What’s you involvement in the rules?

[clubchamp98]

Spent a long time on the Greens comittiee at my old club.
The crap you put up with from members put me off joining anything in my new club.
I know what I need to know but some rules just baffle me sometimes.
It’s a simple enough game but the rules are very complicated.

 

[rulie]

Tsk…I’m thinking that you may not have fully read what I’ve posted on the two rules threads I started recently. But that’s ok…took a bit to get my questions over fully and why I was asking them. As I said…I like to know the rule properly and not just what my experience (and I have plenty of that) has taught me - plus it’s easy to just go with the flow, when sometimes the flow is in the wrong direction.

The best place to start is the Rule Book and Official Guide, it shows some initiative and it’s generally all in there. Then you can ask for clarification about what’s written there.
Asking first on a Rules blog is often fraught with inconsistencies and misleading replies.

 

[salfordlad]

Incidentally, I reckon there are a few other qualified referees who frequent this place. Some frequent other places also.

I think so too. But good answers are good answers regardless of their source. And good questions are increasingly hard to come by, so keep bringing your queries forwards folks.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Tsk…I’m thinking that you may not have fully read what I’ve posted on the two rules threads I started recently. But that’s ok…took a bit to get my questions over fully and why I was asking them. As I said…I like to know the rule properly and not just what my experience (and I have plenty of that) has taught me - plus it’s easy to just go with the flow, when sometimes the flow is in the wrong direction.

Assume you carry a copy of the rules (players version) in your bag. It's normally pretty easy to look most things up (let the group behind through if needs be) and get a decision. If somebody disagrees, play two balls and mark both scores and seek a ruling. Even with the light query if you were certain of the rule it would have been in the book and you could have made your point and got it sorted at the time

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Assume you carry a copy of the rules (players version) in your bag. It's normally pretty easy to look most things up (let the group behind through if needs be) and get a decision. If somebody disagrees, play two balls and mark both scores and seek a ruling. Even with the light query if you were certain of the rule it would have been in the book and you could have made your point and got it sorted at the time

I do carry a copy of the rules with me but it was too dark to read them

 

[bobmac]

I've now been at a new club for over a year, and I enjoy being just another bog standard golfer.

That's an interesting description of non rules committee members.

I passed my PGA rules exam (with merit) in 2006 but would never consider myself an expert, I'm just not that interested.
I turned pro to learn how to teach better and to play scratch golf, therefore actually winning stuff as I got better, not to sit at home ploughing through a dreary book.
But as far as the rules are concerned I learned early, never give a decision unless I was absolutely certain I was right and I could back it up with the book.
But as the years roll on, I have fallen behind the latest changes so I just stay clear of most ''discussions''

One comment I'd like to direct to the experts.....
Not everyone who plays golf is as keen on the rules as you are and coming across as slightly patronising never helps the situation

 

[Swango1980]

That's an interesting description of non rules committee members.

I passed my PGA rules exam (with merit) in 2006 but would never consider myself an expert, I'm just not that interested.
I turned pro to learn how to teach better and to play scratch golf, therefore actually winning stuff as I got better, not to sit at home ploughing through a dreary book.
But as far as the rules are concerned I learned early, never give a decision unless I was absolutely certain I was right and I could back it up with the book.
But as the years roll on, I have fallen behind the latest changes so I just stay clear of most ''discussions''

One comment I'd like to direct to the experts.....
Not everyone who plays golf is as keen on the rules as you are and coming across as slightly patronising never helps the situation

I'm not sure how you managed to interpret my comment.

The context was certainly not patronising. I was simply making the point that I was no longer in the thick of the action at Committee level, and enjoying being away from the politics and just playing golf (i.e a big standard golfer). It was nothing to do with a particular golfers level of understanding of the rules.

 

[bobmac]

I'm not sure how you managed to interpret my comment.

Your comment came over to me as, non committee members are bog standard golfers and committee members (not just rules) are more special, more important and therefor better than ordinary golfers.
Just my experience of playing for over 50 years

 

[rulefan]

he put me off by saying that it was "a job for the boys" and i stood no chance.

Nonsense. Go for it.

 

[chrisd]

Nonsense. Go for it.

