Lift and Place all year round.

[Whereditgo]

To that end, it would make more sense for preferred lies to be an optional local rule that the club chooses to put in place if conditions allow it. Rather than just a blanket rule from October to April whether you need it or not - and if conditions are terrible on May 1st, tough luck.

Except a club can apply for an extension, or even to temporarily bring in the local rule when course conditions warrant.

I can barely remember thinking "I wish there was preferred lies in place so I could clean my ball" during this summer, but I bet during the winter months every round will have a few instances where the ball has a huge glob of mud stuck to it.

 

[Colin L]

To that end, it would make more sense for preferred lies to be an optional local rule that the club chooses to put in place if conditions allow it. Rather than just a blanket rule from October to April whether you need it or not - and if conditions are terrible on May 1st, tough luck.

As with all the Model Local Rules, preferred lies is optional. There is no blanket rule requiring it to adopted from October to April. What we have is blanket permission to mitigate adverse conditions during this period so that members can return acceptable scores for handicapping. And if conditions are that bad for a competition on 1st May, your club can ask for permission to adopt preferred lies (it probably needs only a phone call) if it wishes to keep it as a handicap qualifying round or just run it as a non-qualifier.

It's entirely down to a club as to when it introduces preferred lies, if at all, and the primary if not the sole reason for doing so should be to make the game more enjoyable in conditions in which playing the ball as it lies is likely to be anything but. In more extreme instances, it can make it possible to play when otherwise it wouldn't be.

 

[nickjdavis]

Probably wrong, but I was under the impression that a club can seek permission from their county at any time of year, if the conditions necessitate it. It just happens that in the UK there's a blanket option to use preferred lies from October through March.
Even in winter, I only bother if the ball is sitting in or covered in mud. Pick, wipe, place is pretty tedious if it's used on every shot.

Funnily enough I played in a Medal last Sunday 1st. One of my fellow competitors said something like "preferred lies today then" on the first tee.

I asked what made him think (given that there was no signage anywhere on the noticeboard, by the first tee or in the proshop where we sign in) that PL's were in operation. His response was..."well...its the first of October...its when PL's come into operation". The course as it happens was pretty much bone dry and there were no issues experienced (one of the other guys did say that on the Friday balls were picking up a little bit of mud but that was after a night of rain).

Wish I'd have agreed with him mind because in the middle of the third fairway my ball came to rest in a lovely old divot. One of my group said he thought it was an animal scraping, I disagreed and played it as it lay (7 iron to the heart of the green...then 3 putts for bogey!!)

 

[jim8flog]

So you agree that the rule should doesn't need to be season-dependant then? Either have it all the time or not at all.

Imagine the committee at an average club being bothered doing the Hokey Cokey if it became course dependent all year round.

I believe in having the rule in winter mainly for the lift and cleaning aspect rather than the placing. Personally I would like to see lift clean and replace but you know what would happen with loads of players.

 

[Orikoru]

Funnily enough I played in a Medal last Sunday 1st. One of my fellow competitors said something like "preferred lies today then" on the first tee.

I asked what made him think (given that there was no signage anywhere on the noticeboard, by the first tee or in the proshop where we sign in) that PL's were in operation. His response was..."well...its the first of October...its when PL's come into operation". The course as it happens was pretty much bone dry and there were no issues experienced (one of the other guys did say that on the Friday balls were picking up a little bit of mud but that was after a night of rain).

Wish I'd have agreed with him mind because in the middle of the third fairway my ball came to rest in a lovely old divot. One of my group said he thought it was an animal scraping, I disagreed and played it as it lay (7 iron to the heart of the green...then 3 putts for bogey!!)

That's so true. It's so commonplace that people pretty much expect it to be preferred lies from October 1st. People almost seem to look forward to it!

 

[SurreyGolfer]

It's a no from me....purely from a time perspective. Not sure people need another thing to add pre-shot all year round when it's not always necessary

 

[Orikoru]

It's a no from me....purely from a time perspective. Not sure people need another thing to add pre-shot all year round when it's not always necessary

Takes about 10 seconds. And it's only when you hit the fairway, so over the course of a round... 30 or 40 seconds?

