Old rule for dropping the Ball

[rgs]

Just watched the 1979 Open on Setanta Golf-Seve had a free drop from the car park on 16.
I had forgotten the old rule----You held the ball in your right hand and dropped the ball over your left shoulder.

The modern rule is a lot simpler and user friendly.

 

[John_Findlay]

Yeah, watched that too, this afternoon, rgs.

Never had to cope with it but my favourite old rule was the stymied ball. Seen older golfers have to chip over others on the telly. Looked up Wikipedia to find out the old rule;-

A stymie refers to an archaic rule in the game of golf. Prior to 1952, when a player's ball blocked the path of another player's ball, but was more than six inches from it, the offending player's ball was not lifted. Instead the other player had to attempt to slice or draw the putt around the obstacle. Often, a player would attempt to chip the ball over the opponent's ball. If the player failed, and his ball impacted that of his opponent's, then the ball would be played as it lay. The opponent would then have to choose whether to putt from the original, or new position.

Glad it's no longer around.

 

[shanker]

The stymie only applied in match-play, by the way.

 

[Atticus_Finch]

I love watching these old Opens. It really brings it all back. It reminds me of being on my summer holidays in some seaside hotel in england somewhere and all the men watching the golf in the communal TV room. Like something out of Fawlty towers. Happy days.