When they say no competitions...

[Mandofred]

Hypothetical.....wink wink...I'm signed up for a 36 hole comp on the 17th. Yeah, I know it can't be an official ball dropping into the hole competition....but is there a reason they couldn't hold it anyway under current virus rules? I'd be fine with what we had...which was upside down cup a little below ground level.....ball either in it or not. We were having too many arguments before the lockdown about whether the ball had hit the bottom of the flag or not. Our rule at that time was just hit the bottom of the flag. A number of balls dropped down into the cup and spun out....sometimes hitting the flag, many times not. People were claiming it had hit....others not.....pistols were drawn.....

 

[2blue]

Hypothetical.....wink wink...I'm signed up for a 36 hole comp on the 17th. Yeah, I know it can't be an official ball dropping into the hole competition....but is there a reason they couldn't hold it anyway under current virus rules? I'd be fine with what we had...which was upside down cup a little below ground level.....ball either in it or not. We were having too many arguments before the lockdown about whether the ball had hit the bottom of the flag or not. Our rule at that time was just hit the bottom of the flag. A number of balls dropped down into the cup and spun out....sometimes hitting the flag, many times not. People were claiming it had hit....others not.....pistols were drawn.....

Who's going to want to handle your Score-cards?

 

[2blue]

Why would you bother arguing about whether the ball had hit the bottom of the cup???

People who want to win money, I guess.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

Hypothetical.....wink wink...I'm signed up for a 36 hole comp on the 17th. Yeah, I know it can't be an official ball dropping into the hole competition....but is there a reason they couldn't hold it anyway under current virus rules? I'd be fine with what we had...which was upside down cup a little below ground level.....ball either in it or not. We were having too many arguments before the lockdown about whether the ball had hit the bottom of the flag or not. Our rule at that time was just hit the bottom of the flag. A number of balls dropped down into the cup and spun out....sometimes hitting the flag, many times not. People were claiming it had hit....others not.....pistols were drawn.....

Ball stays in the cup = holed. If not, not holed, no matter how deep or shallow the cup is. Or what am I missing?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ball stays in the cup = holed. If not, not holed, no matter how deep or shallow the cup is. Or what am I missing?

We'll probably resume as we finished - with cups in the holes removed and replaced upside down. Due to the nature of the underside of the 'cup' it was easy for a ball that would normally drop to stay out - so our rule was that if our ball hit the flag 'straight on' it was deemed to be holed whether it had 'dropped' or not. This did lead to a couple of contentious discussions in our group on whether the flag was hit sufficiently straight on, but generally in equity over a round it worked OK.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

We'll probably resume as we finished - with cups in the holes removed and replaced upside down. Due to the nature of the underside of the 'cup' it was easy for a ball that would normally drop to stay out - so our rule was that if our ball hit the flag 'straight on' it was deemed to be holed whether it had 'dropped' or not. This did lead to a couple of contentious discussions in our group on whether the flag was hit sufficiently straight on, but generally in equity over a round it worked OK.

Ok, if you decide that amongst friends I guess it's all fine, but from a perspective of using that agreement in a competition seems, well, not very well thought through.

Approach this issue using KISS - Keep it simple, stupid.

 

[Mandofred]

But what relevance is whether the ball may or may not have hit the bottom of the flag? (edited from cup)

It's a competition. It's either in.....or it's not. Hitting the bottom of the flag is a judgement call. I don't want to argue. I just want it in......or not. Relevance??? It's IN.....or it's OUT.

 

[rosecott]

https://www.facebook.com/313320172019736/posts/3198888113462913

 

[Grant85]

I'd guess solutions will be found (such as the ball extractor) and rules bent or broken to allow competitive golf, if this was continue to continue throughout the year.

 

[Mandofred]

Yeah but why are you mentioning "hitting the bottom of the flag" and "people claiming it had hit"?????
What relevance do you think that has?

OK....I'll try to explain this better. Before the lockdown, the club decided to turn the cups upside down so they were a little below the surface of the grass...less than an inch. The flag stuck out of the cup the same as usual. The rule that "they" decided was that the ball had to hit the flag to count. Other clubs pulled the whole cup up out of the ground and you had to bounce the ball off the whole cup....whatever. The RULE was you had to hit the bottom of the flag. I'm not saying this rule was good or bad.....but it was the rule. I never liked this rule because it is then up to a judgement call......like gymnastics. I don't like the rule because there is room for disagreement. With "normal" golf....the ball either drops into the hole.....or it doesn't. Close doesn't count. Rolling around the cup doesn't count. But....there were arguments about whether it had hit on its path past the flag. What don't you understand?

 

[Mandofred]

On the basis that I lost my crystal ball, how would anyone know that you were referring to an idiotic made up rule that nobody's ever heard of?

Because I explained that that was the rule that we were playing by. If I go out with you tomorrow to play.....and the rule we agree to is that you must putt one handed and you don't do it......I'm going to zap you for not following the rules. Is the rule dumb? maybe.....but it's the rule. You do realise that sports have rules? You do realise that sometimes there are comps where you only have 3 clubs? If it's the rule (dumb or otherwise)...it's the rule.

 

[Mandofred]

Just for the record, you did not explain it at all, hence I asked.
Read again what you wrote.

I did read the original post again. 3rd line down......hit the bottom of the flag. Seems clear to me.

 

[Old Skier]

https://www.englandgolf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/A-Framework-for-Playing-Golf.docx

 

[IanM]

I thought the removal of comps was more about "no scorecards to be swapped, reviewed or keyed, no cash entry fees or wee envelopes to be messed around with. No issues with GUR bunkers or gimmes....

Just go and play. For now. or no golf until every single nuance of R&A Statute can be adhered to?

 

[Italian outcast]

i think they are looking at comps here in Italy - will know more next week

 

[Mandofred]

You didn't write it big enough ?

Fair enough...I went back thinking I'd messed up (I'm a couple beers into it)....it is what it is or, as the famous buckaroo banzai says

 

[Mandofred]

Nope, my fault.
Still a silly rule ??

Still.....you can only play by the rules.....If I have to stand on one leg to hit the ball....I'm gonna stand on one leg, because that's the rule. Actually.....might be a great comp!!!!

 

[nickjdavis]

https://www.facebook.com/313320172019736/posts/3198888113462913

We have a guy at our club who runs an engineering firm...he's just knocked up 18 of these for our club. Don't have to mess about with ludicrous suggestions of having a cup protruding above the edge of the hole and the ball being holed if it glances the cup. No risking balls bouncing out of "shallow" cups.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We'll probably go back to the upturned cup as we were before lockdown. Ball had to be resting in the hole to be considered holed. Whether that was correct or not wasn't the point. It was a simple and equitable arrangement. As for competitions I can't see why any club would allow this in the current climate with all of the logistics about entering, collecting money and dealing with the scorecards

 

[jim8flog]

I thought the removal of comps was more about "no scorecards to be swapped, reviewed or keyed,

The guidleines for scorecards were already issued and agreed before we went in to lockdown. Same for the new rules for bunkers (lift clean and place).

If you are on Intelligent Golf they have already produced an app to work with the guidelines.