Not knowing the very basics of rules in comps.

[Arthur Wedge]

As professional players, playing often for millions, it would be right to expect them to know the rules in full. The rules official should be just a neutral to provide agreement or not.

They dont need to know the rules in full , the only people that do are rules officials - even as club golfers we just need the basics

 

[moogie]

My club still has play in rounds before we let people join. The idea is to look for etiquette, ask some basic rules questions, check golfing ability etc. Many people on this forum seem to think that is outdated but it helps to prevent what the OP is describing.

I'm not a traditionalist by any stretch

But I still think that is a great idea, that's sadly missing from the game.

I'd have loved to have my current club adopt this type of thing, but it will never happen
Sadly....

 

[Skytot]

I play with some guys who have played for over 30 years and still do not know some of the basic rules e.g. when, where and how to take relief.

One guy cost me a win a comp after a very heated argument about where I was dropping for relief for a road. He was adamant that I could stand on the road when ascertaining the nearest point of relief and could play my shot standing on the road. The result I was so fuming I messed the hole up and missed out by just one shot. I even offered to get the book out and show him but no...

Maybe we should become like they are are on the continent, you have to take and pass a basic rules exam before you can have a handicap.

I would have took full relief and let the Pro or rules committee sort it out after you finished playing . That’s why I like the R&A rules app on my phone

 

[D-S]

There is a simple rules test R&A Level 1 , as mentioned by IanM, it takes about an hour or so to do including the stages which e plain basic rules.

We ask that players have x cards over y time to be eligible for prizes. Is there any good reason why we shouldn’t ask that they should not also have this proof that they have a basic grasp of the rules to be eligible for a prizes?

If you believe your knowledge is good enough then the process is even shorter as you can skip the useful revision stage.

I personally believe that there are some players who deliberately don’t know the rules as then they would have to ‘do the right thing’ and at the moment they can blame questionable decisions on ignorance.

I firmly think that Level 1 should be mandatory and would be interested to know why it shouldn’t be.

 

[Backache]

Might not have checked your knowledge, but your application form would have asked for either or all of these, previous club, handicap, cdh number

It's the totally new to the game golfers I'm referring to.
With no experience or history in the sport/game

Well the first club I couldn't have put any of those in because I had not been a member elsewhere. I doubt I had any of those for the second club either as I had been living overseas for quite a while.
Most recent club may have had a bit of info for.

 

[Viewer]

Most Pro events have rules officials with them and most will have a decent understanding of the rules - especially the basic rules

Most rules officials do have decent understanding of the rules as by definition!

 

[jim8flog]

I would have took full relief and let the Pro or rules committee sort it out after you finished playing . That’s why I like the R&A rules app on my phone

The problem was not my lack of knowledge but is and his total unwillingness to be shown what it said in the rule book

I know the rules in this situation as well as the vast majority of situations.
I have been the 'come to person' when players want rules advice as I was the person on the committee responsible. Last person I would seek advice from is a pro in my experience.

Most of the time I know where to look and sometimes for stuff I am unsure of I have found the actual experts on this forum a good place to ask.

 

[IanM]

Not knowing seems like a badge of honour for some!

 

[Voyager EMH]

When we have a comp with 100 or more entrants at my club, I have more than 95% certainty that more than 5% of scores are incorrect due to rules infringements more than 5% of the time.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

When we have a comp with 100 or more entrants at my club, I have more than 95% certainty that more than 5% of scores are incorrect due to rules infringements more than 5% of the time.

This is one of the reasons why comp handicaps aren’t any more legitimate that GP handicaps. And why handicaps in general will never be equitable.

Not knowing the rules is not the preserve of new players. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I have seen very experienced golfers take liberties with drops or just completely ignore certain rules.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I'm interpreting this as I get relief from a divot either on the fairway or in the rough, after it all, it doesn't say that the grass had to be cut by a mower, if it's been cut by someone else's club, all is good right?

(Lift, Clean and Replace within 6 inches, no nearer the hole on areas cut to fairway height or less)

;-)

 

[Backache]

I'm interpreting this as I get relief from a divot either on the fairway or in the rough, after it all, it doesn't say that the grass had to be cut by a mower, if it's been cut by someone else's club, all is good right?

(Lift, Clean and Replace within 6 inches, no nearer the hole on areas cut to fairway height or less)

;-)

A divot is not colloquially speaking an area. I would suggest you get no relief in the rough. The Divot itself is generally gouged below fairway height.

 

[Mel Smooth]

A divot is not colloquially speaking an area. I would suggest you get no relief in the rough. The Divot itself is generally gouged below fairway height.

Gouged / cut - semantics.

 

[jim8flog]

A divot is not colloquially speaking an area. I would suggest you get no relief in the rough. The Divot itself is generally gouged below fairway height.

The divot is generally a few yards away from where the player hit the ball so it becomes a loose impediment

 

[Crazyface]

I had an occasion where my ball was on a path on by the 18th fairway. I had a good card going, Presidents Day so big field. I was unsure of where to drop so asked playing partners. They, didn't have a decent card going and could smell the food and beer from the clubhouse so walked off towards the green. I, did not want to be standing in front of everyone doing a speech not knowing if I had done the right thing so got my phone out and found the relevant rule. Did the drop, correctly, and made a bogey. Yes I won. But thank God for phones and internet! So sometimes people don't want to be bothered about the rules.

 

[3 jabber]

I had an occasion where my ball was on a path on by the 18th fairway. I had a good card going, Presidents Day so big field. I was unsure of where to drop so asked playing partners. They, didn't have a decent card going and could smell the food and beer from the clubhouse so walked off towards the green. I, did not want to be standing in front of everyone doing a speech not knowing if I had done the right thing so got my phone out and found the relevant rule. Did the drop, correctly, and made a bogey. Yes I won. But thank God for phones and internet! So sometimes people don't want to be bothered about the rules.

I hope you dropped correctly....the nicest point of relief not the nearest

 

[cliveb]

There's not knowing the rules and blatantly ignoring them. A couple of weeks back our seniors captain sent out an email reminding everyone not to do various dodgy things, including (believe it or not) teeing up your ball on the fairway, and dropping out of bunkers!!!! No way do these guys not know that's against the rules. Unless they want to plead senility.

I think there's been a fundamental change in attitude. Used to be that golf was a game of integrity. Now it seems there's a number of players who want to win at all costs, and to hell with playing fair.

 

[Backache]

Gouged / cut - semantics.

My point was that it was not cut to fairway height but below it.

 

[Backache]

There's not knowing the rules and blatantly ignoring them. A couple of weeks back our seniors captain sent out an email reminding everyone not to do various dodgy things, including (believe it or not) teeing up your ball on the fairway, and dropping out of bunkers!!!! No way do these guys not know that's against the rules. Unless they want to plead senility.

You can now drop out of a bunker with the appropriate penalty.

 

[IanM]

I'm increasingly not bothering with competition golf at the club. Most of my golf these days is social. I've entered only four Opens this year, and those are new courses at daft Seniors Rate.