Society rules: is it me?

[Taggy1974]

1. I played in a work society on Saturday, first time with the group but I'm an experienced golfer so I presumed we'd be playing by the rules. On the first this idea was reinforced as after I suggested that gimmes would be around 2.5 feet, and that I was happy for one of the group to take a putt.....he got a sound 'no' from one guy, this is a serious game I thought, so by the full rules it must be....,on the forth hole I hit my tshot in the trees, I chose not to play a provisional and scratch the hole, my playing partner hit a provisional after doing the same and we walked up......next hole the guy who didn't want to give gimmes of 2.5 ft lost his ball on a short par 4....he'd hit a good shot and shouldn't have lost the ball, but he did, that's golf. What he did next amazed me, he simply dropped his ball next to the green and said, I'll add a shot.....this I didn't agree with and let him know....either pick up or go back to the tee, what got me mad was that he hadn't mentioned and 'lost ball - drop add1' rule when I or the other guy had lost our balls earlier.....and the guy didn't accept the gimme rule earlier, yet now he was happy to play free and lose with the rulesoupsis it me? Or was he wrong? Obviously the rest of the round was a little tense but and he decided to have a few laughs at my expense with the rest of the groups when we got back in the clubhouse....but I felt he was way out of order....or was I being an idiot?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Sounds Mickey Mouse but that can be societies for you. It's a case of accept the flexibility or give it a miss.

 

[duncan mackie]

Sounds Mickey Mouse but that can be societies for you. It's a case of accept the flexibility or give it a miss.

Yep - if it's not written down it generally comes down to common sense (and therefore problems!).

However, suggesting a length for gimme putts isn't a sensible practice other than when putting on poor winter greens IMO. On the other hand the suggestion that a player picks up a very short putt (ie a real situation) isn't out of order in many games I play.

 

[Jon321]

I was sitting in the bar the other day and overheard a guy announce. ' if I lose my ball somewhere but I know it's there, I just drop another one with no penalty, not one of his twenty strong society said a word to him. Unbelievable.

 

[Hobbit]

If you're playing for prizes/money, play by the rules. If its a friendly knock with mates, where you're basically playing the course and not each other, do what you all agree on.

Don't make it up as you're going round as this will lead to disgruntlement and mutterings.

 

[Leereed]

Makes you wonder if they do what suits in real club comps.

 

[Taggy1974]

If you're playing for prizes/money, play by the rules. If its a friendly knock with mates, where you're basically playing the course and not each other, do what you all agree

Should have said we were playing stableford for a pot of money - around £45 after all the subs..... Money wasn't the issue, just amazed how someone could watch a fellow player scratch a hole after losing a ball and then introduce a 'drop' penalty when he'd lost his ball......regardless lesson learnt....

club golf is a different animal, and I miss it....time to rejoin a club at least then in comps there's none of this stuff, it would be interesting how some of the guys who give themselves a single figure society handicap would cope in the monthly medal....well I already know the answer

 

[Taggy1974]

[QUOTEHowever, suggesting a length for gimme putts isn't a sensible practice other than when putting on poor winter greens IMO. On the other hand the suggestion that a player picks up a very short putt (ie a real situation) isn't out of order in many games I play.[/QUOTE]

Well yep normally gimmees on winter greens are around an agreed length but with there being 3 groups of 4 I was just trying to get some common ground to work from regards gimme length, kind of presumed as it's an established society there would be something understood

 

[drdel]

If the members of the company's society plays fast and loose with the rules of golf; I wonder how professional the same characters are at their 'day-jobs'!!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Stand your ground. Irrespective, of a society or not, I'm all for the odd gimme but walking the best part of 200 yards to drop a ball adjacent to a green for "one extra" is bang out of order. Why bother with ny of the rues at all if thats the case and just give yourself a good lie in the rough, make sure it isn't plugged in a bunker etc. If that happened I wouldn't be playing with that society again

 

[Farneyman]

If the members of the company's society plays fast and loose with the rules of golf; I wonder how professional the same characters are at their 'day-jobs'!!!

In a previous job I got speaking to the owner of the business who was from the states about golf...he said that the reason so many business people play golf and do deals on golf courses is that the course is a very good reflection of somebodies off course behaviour and integrity. Probably a true enough way of looking at.

