pin locations to the middle of the greens and watering to the point that balls were stopping almost immediately. Luckily for the members at Shinnecock Hills, the greens were apparently not destroyed by the USGA like they were at Chambers Bay... Many players protested, some in more subtle manners than others (e.g. Enrik Stenson or Zach Johnson vs Ian Poulter), and Phil got exasperated and protested in his own terms, at hole 13th with that buffoonery, and later on by making an uphill putt up and above the hole and curling it back down instead of aiming at the hole, sort of what they do for fun at the Par 3 contest and the Masters. It was a shitshow, yes. Brought to you by Mike Davis and the USGA.

Normally I average about 1 3-putt every 2 rounds, but yesterday I had 2 including one on hole 18, and still managed to score a (good for me) 76, +4. Go figure!

That's a great idea! I would love that: I would use my throw from a greenside bunker, nearly every time. 🙂 If I didn't feel like I needed a throw, I could still throw the ball in the woods or in a pond after a bad shot. Ah!

Probably 2-3 seconds at address. The swing itself is about a second, give or take, right? Add another 5-6 seconds or so after the ball is airborne to admire my shot (or at least track in which part of the woods the ball landed)! I'd say that from the time I arrive at my ball to the ball flying is less than 12 seconds, including getting a yardage with the rangefinder, a half-practice swing, and getting aligned. Everything else such as judging the wind, the obstacles, deciding the type of shot (not the club until I get a yardage) I tend to do before I arrive at my ball, as I am walking, even pulling the rangefinder out of its enclosure, so that the moment I stop pushing the cart, I can pull the viewfinder to my face...

I'll start by saying that I agree with you. 18 seconds per shot is more than enough time: at least it ought to be. Then again, when I am particularly annoyed by the slowness of some random people I get paired with, I time them, from when it's their turn to when they make contact. You wouldn't believe how many times they are above 1 minute! Sometimes more for a first putt. SMH. But I'd counter your argument a bit by saying that walking a 6300 yds golf course is more around 5.5 to 6 miles than 4.3. You forget all the detours we make such as going to aid somebody look for their ball, put the push cart (or the golf bag) on the proper side of the green and then walk back, the many places were a straight line is not really an option (crossing creeks, barrancas, etc...), the detour for the head, tree watering not withstanding... At least, that's what my phone's built-in pedometer shows for nearly every round that I walk, whether totally flat or somewhat hilly: around 14,000 to 16,000 steps. That said, recently I walked a flat course during a break between showers (I looked at the radar ahead of time): there were a grand total of 3 people on the course, including me, according to the guy in the pro-shop, and I finished in 2 hours without rushing, after stopping for about 10-15 minutes to let a shower pass through. Yes, people are f*ing slow. What's worse is that they don't give a damn, even when prodded gently (or even less gently)...

I knew that was coming, probably deservedly so. For the record, I knew the rule at some point, it's just that I forgot it (you'll see that happens as you get older!): I mean the situation does not happen all that often... if you overlook the guy teeing an inch in front of the markers every weekend. Ah!

Was disqualification the proper penalty? The penalty for teeing from the wrong spot (i.e. outside the rectangle made of the tee markers and the 2 club lengths) is 2 strokes, is it not? Does the player need to re-tee from the correct spot (inside the rectangle for the proper tees) and then add 2 strokes, or does the original tee shot (from the wrong place) count and the 2 strokes are then added? I could look it up, but I am sure you guys know the answer off the top of your head!

I buy my balls used (mint at half price or so) and some have logos on them. I mostly ignore them, but one ProV1x has the Masters logo on it and has me intrigued. Anything particularly meaningful or can anyone wandering in the merchandise tent during Masters week can pick some up, play them and promptly hit them out of play to later be retrieved by a salvaging company?

It depends. If it's a hole I have never seen before: "view". If it's a hole I know: "how".

I'd like to add a similar data point to this, as well. My best putting round had 24 putts and only 3 GIRs (1 birdie) - no 3-putts, 10 up and downs (12 1 putts) and a total of 81 (+9). One of my best ball striking round with 10 GIRs had 38 putts (no birdie, 3 3-putts), only 1 up and down and a total of.... drum roll... 82 (+10). Another day on that same course, I had also 10 GIRs, but 34 putts (with no birdie and no 3-putt) for a total of 78 (+6). The second (and third) round noted here was on a course where putting is much harder (for me, a decent to good putter) due to a variety of factors. But despite the additional 14 putts it took me that day, compared to the first noted round, the score was only 1 worse. On the other round noted above, the score was better by 3, with 10 putts more. Why? much better ball striking, even though it was not a great one by many low handicappers' standard, who routinely have 14-16 GIRs on good ball striking days. QED.

I have played with someone in casual weekend rounds, at a "normal" pace, not fast by any means, but also not slow. And I have also played with the same person in tournament settings (not even in big tournaments, just the typical club events, where bragging rights carry a bit more weight) and seen him turn into Kevin Na (pre-reformation), with repeated practice swings, stepping in and backing off, rechecking the wind, looking up, behind, around, remarking the ball to adjust the line on the greens, etc... In other words, that normal guy turned into a slow as molasses player in tournaments! And guess what? With no appreciable difference in the results. It's just in his mind that "focusing more helps improve my scores". I call bullshit on that, not at our amateur level, at least. And by the way I guess, that the greater mind focus of that one guy gets onto everyone else's mind too, because waiting on a slow player, for no good reason, is excruciating to me, and is actually causing me to play worse because I am pissed, and also faster to compensate and keep the group on pace... But keeping doing you, inconsiderate golfer.