Can someone give me the fairness and logic to this?

[HomerJSimpson]

toyboy

I see where you are coming from entirely and agree with the points made. The problem is you can either choose to ignore the rules and cheat yourself, your partners and the field or learn to live with the rules and accept that once in a while you'll get a bad break and may get pinged.

I don't see how my post was discriminating against any creeds, views or abilities. I'm just saying those are the rules - play within them.

Am I missing a deeper meaning?

 

[toyboy54]

Homer...No,certainly no deeper meaning.And I always play by the rules!
No,my frustration is borne out of....well...frustration!
We've all been there,goood shots that wind up as 'what the hell have I done to deserve this crappy lie/plugged ball/etc,etc!
I'm just back from 2 weeks in the sun and I'm being S.A.D.
It's my party and I'll moan if I want to!!!!

 

[teegirl]

TimBridle...bit of a bummer that one!!!Think its a silly rule,although another one which gets on my whatsits is that you must play out of a divot!"£<>?
WHY?????(sorry,didnt mean to hijack the thread,but lets be honest---there are some rules which do seem to go out of their way to penalise you!!!!)
GRRRR!!!!

Another hijacker The rule about ball moving on the putting green is a hard one to take, but the hitting from a divot I think is the only way to try to encourage people to repair them.
It's not working, but think how bad it would be if you got a free drop.

What percentage of golfer's do you think repair all their divots?

 

[Imurg]

We get a problem with crows turning over divots looking for worms. I've played a shot, replaced my divot and passed by 10 minutes later and its upside-down.

 

[JustOne]

I'm just saying those are the rules - play within them.

Am I missing a deeper meaning?

Is there a problem questioning something... or having an opinion? Did you not know that questioning stupid things sometimes leads to CHANGE?

I think it's a flippin' stupid rule. When you knock the ball off the tee with your driver you are not penalised and that's not even counting the wind doing it. If the ball moves on the green without a stroke being played then I'd definately prefer it if it could be replaced without penalty.

Had a nice one myself today, was going to hit a 5-wood as the ball was sitting on the edge of a frikkin' gigantic divot, as I addressed it the ball fell into the damn thing, it was all I could do to dig it out 30yds with a sandwedge - double bogey.

So, I'll punt this one out there....
Should I have been allowed to mark my ball and repair the divot first so that there was no chance of my ball falling into the flippin' thing?

 

[teegirl]

Very true, seen the blitters do it, SHOOT the crows.

sorry the feathered one,

 

[SammmeBee]

Sammeebee...are yu taking the mick???
Its when its a hole in the normal terra firma that we call the course!
Its when you get to the ball after a lovely 3 wood off the tee,you know its an easy 7i to the heart of the green----and you now hve to dig it out of some numpties hole(hmm,that does'nt sound right!)
Do you think thats fair??

You've missed the point - I know what a divot is...but when does a divot stop being a divot and then (if said rule was changed) you have to play it....some bits of ropey ground can look like divots that are not divots....

 

[bobmac]

Going back to the original post.........
We all know that on a windy day, if we place the putter behind the ball on the green and the ball then moves, its a penalty as must be replaced.
Why then is it not a penalty if someone places their putter on the green IN FRONT of the ball (ala Nick Price) then as he lifts the putter the ball moves. As he hasnt addressed it, no penalty. Daft

 

[Adrena1in]

...we all know the rules before we go out so accept the challenges when we peg it up on the 1st.

Speak for yourself...I don't know most of the rules. However, I'm of the opinion that everyone has to abide by the same rules, so yes, just live with it.

 

[Herbie]

Without the questioning of the perceived unfair rules in golf, they will, like the players who accept without question, stagnate the game. No rule would ever be addressed if no one ever raised the issue. The makers of rules will never suddenly see the error of the rule unless its pointed out and directs them to the area they may have overlooked, even if they do see unfairness, there will be no change, as what appears to be acceptable to the majority is often seen as best left alone. Golf has been described as a way of life by some, and in life, there are the subservient followers, the questioning movers and shakers, and leaders.Questioning a rule of golf does not mean anyone will deliberately break it, nor does it mean they are wrong by questioning it? The greater the golfing opinion for any rule change, the quicker you will see change, or ammendment.

 

[mulligan]

[/QUOTE]No no no, please carry on, as this is another one that gets my goat a little too! Why should anyone who hits a good drive on the fairway have to play from damage caused by another golfer? Perhaps even in the same match! I think you pose an equally good question.

[/QUOTE]

Yes, but does the spirit of the game not include the saying " play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies?"

