USPGA "stars"

[User20204]

On the cut podcast I think it was Jamie Donaldson who said something about the seniors might not be able to stoop down for the drop and I couldn't believe he wasn't picked up on it as they have to stoop down to mark their ball and pick out the hole 😂😂

 

[Imurg]

Not of the rules. I accept they have been changed.

Your opinion of the changes is that they're fine - great
JT,RF et al have the opposite opinion....is that not allowed..?

 

[Slab]

Your opinion of the changes is that they're fine - great
JT,RF et al have the opposite opinion....is that not allowed..?

I agree that everyone can have an opinion but...
The tour players actually had an input into the purposed rules before they were defined

 

[ADB]

If anyone saw the Honda Classic, Vijay Singh hit his teeshot on 17 into the water and had to drop on the bank - easy with a knee high drop rather than the old situation with caddie acting as backstop catcher until the inevitable placing of the ball. New rule no problem as far as i am concerned.

 

[Jacko_G]

Your opinion of the changes is that they're fine - great
JT,RF et al have the opposite opinion....is that not allowed..?

Difference is I accept that the ruling bodies have implemented them. I accept that if I make a pigs ear of it I'm to blame.

These guys are acting like spoiled brats. It's actually refreshing to see both Bjorn and Harrington come out on the side of the ruling bodies in the past couple of days.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

On the cut podcast I think it was Jamie Donaldson who said something about the seniors might not be able to stoop down for the drop and I couldn't believe he wasn't picked up on it as they have to stoop down to mark their ball and pick out the hole 😂😂

They manage to put the ball on a tee as well. Nonsense isn't it.

 

[bobmac]

Difference is I accept that the ruling bodies have implemented them. I accept that if I make a pigs ear of it I'm to blame.

.

Maybe if you had to deal with the unelected members of the ruling bodies on a daily basis, you might have a different view

 

[Jacko_G]

Maybe if you had to deal with the unelected members of the ruling bodies on a daily basis, you might have a different view

Possibly, however it's now the rule. If you're stupid enough not to know it you deserve to be penalised.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm inclined to agree that there has been an overreaction to it. Logically speaking it's a sensible rule change, as it lessens the chance of the ball rolling away on a drop. As has been mentioned, that might be exact reason the players are really against it, since they can't manufacture a situation where they are placing the ball as easily. Either way though, they probably need to get over it.

In a match last weekend one of our opponents dropped from waist height, but immediately realised and asked us what he should do - we told him just to redrop from the correct height obviously and no harm was done. Then we had a little chuckle about it. If we can get with the program that easily, there's no reason why tour pros can't.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

They manage to put the ball on a tee as well. Nonsense isn't it.

Seems so, but.....being old and stiff etc , there is a difference bending to pick up, tee up because you can bend the knee.
Bending whilst keeping the leg straight, yet getting the hand to the knee is not so easy when you are wrong side of seventy.
Trouble is -Liklihood is that I can't prove it to you for about 30 yrs?😊

 

[Lord Tyrion]

30yrs, ahem yes, that's right 😉🤣.

I get your point but at amateur level it doesn't need to be precise. Get close to the knee and let go. No one is going to complain about that.

 

[doublebogey7]

Seems so, but.....being old and stiff etc , there is a difference bending to pick up, tee up because you can bend the knee.
Bending whilst keeping the leg straight, yet getting the hand to the knee is not so easy when you are wrong side of seventy.
Trouble is -Liklihood is that I can't prove it to you for about 30 yrs?😊

You can also bend your knee when dropping

 

[backwoodsman]

What I'm not understanding is why they are objecting to it? ie for what reason? I read the piece on the link and the best I can get is that they think its not cool or athletic. So what? Thats hardly a valid reason. Is there something practical that I'm missing?

After all, if someone playing on a professional tour can't, by one movement or other, hold a ball at a height above ground level equivalent to that of their knee, then I'm struggling to see how the hell they are physically capable of competing on that tour anyway?

 

[fundy]

What I'm not understanding is why they are objecting to it? ie for what reason? I read the piece on the link and the best I can get is that they think its not cool or athletic. So what? Thats hardly a valid reason. Is there something practical that I'm missing?

After all, if someone playing on a professional tour can't, by one movement or other, hold a ball at a height above ground level equivalent to that of their knee, then I'm struggling to see how the hell they are physically capable of competing on that tour anyway?

theyre objecting as they will get to place it on far less occasions under the new rule than the old, that might not be what they are saying though lol

 

[backwoodsman]

theyre objecting as they will get to place it on far less occasions under the new rule than the old, that might not be what they are saying though lol

Ahh. Right ...

 

[Slab]

Bottom line for me is that Fowler didn't drop from shoulder height because he's physically incapable of dropping from knee height nor did he drop from shoulder height in some kind of protest of the new rule
He dropped from shoulder height because he forgot, plain and simple (& as an elite world class player he was probably a bit embarrassed at making such a basic mistake) To hide that embarrassment he went on the offensive at the rule itself and his buddies backed him up (rather than calling him a bit of an ejit, as good friends can)

If they really wanted to show their dissatisfaction of the rule and put out a message then they should be taking every drop from shoulder height and then correctly re-drop from knee height. That would get their point across (whether their point is valid or not) and incurs no penalty

I read somewhere that the new rules have bedded in on the LPGA much more easily than they have on the mens tour. Who'd have though that given how much caddie assistance they used to use

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Think Rose is on the money https://www.skysports.com/golf/news...n-adjustment-period-after-rules-controversies

To be honest I have little or no sympathy for the players and caddies. These rules weren't suddenly thrust on them and so the onus has always been with them to learn the new rules. Thought Fowler was petulant in his complaints when the mistake was all his. The rule about caddies in direct line seems far more of a hot potato and some of these penalties have seen unfair. I can see this rule being reviewed far quicker than the knee high drop one

 

[duncan mackie]

Two points come out of this, and they have both been raised in the posts to this thread already (although one won't have realised it!)
1. Even if you changed the drop height to, say, between knee and hip height (which most would agree achieves the same thing, is easy to implement for all golfers and, I practice, is pretty much what the new rule envisages because most will actually drop from slightly above the knee but acceptably) Fowler would still have been penalised. He simply didn't think. This will cause a problem with many rules over the next few tournaments.
2. VJ, like Bryson, will have studied the new rules from every angle to both ensure he knows them, doesn't trip up and can use them to his advantage as and when. Most players simply wouldn't have clocked the option he knew in his situation - a couple had it on the par 3 over water with the tree where their ball hit the tree, fell down outside the penalty area then rolled into the hazard. They could have dropped there and chipped across to the back left pin (well the left handed ones....😀).
Finally, everyone had the individual ability to respond on the new rules, the PGA Tour would have been more directly involved and I suspect that the caddy association was also a contributing body (but don't know that for sure).
Sadly the media is simply doing what I come to expect of it nowadays, and commentators (on and off field) are just trying to make a name for themselves in a difficult environment (for them). No name in agreeing.

 

[patricks148]

it never ceases to amaze me how guys who play golf for a living and never tire of saying its their livelihoods, have little grasp of very simple rules or any rules in general, unless its to some advantage to them in some way

 

[Bxm Foxy]

I don't think golfers are much different to professional rugby players, cricketers. There'll always be some out there who aren't as savvy as others.