Ask the R&A - Rules that you perceive as unfair...

JezzE

JezzE

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Further to a recent Rules thread on the age-old chestnut of having to play from divots, I hinted that I would try and set something up with the R&A in which I would ask them the rationale and reasoning behind Rules that some golfers perhaps perceive as unfair.

So here's your chance...

I will endeavour to put as many of your queries as possible to the assembled R&A panel when I go up there in late August (they're quite busy organising a little tournament right now!), although depending on the volume of questions, and the answers I get, I can't promise that every single one will make it into the resulting feature.

Fire away!
 
I agree with mad, why are we penalised for being in a divot that some lazy sod cant be arsed replacing or a crow or other bird has picked back out looking for a bit of diner?

Its hardly bloomin fair!
 
When on golf trips a group of us play what we've called the Malaga rule -thats where we first played it. Basically if a ball is lost or out of bounds you drop 1 club length where it went out or where you honestly expected to find it for the cost of one stroke. This means you can keep playing and don't have to go back to the tee and ask the germans or whoever else has pitched up there to have another go. Of course you could have played a provisional but sometimes on a course you haven't played you don't know its lost until you get there and it avoids having to search for two balls! :p
I would suggest any rule that requires you to go back and replay a shot is an obvious delay in play and worth rethinking?
 
Why oh why if a bunker is totally flooded do we have to drop out under penalty....aint my fault it's pissed down all day and the bunkers drainage are crap!
Click to expand...

I also think this is unfair.
Surely it is abnormal ground conditions.
 
Grounding your putter behind the ball on a windy day and it moves. I think that is a harsh penalty, especially if it rolls into the hole. :(
 
Some good ones so far, but keep them coming...

Can anyone remind me who posted the original question a month or so ago that started this off? - think it was HNJ or HTL, but could be completely mistaken on that.

No more divot suggestions please as that one is definitely going to be asked, although I'm fairly certain I know what the answer's going to be!
 
Here's another one while I think of it. How come players with broomhandle putters can use them when taking drops to measure out one or two clubs' lengths? It might give them what could prove a crucial advantage over someone whose longest club is the driver, which doesn't given him enough distance to drop clear of the trouble.
 
Why is it ok in fourball match to indicate the line to a partner without grounding the putter but a penalty if you do so? It can't make that much difference and surely isn't going to damage the green. I can understand if you make a mark to aim at but just tapping the line wouldn't do that
 
Re the divot issue I agree it can be harsh but there's no way of defining a divot - some take a deep skelp, some take barely a skim.
It would lead to players creating a perfect lie for every shot by claiming any indentation or imperfection is a divot (which it could well be!)

It's not do-able so we all need to accept it like Immelman on 18 at Augusta 08 round 4 and get your head round the problem and nail it. ;)
 
Re the divot issue I agree it can be harsh but there's no way of defining a divot - some take a deep skelp, some take barely a skim.
It would lead to players creating a perfect lie for every shot by claiming any indentation or imperfection is a divot (which it could well be!)

It's not do-able so we all need to accept it like Immelman on 18 at Augusta 08 round 4 and get your head round the problem and nail it. ;)
Click to expand...

I agree , it's rub of the green , deal with it. Not long ago I ended up in a divot in the fairway and just had a chuckle thinking thats my one for the year. However the golfing gods kicked me up the behind and put me in another one on the very next hole. at least I definitely know i'm not going in amymore for the rest of the year ;)

I'm also with Bobmac on the ball moving on green scenario , if you havnt touched the ball then there should be no penalty.

I also think that relief from sprinkler heads near the green shouldnt be only a local rule it should be in the book.
 
it's not so much unfair rules, more that it's unrealistic to demand that everybody play to a set of rules that can be obscure/ambiguous or plain damned awkward to interpret.
as in the earlier post, we don't have a handy referee or immediate access to a <u>usable</u> decisions book, which wouldn't be necessary if the rules were written properly.
 
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