 

[Dave3498]

Had a nice one myself today, was going to hit a 5-wood as the ball was sitting on the edge of a frikkin' gigantic divot, as I addressed it the ball fell into the damn thing, it was all I could do to dig it out 30yds with a sandwedge - double bogey.

I'm afraid that you infringed another rule. You should have penalised yourself one stroke and replaced the ball in it's original position. Failure to do so, or correct your error before you tee off on the next hole, results in disqualification. I hope that you were not playing in a competition.

 

[toyboy54]

HNJ....I'm in awe!!!
Do you own the intellectual copyright to your very well put statement,or can I copy it/plaigarise/use it to give others the thought that there is more than a single cell in there??!!??

 

[JezzE]

Watching this post with interest, and we have of course been here many times before with the divot one for example. As Sammeebee says, the problem is, who decides what is and isn't a divot - do you get relief from an unrepaired shallow sclaff mark or only when the divot exceeds say 1cm in depth. Frustrating though it is, the fairest thing in overall terms is simply to make it a non-relief situation and for golfers to accept it as much as they're happy to accept a ricochet back onto the green off a tree, or perhaps even more 'unfairly' an out of bounds post. You could argue that in equity, since the ball was clearly heading out of bounds and only a marker kept it in, it should be regarded as out of bounds, since if it had passed a couple of inches either side, or the marker hadn't been there, it would have been.

Nevertheless, I am going to see if it might be possible on my next trip to the R&A to get David Rickman (the top Rules man) to explain the rationale behind some of the more contentious Rules issues. I can't guarantee it, but will try and make it happen.

P.S. Had one today where someone inadvertently ripped a sticker quite loudly off a club shaft at the point of no return in my swing causing me (in my opinion of course) to flinch just enough for me to send the ball slicing into the right-hand rough rather than splitting the fairway. In fairness, should I have been allowed a free replay? No because, again, where would you draw the line? (Seem to remember a similar thing years ago with Seve choking on a piece of cake at the top of someone's backswing...)

 

[Dave3498]

Good reply to this post Jezz. We so often forget the times when the 'silly' rules work in our favour. I'm personally happy to accept all the rules as they are now, or as the R&A decide they should be in the future. There are many I don't agree with, but I do accept them.

 

[viscount17]

I just wish that the rules were better written; there are more than a few that are ambiguous, sometimes simply for want of some judicious punctuation. Can you ask him this as well Jezz?

It's a little like designing a website. You have to determine the objective (the reason for the rule) before you start writing.

 

[toyboy54]

JezzE...cool,calm,logical reasoning and sense,can't beat it can you?
Brings me back to the point that maybe the powers that be do log on to our wonderful forum(I'll include you in this select group Jezz!)
It would be nice to get some clarification/clearer explanations of 'grey areas'on some of our rules.
As I've stated(in response to Homer)I...and probably every other person on here does thir best to abide 100% by the rules,but sometimes,just sometimes they can really,really frustrate you...a perceived injustice?maybe!
Anyway,good response to all points,different points of view and opinions....that's what we are here all here for!!
Keep up the broad church people,it's what makes us so good!
Wish you all the best Jezz..let us know how you do??!!

 

[Herbie]

No no no, please carry on, as this is another one that gets my goat a little too! Why should anyone who hits a good drive on the fairway have to play from damage caused by another golfer? Perhaps even in the same match! I think you pose an equally good question.

[/QUOTE]

Yes, but does the spirit of the game not include the saying " play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies?"

[/QUOTE]

Of course it does and I do like everyone I guess, its annoying simply because a good shot should not be rewarded by something like a divot hole. Of all the luck and fortune you may get in favour on a course there will always be an equal ammount if ill fortune too. The difference is good shot ends in a poor place created by someone that should be repaired. Thats all, its no biggie just one of those that gets my goat as Ive landed in them too often in my golf life

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There are bigger things in life than worrying about playing from a divot. It has nothing to do with the rules, but a lack of education and etiqutte from the players in front for not repairing the damage. If you go back 20 years or more no clubs had seed bags available for members to carry down the fairway and re-seed the divots as they go (I've see that at many clubs now). It happens in the same way as you can hit a good drive on a links course and it take a bounce at funny angles and end up at the back of a pot bunker and run up any number. It isn't fair but do you get a mulligan because it didn't bounce straight? Its what the game is about, the triumph over adversity and the course.

What I accept and agree completely with is the need to better define the rules so we all understand what is meant and how to proceed. There are some silly rules that need a modern makeover but how far down that road do you go before you change the entire essence of the game completely

 

[Herbie]

To me, the essense of the game is to hit a ball as few times as possible, into a hole and repeat over a total of 18 holes, and that will never change.