What's more important?

[Orikoru]

Without rules it would become boring and no one would play.

No it wouldn't. By that logic nobody would go to the driving range either, but they do. Hitting a golf ball with a club is fun.

If you took someone who'd never played, put them on a course and said here are your clubs, hit the ball into that hole where the flag is - they'd be able to play a round of golf. Even if you told them none of the rules, they'd just make up what to do and figure something out. If they lost a ball they'd throw a new one and hit that, probably. If they couldn't hit the ball because of obstacles they'd just move the ball and then hit it. Simple really.

 

[theoneandonly]

No it wouldn't. By that logic nobody would go to the driving range either, but they do. Hitting a golf ball with a club is fun.

If you took someone who'd never played, put them on a course and said here are your clubs, hit the ball into that hole where the flag is - they'd be able to play a round of golf. Even if you told them none of the rules, they'd just make up what to do and figure something out. If they lost a ball they'd throw a new one and hit that, probably. If they couldn't hit the ball because of obstacles they'd just move the ball and then hit it. Simple really.

Yeah and thats fine untill you want to play against someone, at that point you need to come up with some rules so your playing fairly against one another or you just do a free for all which would be boring.

 

[Orikoru]

Yeah and thats fine untill you want to play against someone, at that point you need to come up with some rules so your playing fairly against one another or you just do a free for all which would be boring.

Right, but if we're answering the original question - the game comes first and then the rules.

 

[theoneandonly]

Right, but if we're answering the original question - the game comes first and then the rules.

The question was what's more important and seeing the OP's post since I'd say hes just angry with Golf in general as he also mentions several club rules as opposed to just Golf rules

 

[Orikoru]

The question was what's more important and seeing the OP's post since I'd say hes just angry with Golf in general as he also mentions several club rules as opposed to just Golf rules

I don't know what you're talking about. We've just established the game is more important, as in theory you could play it without knowing the rules, in the way I described. Hit the ball towards the flag and figure out the rest as you go.

 

[bobmac]

The question was what's more important and seeing the OP's post since I'd say hes just angry with Golf in general as he also mentions several club rules as opposed to just Golf rules

Not true.
I'm just fed up with people sucking the fun out of it with their interpretation of how it should be played and dreaming up new ways to penalise/dq people, just because they can.
An ex pupil of mine, quite new to golf, didn't want to play in club comps because he didn't know all the rules and didn't want the shame of being dq'd for getting something wrong.

 

[Orikoru]

Not true.
I'm just fed up with people sucking the fun out of it with their interpretation of how it should be played and dreaming up new ways to penalise/dq people, just because they can.
An ex pupil of mine, quite new to golf, didn't want to play in club comps because he didn't know all the rules and didn't want the shame of being dq'd for getting something wrong.

Some of the posts in the rules forum on here do worry me at times. It genuinely seems like some people are on the look-out for infringements and actually enjoy calling them on people. I would always advise before the event if possible to save them breaking it, rather than calling it afterwards.

Someone I was playing with recently told us about an incident where someone gave him a penalty for teeing up in front of the markers. Wouldn't you just stop them as they put the tee in the ground rather than letting them hit?

In a betterball match once our opponents gave me and my partner a penalty because I was lining up a putt and my partner went and stood behind me, just watching really - I didn't even know he was there but they reckoned he was helping me line up which isn't allowed. I hadn't even hit the ball so surely they could have recognised there was no intent and just let me start again, but no. They were adamant, and the penalty was I was out of that hole. Sour taste for the rest of the match after that.

 

[Oddsocks]

The game. Most start out loving the game with a bare understanding of the rules which follow as they take the sport more seriously. If they got the full rule book first I doubt most would take the sport up.

 

[theoneandonly]

Some of the posts in the rules forum on here do worry me at times. It genuinely seems like some people are on the look-out for infringements and actually enjoy calling them on people. I would always advise before the event if possible to save them breaking it, rather than calling it afterwards.

Someone I was playing with recently told us about an incident where someone gave him a penalty for teeing up in front of the markers. Wouldn't you just stop them as they put the tee in the ground rather than letting them hit?

In a betterball match once our opponents gave me and my partner a penalty because I was lining up a putt and my partner went and stood behind me, just watching really - I didn't even know he was there but they reckoned he was helping me line up which isn't allowed. I hadn't even hit the ball so surely they could have recognised there was no intent and just let me start again, but no. They were adamant, and the penalty was I was out of that hole. Sour taste for the rest of the match after that.

Those examples are not problems with the rules, but with the dicks who are playing and in your case they were probably wrong anyway.

 

[Orikoru]

Those examples are not problems with the rules, but with the dicks who are playing and in your case they were probably wrong anyway.

I get that, but I think they are the sort of people that caused Bob to ask what's more important.

 

[KenL]

Not true.
I'm just fed up with people sucking the fun out of it with their interpretation of how it should be played and dreaming up new ways to penalise/dq people, just because they can.
An ex pupil of mine, quite new to golf, didn't want to play in club comps because he didn't know all the rules and didn't want the shame of being dq'd for getting something wrong.

Ah, now that comps are mentioned that changes things for me.
The basics of the rules are easy to grasp. R&A even publish a quick guide to the rules, at least they used to.
In a bounce game, it matters less.