Trouble is that I'm now turned 70 and less inclined to put in the effort

 

[Swango1980]

Your comment came over to me as, non committee members are bog standard golfers and committee members (not just rules) are more special, more important and therefor better than ordinary golfers.
Just my experience of playing for over 50 years

Yeah, I think that was a 2+1=4 moment. When I said bog standard, I simply meant I was no longer involved helping run a club and the headache of politics. Just a normal golfer, like 95%+ of all other golfers. That is what I meant by bog standard. It wasn't aimed negatively towards non-Committee members, nor worshipping the special powers of all those on Committee . There will be "bog standard" golfers who know a heck of a lot more rules than some Committee members. For example, refer back to my Post #2 were I stated the competition secretary DQed a player for retrieving their ball on the driving range. In fact, the other examples I gave were "rulings" made my a Committee member at the time, who interpreted most rules incorrectly. And, on another occasion, the club was running a Texas Scramble. The comp sec (another one from the one above) was asked what the format was by the first few groups. He said it was Better Ball, because he thought that was what Better Ball was (as, in Scramble, you play the Better Ball). So, some of the first few groups were actually playing Better Ball, and some were playing Scramble. I was teeing off about 10th, and overheard someone saying that they were told it was Better Ball. I went to clarify with the comp sec what was going on, it became obvious that he didn't know what better ball meant, and it was one big mess.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I do carry a copy of the rules with me but it was too dark to read them

Use the rules app on your phone.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Use the rules app on your phone.

Can’t read my phone that easily in low light, never mind when it’s dark…in fact as I wear distance contact lenses when playing I can’t read it that easily in normal daylight and so for instance I don’t use it for recording scores. I do have the app on my phone so that others I’m playing with can use it if we have an issue and I’m struggling to read it. ? And yes I do have reading glasses, but they are pretty rubbish. If I had to manage I probably would.

But standing on the 2nd tee in the near dark the discussion was about continuing or not and how do we decide, not really what happens if we don’t.

Anyway…thats for the other thread(s) I raised not here.

 

[bobmac]

It wasn't aimed negatively towards non-Committee members, nor worshipping the special powers of all those on Committee . There will be "bog standard" golfers who know a heck of a lot more rules than some Committee members.

I didn't dispute that, I was giving my opinion that there are many (not all) committee members who consider themselves ''better'' than your ''bog standard'' member, your phrase not mine.

 

[Swango1980]

I didn't dispute that, I was giving my opinion that there are many (not all) committee members who consider themselves ''better'' than your ''bog standard'' member, your phrase not mine.

I've no doubt that there are Committee members out there that see themselves as "better" than non-Committee members. However, that was certainly not MY phrase or a point I was trying to make. At no point did I make a comment that some committee members consider themselves better as non-committee members. I did not link the words "better" and "bog standard" in the same sentence. I've since clarified that, all I meant was, that I enjoyed being like the vast majority of all other golfers and have none of the responsibilities of a Committee members, and just turn up and play the game.

You're opinion that some Committee members have a higher opinion about themselves is not necessarily incorrect, perhaps we all have examples of such individuals. However, it is not a point I was making at all, hence my response when you accused me of coming across as slightly patronising.

 

[Colin L]

I do carry a copy of the rules with me but it was too dark to read them

There isn’t a Player’s Guide for the 2023 Rules, it seems. You’ll be dependent on online or the full printed rules. I wouldn’t expect players to buy and carry the latter.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There isn’t a Player’s Guide for the 2023 Rules, it seems. You’ll be dependent on online or the full printed rules. I wouldn’t expect players to buy and carry the latter.

Brilliant…ah well. Seems I will have to be carrying my rubbish reading glasses around. Unless there is an update document that covers only the changes. Could print that off and carry it…I guess.

 

[Colin L]

Out of curiosity may I ask how often you use the rule book on the course?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Out of curiosity may I ask how often you use the rule book on the course?

Only very, very rarely - maybe looked in rule book or used the App maybe three times last year.

 

[jim8flog]

Assume you carry a copy of the rules (players version) in your bag. It's normally pretty easy to look most things up (let the group behind through if needs be) and get a decision. If somebody disagrees, play two balls and mark both scores and seek a ruling. Even with the light query if you were certain of the rule it would have been in the book and you could have made your point and got it sorted at the time

I do carry a copy of the rules with me but it was too dark to read them

As per Colin.

Drop the old book out of the bag the rules have changed.

There is no longer a players edition and I am fairly sure copies of the new book will no longer be available free to clubs but you can buy one and you can download it.

The R&A are promoting used of the app.