 

[SurreyGolfer]

Takes about 10 seconds. And it's only when you hit the fairway, so over the course of a round... 30 or 40 seconds?

It might take you 10 seconds, some of the people I've seen it takes them triple that to get back up from crouched to standing

 

[chrisd]

We had winter rules on our Wednesday medal, I think I only preferred my lie on 3 occasions so good were the fairways. It's not compulsory you know

 

[Imurg]

Pretty sure we don't go to WR until November and even then you rarely need it

 

[D-S]

Pretty sure we don't go to WR until November and even then you rarely need it

You don’t need to go to WR on a specific date, just when you need it often enough.

 

[Pants]

Takes about 10 seconds. And it's only when you hit the fairway, so over the course of a round... 30 or 40 seconds?

If you started hitting more fairways, the time would quickly start mounting up ...

 

[Crow]

We went to winter rules today, can't believe it as we're supposed to be one of the best draining courses in this quagmire of a county.

I'd be happy to play as it lies through the year, it would encourage some if us to put our clubs away for a few months like they sensibly did in the olden days.

 

[Voyager EMH]

We went to winter rules today, can't believe it as we're supposed to be one of the best draining courses in this quagmire of a county.

I'd be happy to play as it lies through the year, it would encourage some if us to put our clubs away for a few months like they sensibly did in the olden days.

 

[fenwayrich]

I can't bend far enough to either tee the ball up or mark it on the green, so even if, on a warm summer's day, it was on a slightly uneven lie or in a divot, I couldn't take advantage of a preferred lie. Nor would I even if I could. We go onto fairway mats soon so that's it for me for the winter.

 

[Glyn Mitchell]

I have read all your replies with interest. I was wondering if all the people who are against my petition will be using winter rules this winter. They sound like brilliant Golfers that do not need any help what so ever. So it will be interesting if they do require to clean their golf ball this winter. Will they resist the temptation. Us lesser mortals however will lift and place because it is a fair thing to do. Of course those of you that play Links Golf have a big advantage and really should not comment about mud on their golf ball because anyone who as played on said courses will tell you that the fairways drain well ( it's the sandy base you know ) and therefore no mud. This is my first go at this type of thing but I have noticed that the same people were opposed to "Winter Rules All Year" which was voiced earlier this year. So sorry to have upset you all. Ps for those of you who suggested people should always replace their divots perhaps you should suggest the same people pick up their litter. Good luck with that.

 

[Backache]

You have not upset me I just don't agree with your suggestion.You have a right to express an opinion and I to disagree.

 

[BubbaP]

Funnily enough I played in a Medal last Sunday 1st. One of my fellow competitors said something like "preferred lies today then" on the first tee.

I asked what made him think (given that there was no signage anywhere on the noticeboard, by the first tee or in the proshop where we sign in) that PL's were in operation. His response was..."well...its the first of October...its when PL's come into operation". The course as it happens was pretty much bone dry and there were no issues experienced (one of the other guys did say that on the Friday balls were picking up a little bit of mud but that was after a night of rain).

Wish I'd have agreed with him mind because in the middle of the third fairway my ball came to rest in a lovely old divot. One of my group said he thought it was an animal scraping, I disagreed and played it as it lay (7 iron to the heart of the green...then 3 putts for bogey!!)

Received an email from England Golf a few days go which contained...

 

[Glyn Mitchell]

And by the way next time on the European Tour they have preferred lies in a tournament please let them know what a bunch of useless Golfers they are and they should be like you hitting 7 irons out of divots onto the green.

 

[Backache]

And by the way next time on the European Tour they have preferred lies in a tournament please let them know what a bunch of useless Golfers they are and they should be like you hitting 7 irons out of divots onto the green.

Personally I don't see a lot of the tour but when I do watch it, they appear to use lift clean and place to improve their lie with great deliberation and taking time and care to improve a lie that often has nothing to do with divots.
Do I want to be stuck behind a four ball on my course mimicking this behavior. No thanks.