 

[Hacker Khan]

If the members of the company's society plays fast and loose with the rules of golf; I wonder how professional the same characters are at their 'day-jobs'!!!

Probably fine and very professional. Golfers who stick by the rules of the game to the letter in a friendly knock about with mates are also capable of being complete toss posts in their job. And it is not that difficult really to separate a friendly game of golf with mates from a business situation.

 

[Hacker Khan]

In a previous job I got speaking to the owner of the business who was from the states about golf...he said that the reason so many business people play golf and do deals on golf courses is that the course is a very good reflection of somebodies off course behaviour and integrity. Probably a true enough way of looking at.

I imagine the vast majority of amateurs that play sport follow the rules and exhibit integrity by doing so. And following the rules and playing golf to me does not make anyone any more 'morally sound' or someone to do business with than say someone that plays for example rugby, tennis, cricket or snooker by the rules.

It was probably more to do with the fact businessmen played golf and you have plenty of time in a round of golf to speak to each other, not the fact that playing golf makes someone especially act with integrity where as someone that plays say cricket does not.

 

[Farneyman]

I imagine the vast majority of amateurs that play sport follow the rules and exhibit integrity by doing so. And following the rules and playing golf to me does not make anyone any more 'morally sound' or someone to do business with than say someone that plays for example rugby, tennis, cricket or snooker by the rules.

It was probably more to do with the fact businessmen played golf and you have plenty of time in a round of golf to speak to each other, not the fact that playing golf makes someone especially act with integrity where as someone that plays say cricket does not.

I would imagine you would still get a good chance to "suss" someone out a bit.

I do agree that just because they behave on course won't mean they will in business...but if you did spot something in their character on course you may be less willing to deal with them in a business way.

 

[drdel]

Once a cheat always a cheat! Once rule bender, the second time will be easier. There's no switch in the head for know-it-all golfer that says work's different.

 

[North Mimms]

It's not uncommon for societies to have their own rules, but they need to be clear.

As societies can be slow with a mixed range of abilities, anything that keeps thing moving is a good thing.

We have a couple of long weekends a year away with the same group where we play a Holiday Drop ie hooking one into the cabbage, OOB etc is played like a water hazard. We all know about the Holiday Drop and no-one objects.

However he should have made it clear that his society had a similar rule when you lost a ball earlier

 

[RollinThunder]

In social rounds with my friends, and stag do's, we always have informal rules, that keep the round flowing, but we always agree on them beforehand. If everyone agrees, then everyone is on a level playing field, and nobody has the disadvantage. A good rule for us, is that if somebody goes OoB, we allow a drop with a 1 shot penalty at the point the ball went out. The same as if the ball is lost, if everyone agrees, take a drop in an appropriate place, and add a 1 shot penalty. It's not R&A golf, but it keeps the flow, saves running back to the tee, etc, and well suits a group of casual players wanting to have fun. Playing these rules won't improve your game as much, and it goes without saying that we play properly in comps.

 

[LincolnShep]

Same thing happened to me when I first joined my society. One player told me that, instead of playing a provisional, I could drop one more or less level with where the lost or OOB ball would be (with a penalty stroke). So it's the same score as with a provisional but without the risk or carving a second one into the same trouble. The problem is that I've never seen anyone else take advantage of this 'modification' so it looks like this one person (and possibly others) believe something to be acceptable and others don't. To be on the safe side, I just play a provisional and, if I screw that up too, I blob the hole.

I'd recommend having a word with the organiser, don't go naming names but just ask for clarification. If you can do it when in conversation with other established members then all the better. When you're a society newbie, it's more about making friends than winning isn't it?

Shep

 

[arnieboy]

In our Society we play by the rules even though we have high handicappers. Why wouldn't you?

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

In our Society we play by the rules even though we have high handicappers. Why wouldn't you?

Speed, and ease. As long as everyone agrees the modified rules before hand, no issue with doing anything. Just like playing gimmes, which many many people do. Having multiple four balls of high handicappers playing strictly to the rules in front of you can be very "un fun" for people behind them (I can say this, i'm a high handicapper).