What's golf's most out of date rule?

[Deleted member 15344]

Rules for me is always the double hit. You don't meant to do it and on the few occasions I have done it I have never gained and therefore a wasted 'shot'.

Sorry but there are lots of things you "don't mean to do" but still end up with a penalty - you have hit the ball twice - it's a shot penalty

 

[chrisd]

Losing a hole in Matchplay for doing something that the strokeplay penalty could still keep you in the hole!

 

[hovis]

Always thought its a little unfair that if you hit a bunker shot for example and the ball bounces off the face and hits your chest you get penalised??? Or you shank your ball into your caddy's face, PENALTY!!!

 

[bladeplayer]

Losing a hole in Matchplay for doing something that the strokeplay penalty could still keep you in the hole!

This ^^ must admit i dont get this .. should be changed

 

[ManinBlack]

For amareurs not in any kind of comp, the daftest rule in my opinion is going back to the tee to take a shot for WHATEVER reason.

It just is not practical or necessary as there are plenty of good alternatives to this rule, it just enforces slow play.

Hear hear! Treat all OOB as a water hazard. Solution to problem.

 

[ManinBlack]

What do people think? Is there any old ones specific to your club?

Not being allowed to change shoes in a car park has got to be one of the most annoying.

I was at a posh club last week for an open comp and one of the visitors was changing his trousers​ ​in the car park.

 

[bladeplayer]

Hear hear! Treat all OOB as a water hazard. Solution to problem.

You think hitting it into a hazard is the same as hitting it OOB ? I wouldn't agree with that . has to be more of a punishment for OOB

just my own opinion tho

 

[ManinBlack]

You think hitting it into a hazard is the same as hitting it OOB ? I wouldn't agree with that . has to be more of a punishment for OOB

just my own opinion tho

Well then add two strokes instead of one. Anything to stop going back to the tee.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Alas happened to me in an Open in NZ , numpty attending it couldn't get it out of the hole till too late and didn't know rule either.
Lost Open by one shot ::angry:

Cripes - so you are the 0.01%

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Well then add two strokes instead of one. Anything to stop going back to the tee.

If you know it could be OOB then take a provisional tee shot - then you don't have to go back to the tee ?

I always take a provisional if there is a possibility that my tee shot could be in danger

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

what's your view then on your ball seriously plugged in the rough? on the fairway you get lift clean and drop but in the rough you get doubly penalised. fair?

It's also more likely to be a soft area as they sort out poor drainage on the fairways but hardly for the rough

there's lots of stuff you might not think fair - but the rules are there for very good reason. Besides - such as a plugged ball in the rough has always been a plugged ball in the rough - what's different about us golfers today that somehow says the rule is out of date?

As mentioned earlier - me and my foursomes PP were penalised a shot for me managing to hit his bag from a distance of 240yds. Fair? Well we were truly cheesed off at our bad luck - but them's the rules.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

This one for me.

Again - what makes it out-if-date? It's there to prevent endless discussion about what is and isn't a divot - on or off the fairway. It's simply bad luck - and we get plenty of good luck in golf (say as your ball ricochets off a tree as it heads out of bounds bang into centre of fairway)

 

[richart]

I would change the rule that if you hit the ball by mistake, say taking a practice swing/ putt, you have to replace the ball in the same spot under penalty. Just play it from where it lies, no penalty, no faffing around trying to find the original spot. Every time you hit the ball is a shot, seems fair to me.

 

[bladeplayer]

Well then add two strokes instead of one. Anything to stop going back to the tee.

Yea that could be a good compromise ..

 

[Foxholer]

None of The Rules seem 'out of date' to me, except perhaps the inability to repair spike marks. And there are pace-of-play and identification considerations to that one. So while I'd prefer to be able to repair them, I'm relaxed about the non-repeal of that area.

I'm another who (nearly) had a 'drongo' suddenly panic about being unable to pull the pin as my 50' putt was hole-bound - and the 'drongo' was, to amusement all round, the Handicap Secretary!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

None of The Rules seem 'out of date' to me, except perhaps the inability to repair spike marks. And there are pace-of-play and identification considerations to that one. So while I'd prefer to be able to repair them, I'm relaxed about the non-repeal of that area.

Glad I'm not alone sir!

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

there's lots of stuff you might not think fair - but the rules are there for very good reason. Besides - such as a plugged ball in the rough has always been a plugged ball in the rough - what's different about us golfers today that somehow says the rule is out of date?

Global warming - wetter conditions, meaning wetter rough, and more plugging?

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

I would change the rule that if you hit the ball by mistake, say taking a practice swing/ putt, you have to replace the ball in the same spot under penalty. Just play it from where it lies, no penalty, no faffing around trying to find the original spot. Every time you hit the ball is a shot, seems fair to me.

What about if you want to replace it?

Also, I think that the rules gurus have covered this one before and how problematic it would be to change. If you take out the part about the "intent" to strike the ball counting as a stroke, you start to get all sorts of issues in the rule book!

 

[CMAC]

there's lots of stuff you might not think fair - but the rules are there for very good reason. Besides - such as a plugged ball in the rough has always been a plugged ball in the rough - what's different about us golfers today that somehow says the rule is out of date?

As mentioned earlier - me and my foursomes PP were penalised a shot for me managing to hit his bag from a distance of 240yds. Fair? Well we were truly cheesed off at our bad luck - but them's the rules.

you didnt answer the question

 

[Ian_S]

What about if you want to replace it?

Also, I think that the rules gurus have covered this one before and how problematic it would be to change. If you take out the part about the "intent" to strike the ball counting as a stroke, you start to get all sorts of issues in the rule book!

I don't get what issues you might get. If you hit the ball then it counts as a shot. That's surely simpler than the current rule which means an official has to rule on intent to decide where the next stroke should be taken from. I don't see how you could gain any advantage from it counting as simply a bad shot.