What's the DUMBEST Rule in golf?

[AjaxGolf]

OK, but where does it end?

If your ball hits a rake and then bounces into a bunker because someone left the rake in a bad spot, should you get a free drop outside the bunker?

Rakes left in a bad spot are not caused by ignorant golfers. Footprints in sand traps are. The day I see a pro play out of someone else foot print is the day I will too. BTW there are days when I'm in a lot more than 3 or 4 traps. In the morning they are good. If your golfing in the afternoon, not so much.

[AjaxGolf]

John, you may be fighting a losing battle here, but I am with you. Golf, and life, are not fair, take the good with the bad, follow but don't "interpret" the rules, it is usually a wash in the end anyway.

I played a poor shot out of a divot this week, and blamed my lack of skill rather than the anonymous inconsiderate player.

And rightfully so, divots are not a rare thing, I play out of them all the time whether they are filled or the divot replaced, or still just dirt. You won't ever convince me that making a bad shot or any shot when you're 2 inches down in a footprint is lack of skill.

[Happyday J]

The one that has me blown away as a competitive player is what can be replaced on a green!!!
Ball marks and old holes, thats about it, can't touch the foot traffic.

If golf is a game about equity for the field how can you say that I guy playing in the morning vs the afternoon is playing the same golf course.

3 and 4 day events (like on tour) yes, you'll play on both sides of the draw, but 2 and 1 day events nope.

Especially with most of our qualifying events in Canada only being 18 holes, I never understood this. Throw in some weather day of, or days prior and shaft greens its like putting on a plinko board late in the day.

Thankfully the powers that be have come to their senses and this rule will be changed next year.


sidenote - believe me when I tell you, soft spikes, make a lot more of a mess than metal spikes did. Metal spikes were at least one puncture hole per spike you could get your way around it if you had to. Softspikes have 4-6 points of contact per spike, all causing depressions in a circular fashion in 5-7 places on one footprint. Trust me, in a tournament of 100+ guys all spending lots of time around the hole reading greens, it can be a mess.

[hoganapexplus]

late jumping in here, but having to play out of a divot, replace, refilled or whatever is just not fair. I hit a great drive, which happens to land in a poorly repaired section of fairway, and get penalized. That is not rub of the green, that is crap.

[rulie]

late jumping in here, but having to play out of a divot, replace, refilled or whatever is just not fair. I hit a great drive, which happens to land in a poorly repaired section of fairway, and get penalized. That is not rub of the green, that is crap.

Life, and golf, is full of challenges. Just play on and accept it as a challenge. The quality of the shot is irrelevant - maybe the tee shot was not as perfect as you thought?
As someone said - hit ball, find ball, hit ball again. Repeat until holed.

[Benz]

late jumping in here, but having to play out of a divot, replace, refilled or whatever is just not fair. I hit a great drive, which happens to land in a poorly repaired section of fairway, and get penalized. That is not rub of the green, that is crap.

You're in a match. Your opponent slices his tee shot into a wooded area and just misses a tree, but the ball does not come out. You slice your tee shot into the same wooded area, but the ball hits a tree and deflects back into the fairway.
Was that fair to your opponent? If so, why? If not, why not?

[golf nut]

Interesting perspective..

[Giller31]

I'd like to start by thanking all of you Nuts for talking about the divot thing because look what happened to me today. #8 at Copetown. Hit a 3 wood to lay up in front of the water. Stripe the ball straight down the middle....cue the loser game show music... as I got rewarded with....



I immediately thought of this thread and ended up thinning my next shot over the green and had to come back over those pine trees. So my efforts resulted with a triple But such is life. Gotta play it as it lies.

[rulie]

I'd like to start by thanking all of you Nuts for talking about the divot thing because look what happened to me today. #8 at Copetown. Hit a 3 wood to lay up in front of the water. Stripe the ball straight down the middle....cue the loser game show music... as I got rewarded with....



I immediately thought of this thread and ended up thinning my next shot over the green and had to come back over those pine trees. So my efforts resulted with a triple But such is life. Gotta play it as it lies.

Agreed - sometimes tough luck happens, sometimes good luck happens. However, people remember the tough luck, and just accept the good breaks as normal.

[Ignatius Reilly]

I'd like to start by thanking all of you Nuts for talking about the divot thing because look what happened to me today. #8 at Copetown. Hit a 3 wood to lay up in front of the water. Stripe the ball straight down the middle....cue the loser game show music... as I got rewarded with....



I immediately thought of this thread and ended up thinning my next shot over the green and had to come back over those pine trees. So my efforts resulted with a triple But such is life. Gotta play it as it lies.

I've hit my fair share of thin shots in my life, but...

OVER the trees OVER the green?

You sir, are my hero!

[Giller31]

Agreed - sometimes tough luck happens, sometimes good luck happens. However, people remember the tough luck, and just accept the good breaks as normal.

absolutely. there are countless good bounces that we get that we accept as the "norm". I've had shots heading to the trees and bounce back into the fairway. It is what it is.

I don't disagree though that it can be frustrating when another golfer can "fq up" things for us. Footprints in bunkers are unfortunate because of lazy people. My ball hit a rake inside a bunker and when I moved the rake, my ball sat where it was and it was a horrible lie versus had the rake been outside the bunker (where it belongs), my ball would've rolled to the bottom of the bunker and I would've had a better shot. But you can't account for dummies unfortunately.

[Giller31]

I've hit my fair share of thin shots in my life, but...

OVER the trees OVER the green?

You sir, are my hero!

don't let the pic fool you. I was about 85 yards out from there.

[hoganapexplus]

You're in a match. Your opponent slices his tee shot into a wooded area and just misses a tree, but the ball does not come out. You slice your tee shot into the same wooded area, but the ball hits a tree and deflects back into the fairway.
Was that fair to your opponent? If so, why? If not, why not?

Interesting seque into non connected territory. If I slice it in the woods I deserve to stay in the woods, if I hit it into the fairway I should be hitting off grass not fill.

[Golden Domer]

I am not even sure if I am going to articulate this properly but the only way I can describe it is the DOUBLE HIT off a chip on the fringe. I have no idea how i do this and on the same standpoint have no idea how to correct it but today I was chipping in some deep rough onto the green and on the follow through of the chip, the ball made contact with my club and my opponent said "in a tournament, that is a 2 stroke penalty." I am not saying its a stupid rule, i am saying I don't understand how it happens, how to correct it and most of all, how that would be a two stroke penalty.

[Golden Domer]

Now for a rule that I think is stupid, is hitting your ball perfectly in the middle of a fairway and the ball stops in a horrible divot that was unfilled by a previous golfer and you are penalized by having to play your ball out of what I consider is a hazard for hitting your ball exactly where you are supposed to hit it!!! Now that is ridiculous... Just sayin!!!