 

[theoneandonly]

I get that, but I think they are the sort of people that caused Bob to ask what's more important.

I understand and Golf doesn't really do itself any favours when it comes to the stuffy image and and rules dept.
A friend once got stopped by the ranger and told to leave the coure as his socks were against the dress code ?? Who does that and enjoys it!

 

[Orikoru]

I understand and Golf doesn't really do itself any favours when it comes to the stuffy image and and rules dept.
A friend once got stopped by the ranger and told to leave the coure as his socks were against the dress code ?? Who does that and enjoys it!

It's happened to one of my mates as well. He was stopped on the tee and actually made late for his tee time because they made him go back to the pro shop and buy some white socks. It beggars belief in this day and age. I think that's a slight tangent though, we'd better not get people started on that. Maybe a new topic, what's more important - the game or the traditions?

 

[BiMGuy]

In a betterball match once our opponents gave me and my partner a penalty because I was lining up a putt and my partner went and stood behind me, just watching really - I didn't even know he was there but they reckoned he was helping me line up which isn't allowed. I hadn't even hit the ball so surely they could have recognised there was no intent and just let me start again, but no. They were adamant, and the penalty was I was out of that hole. Sour taste for the rest of the match after that.

I don't understand why you would accept the penalty. I'd be asking them to show me the exact rule I'd broken and proof of how I'd broken said rule.

I'm not sure I would even continue playing after such an incident. Let them have the game if they want to win so desperately.

 

[Orikoru]

I don't understand why you would accept the penalty. I'd be asking them to show me the exact rule I'd broken and proof of how I'd broken said rule.

I'm not sure I would even continue playing after such an incident. Let them have the game if they want to win so desperately.

I had heard of the rule, it was talked about a lot around that time (a couple of years back) because a pro got called upon it when his caddy was stood behind him lining him up, so it was in the news. We obviously weren't doing that, but broke the rule completely inadvertently. Also one of our opponents was the club secretary and I generally bow to his better knowledge of the rules, even if I think he was an arse for insisting upon this particular one.

This was a semi-final, so while we were peeved at their attitude, we didn't want to walk off having won two prior matches to get there, plus I just took it to mean that we had them rattled and it made us more determined. Unfortunately we finished all square and lost it on the first play-off hole.

 

[BiMGuy]

I had heard of the rule, it was talked about a lot around that time (a couple of years back) because a pro got called upon it when his caddy was stood behind him lining him up, so it was in the news. We obviously weren't doing that, but broke the rule completely inadvertently. Also one of our opponents was the club secretary and I generally bow to his better knowledge of the rules, even if I think he was an arse for insisting upon this particular one.

This was a semi-final, so while we were peeved at their attitude, we didn't want to walk off having won two prior matches to get there, plus I just took it to mean that we had them rattled and it made us more determined. Unfortunately we finished all square and lost it on the first play-off hole.

Fair enough. A semi final would change the decision somewhat.

Back in the day when I played a lot of competitive golf, I would have probably used the situation to spur me on. And probably also made them putt out every hole just to add a little more spice ?.

I'm somewhat more relaxed about things these days.

 

[Orikoru]

Fair enough. A semi final would change the decision somewhat.

Back in the day when I played a lot of competitive golf, I would have probably used the situation to spur me on. And probably also made them putt out every hole just to add a little more spice ?.

I'm somewhat more relaxed about things these days.

Funnily enough it was the first and only time we'd entered a match play comp like that, as a pair. As this was in 2019, prior to that I didn't really feel good enough to enter those things, and last year it wasn't held because four-balls weren't allowed for several months.

 

[Hobbit]

I had heard of the rule, it was talked about a lot around that time (a couple of years back) because a pro got called upon it when his caddy was stood behind him lining him up, so it was in the news. We obviously weren't doing that, but broke the rule completely inadvertently. Also one of our opponents was the club secretary and I generally bow to his better knowledge of the rules, even if I think he was an arse for insisting upon this particular one.

This was a semi-final, so while we were peeved at their attitude, we didn't want to walk off having won two prior matches to get there, plus I just took it to mean that we had them rattled and it made us more determined. Unfortunately we finished all square and lost it on the first play-off hole.

Not bang up to date on the rules - shock, horror - but neither your caddie nor a playing partner can stand on your line. An opponent can but you could ‘pull’ a Code of Conduct ruling and say they are distracting you.

 

[LincolnShep]

Not bang up to date on the rules - shock, horror - but neither your caddie nor a playing partner can stand on your line. An opponent can but you could ‘pull’ a Code of Conduct ruling and say they are distracting you.

Definitely one of the rules that should have been tidied up in the 2019 revision. Makes no sense that an opponent can stand in line and learn from your putt but a partner cannot. Should be neither or both.

 

[theoneandonly]

Definitely one of the rules that should have been tidied up in the 2019 revision. Makes no sense that an opponent can stand in line and learn from your putt but a partner cannot. Should be neither or both.

I'm pretty sure the rule was amended to cover accidental breaches, which is why I think they were wrong to call it out. Either way if it was clearly accidental then he shoukd have let it pass, which is OK in matchplay and then he could have said on the next tee to be mindfull of it.
I guess he was keen to get back and patrol the course for dress code violations.