Rickie Fowler Penalty..... Harsh!

Just say you lay up short of a pond and the ball rolls and rolls and finally stops on the slope/bank of the pond but not in the hazard. You walk to your ball and while you're getting a yardage, the ball starts moving and rolls into the pond.
What do you do?
 
Personally I think it is a very fair rule which both a snakes and ladders side.

So you have dropped the ball at the greenside , the ball is at rest, the wind blows it on to the green and in to the hole. How are you going to feel if you are told you must replace the ball where it was?
I would say that seems pretty reasonable to me, I'll just try and chip the ball in the hole. That ruling is ridiculous and if you look at other sports they apply rules with common sense, golf doesn't seem to have that ability
 
Just say you lay up short of a pond and the ball rolls and rolls and finally stops on the slope/bank of the pond but not in the hazard. You walk to your ball and while you're getting a yardage, the ball starts moving and rolls into the pond.
What do you do?
That would be a penalty obviously, but if you drop the ball and it goes back in after a minute, you get penalised again without playing a shot ? Get real that is the worst rule and most unfair ruling I've seen yet
 
That would be a penalty obviously, but if you drop the ball and it goes back in after a minute, you get penalised again without playing a shot ? Get real that is the worst rule and most unfair ruling I've seen yet

In both scenarios, the ball is at rest and in play and the rules apply equally.
I agree it's unfair but you've got to play to all the rules, not just the ones you like.
 
In both scenarios, the ball is at rest and in play and the rules apply equally.
I agree it's unfair but you've got to play to all the rules, not just the ones you like.

Like I said at the time he should have gone up had a look at the flag etc then dropped his ball and played his shot within 5 seconds.. his fannying about cost him another pen... could have cost him the win
 
In both scenarios, the ball is at rest and in play and the rules apply equally.
I agree it's unfair but you've got to play to all the rules, not just the ones you like.
It is not the same obviously, there could be a very simple adjustment of this rule which would solve future issues.
 
By simply stating that if you have already taken a penalty drop and the ball moves after appearing stationary regardless of time lapsed, the ball should be dropped again without penalty

How simple and easy would this be...

It’s another stupid rule which almost cost Fowler.
 
How simple and easy would this be...

It’s another stupid rule which almost cost Fowler.

What nearly cost Fowler was his thined chip across the green to put him into that position in the first place

The rule is fine , it’s not new , the players know it and Fowler just needed to take more care - the ball moved over a minute after he placed it - he was confident enough that it was fine to walk to his caddy for a chat and then to the green
 
What nearly cost Fowler was his thined chip across the green to put him into that position in the first place

The rule is fine , it’s not new , the players know it and Fowler just needed to take more care - the ball moved over a minute after he placed it - he was confident enough that it was fine to walk to his caddy for a chat and then to the green
In what way is that rule fine, it's a farce, it makes a mockery of golf. Imagine explaining this ruling to a non golfer, it should be changed without question
 
What nearly cost Fowler was his thined chip across the green to put him into that position in the first place

The rule is fine , it’s not new , the players know it and Fowler just needed to take more care - the ball moved over a minute after he placed it - he was confident enough that it was fine to walk to his caddy for a chat and then to the green

There is nothing in your post which explains why the rule is fine. It is ok in life to challenge and question rules, especially when they don’t make sense like yesterday.

Drop, re-drop, then place... if the ball moves then just replace it without penalty... why is that not the most common sense thing to do.
 
There is nothing in your post which explains why the rule is fine. It is ok in life to challenge and question rules, especially when they don’t make sense like yesterday.

Drop, re-drop, then place... if the ball moves then just replace it without penalty... why is that not the most common sense thing to do.
To me, the situation is very much like a dead ball in football and the rule could be adjusted as such. Take a goal kick as an example the ball has to leave the penalty box before it can be played by another player. If its kicked before then the ball is deemed to be dead and re-take the kick. Surely in the Fowler incident, having been penalised for hitting in the water once the ball should be deemed dead until he takes his address to play the shot. If at that point it moved then fine, its another penalty drop. Until then the ball isn't deemed in play and if it moves there is no penalty and it simply gets replaced with not further penalty. How can he influence the outcome from the green. Yes it works both ways but why rely on "rub of the green" and simply have a straightforward rule that if you drop from a penalty area under penalty you cannot be further punished until you are ready to play
 
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