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

[USER1999]

Rule 18.2.b ball moving after address (ie: wind moving a ball on the green ala Harrington) seems even more unfair if the ball moves away from the hole. No advantage in the new position, but must be replaced under penalty.

17.1, any one standing near a flag stick is deemed to be tending it. How near is near?

17.3 Ball striking flag stick or attendant. If your opponent is attending the flag stick with your authorisation, and forgets to pull it out, why do you get the penalty if you hit it? It wasn't your fault, and it is in his interest to not pull it (or even get out of the way?).
This happened in one of the rounds in our club championship last year.

 

[Twire]

When having a practise swing on the fairway. If you accidentally knock your ball, the ball has to be replaced under penalty.

If you do the same from the tee box, the ball is replaced without penalty. Why is this?

 

[slugger]

When having a practise swing on the fairway. If you accidentally knock your ball, the ball has to be replaced under penalty.

If you do the same from the tee box, the ball is replaced without penalty. Why is this?

is it not because when the ball is on the tee it's not technically in play on that hole yet?

I also want to know about the wind moving the ball on the green rule... i originally posted about this ages ago after it happened to me and i lost a hole because of it, even though the ball was blown further from the hole! Why not just replace it with no penalty?

 

[bobmac]

The rule is quite clear, athough in my opinion wrong.
If you ground your club behind the ball you are deemed to have taken up your address position. If the ball then moves, its a penalty and it must be replaced.
If however you hover your putter-head off the ground behind the ball and it then moves, there is no penalty and if the ball rolls nearer the hole, you do not replace it.

 

[USER1999]

The rule is clear, and must be there to stop you from getting an advantage. I just can't see what advantage you get from rolling 20 feet further from the hole.

 

[bobmac]

The daft thing is, if you put your putter in front of the ball ALA Nick Price and it then moves, no penalty.

 

[muttleee]

Not being able to repair spike marks on the green. Why ?

Because if you were able to do that, some players would spend 10 mins flattening every spikemark within a yard of the line of their 50-foot putt. The game is often slow enough as it is, without that sort of carry on...

Also re. flooded bunkers. Clubs have the option of declaring them GUR so that you then have the option of taking relief without penalty. If they don't do that, blame them, not the R&A.

As someone once said, "every complicated system started out as a simple system" and I suspect that's particularly true of the Rules of Golf.

 

[The_Squire]

Not being able to repair spike marks on the green. Why ?

Here here

 

[viscount17]

Also re. flooded bunkers. Clubs have the option of declaring them GUR so that you then have the option of taking relief without penalty. If they don't do that, blame them, not the R&A.

but that is the issue, these types of rules, roads and pathways, gps, etc should not be at the discretion of a committee - not if we are all meant to be playing to one set of rules.

we have a local rule that if you strike a power cable (off the tee or not) you replay - no charge. is that universal - I doubt it.

and stones in bunkers should be a removable hazard on any course. unlike the tour pros we don't play off sieved, rolled, sand.

 

[viscount17]

and a removeable hazard should be able to be removed (and replaced) by the player and his caddy/partner - and no one else.

using half the gallery is outside assistance by any definition.

 

[StuartD]

Also re. flooded bunkers. Clubs have the option of declaring them GUR so that you then have the option of taking relief without penalty. If they don't do that, blame them, not the R&A.

Yes they do. Trouble is nobody from the Committee is there to make a decision first thing in the morning. Suspect this would be the same at most clubs