Breaking The Rules....

[MendieGK]

Following on from the post about the golf ball chucker, I wanted to pose this question.

what percentage of golfers break at least one rule (knowingly or unknowingly) per round in a weekend competition?

my view is that i think its probably around 50%. Given that probably 1 in 2 golfers i play with dont even understand the proper dropping procedure for taking relief - free or under penalty.

views?

 

[Slab]

I'd be surprised if it were that low (because of the unknowingly group)

 

[MendieGK]

I'd be surprised if it were that low (because of the unknowingly group)

Tend to agree.

 

[ruff-driver]

 

[pbrown7582]

I'd be surprised if it were that low (because of the unknowingly group)

Suspect it's heading more towards 3 out of 4, majority unknowingly.

 

[guest100718]

i have seen many inadvertant rule breaks. 50% seems high though

 

[Dellboy]

Would say 70%

I watched a few last Saturday, in fact saw 3 in one group do it, (was in a 4 ball behind them) when dropping out of a water hazard,it was a lateral hazard, they all just dropped out to where there ball(s) landed and not where it crossed the hazard.

Then on the last hole one chap was very close to going out of bounds and before he took his next shot he moved forward and pulled out the white marker/post, took his shot they replaced it.

No doubt I might of even broken a rule or two, try my very best not to, but I will hold my hands up and say I don't know every one, so it might have happened !!

 

[duncan mackie]

it will depend on the nature of the course:

type of rough, number shape and nature of the water hazards

paths as immovable obstructions (or not), existence and position of buggy paths, other IOs

nature of the course boundary

generally there are a few golfers who have bad habits they exhibit frequently during a round - touching and moving the ball to ID it being a classic. this can give an exaggerated impression that everyone's doing it all the time.

on some courses you may never drop a ball at all - on others you can be endlessly doing it; every time it's an opportunity to get it wrong (and the irony of those getting it wrong would almost certainly think that those getting it right are getting it wrong won't be lost on some!)

ignoring rule 10 I would suggest that it's about 10% in club competition; with 80% of that split 50/50 between relief options (where) and procedural (rule 20). the other 20 will be mainly around rule 13

 

[MizunoGreyhound]

it will depend on the nature of the course:

type of rough, number shape and nature of the water hazards

paths as immovable obstructions (or not), existence and position of buggy paths, other IOs

nature of the course boundary

generally there are a few golfers who have bad habits they exhibit frequently during a round - touching and moving the ball to ID it being a classic. this can give an exaggerated impression that everyone's doing it all the time.

on some courses you may never drop a ball at all - on others you can be endlessly doing it; every time it's an opportunity to get it wrong (and the irony of those getting it wrong would almost certainly think that those getting it right are getting it wrong won't be lost on some!)

ignoring rule 10 I would suggest that it's about 10% in club competition; with 80% of that split 50/50 between relief options (where) and procedural (rule 20). the other 20 will be mainly around rule 13

We have a ditch/small stream that runs across 3 holes of our course. The two par 4's it crosses have yellow discs to denote the hazard, but the par three it crosses has no demarkation at all. My ball came to rest just at the top of the slope (green side) but as there were no markings, was I in the hazard or not? Could I ground the club and brush the surface on practice swings or incur penalty shots? When I queried it with my PP's, one of whom is on the committee, neither of them had noticed there were no markers. They said as there is no marker for it, it cannot be in the hazard

Is that correct?

 

[duncan mackie]

We have a ditch/small stream that runs across 3 holes of our course. The two par 4's it crosses have yellow discs to denote the hazard, but the par three it crosses has no demarkation at all. My ball came to rest just at the top of the slope (green side) but as there were no markings, was I in the hazard or not? Could I ground the club and brush the surface on practice swings or incur penalty shots? When I queried it with my PP's, one of whom is on the committee, neither of them had noticed there were no markers. They said as there is no marker for it, it cannot be in the hazard

Is that correct?

suggest you post this in the Rules forum for a detailed response - the short answer is that it is the responsibility of the Committee to define accurately the margins of water hazards and lateral water hazards - see Rule 33-2a. However, if the Committee has not done so, the ditch is, by definition, a water hazard and the player should be permitted to proceed under Rule 26-1

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Inadvertently I'd say it was up nearer the 75-80% mark.

 

[Simbo]

70% easy IMO. And I include myself in that.
Iv said it before, if each individual player was to have a referee watching and listening to them the whole round, 70% could quite easily add 10 shots to their scores

 

[guest100718]

70% easy IMO. And I include myself in that.
Iv said it before, if each individual player was to have a referee watching and listening to them the whole round, 70% could quite easily add 10 shots to their scores

ive playd a lot of golf with a lot of different people and while i have seen rules broken I think your being way over the top.

 

[Face breaker]

I wouldn't like to hazard a guess but I'd say knowingly or unknowingly a darn site higher than 50% !...:smirk: