Interesting Ruling

[Richie3Jack]

A friend of mine was playing in the city championship back home in the quarterfinals. They play this much like the US Amateur with a qualifying round and then you go to match play. The only difference is that they have 2 flights and it's only a 1 day qualifying round. Plus, this takes place over 3 weeks IIRC since people work for a living and have to schedule a match.

Anyway, they were tied going into the 17th hold and both guys hit their ball down the fairway, about 10 feet apart from each other. My friend's opponent is the first to hit the approach and my friend sees a noticeable amount of mud on his ball and shows good sportsmanship and tells him that he'll allow him to lift, clean and place the ball since that hole was drenched, he did hit the fairway and he thought it wasn't fair to his opponent to have that mud on the ball.

The opponent actually declines. Says, 'thanks, but no thanks.' And then he promptly sticks it to about 10 feet from the flag. My friend then goes and hits his shot and misses the green.

As my friend goes to hit his 3rd shot, he notices that ball wasn't his and then they piece it together. His opponent, who hit the ball with mud on it, had actually mistakenly hit my friend's ball.

So, they had no idea on the ruling and since they don't exactly have rules officials on hand they went to 18 and tied the 18th hole.

Finding out, the rule is that the player who first hits the wrong ball is the one who is penalized and loses the hole. So my friend winds up winning the match, 1 up.







3JACK

[cloran]

That's a really stupid rule. Both players played the wrong ball, but I guess in match play things are a little different.

I think INTENT should be emphasised more with these rules. A few months ago I was playing a decent round. I hit my tee shot on a par 4 into the right rough. I walk up, find my ball (callaway HX Tour #3). The rough was thick and I could only see the top of the ball, but it was mine (or so I thought). I play the ball and hit it onto the green. When I get on the green I see that it's not MY ball... same make/model/number etc. But not my ball.

I run back down the fairway and find MY ball 3 feet away from where the first one was.

I play my ball and par the hole... then read the rule, take a 2 stroke penalty for a double bogey. My intentions were pure, I didn't finish the hole with the wrong ball, etc...

Some of the rules are ridiculous.

[Richie3Jack]

I forgot to mention that both were hitting Titleist balls. But, match play is a different bird so I can see why that rule is in place.





3JACK

[jonnygrouville]

Bunkers full of water is the worst rule in golf. I played a tournament one sunny British January in gale force winds and every bunker was full of water. They immediately become little water hazards; it is 'casual water', but if there isn't anywhere left in the bunker to drop, you have to drop out and it isn't free because you aren't in the hazard.

Hmmm. Not many other options, but made it tricky.

My home course also has a lateral water hazard with blue stakes. It is the same as a red staked hazard, but you are not allowed to play from what is actually a beach sometimes quite crowded with people sun-bathing. A mate who was secretary of the rules committee for the R&A said it was the only place he could think of with a local rule like this... and hates it!

[cloran]

Listening to Matt Adams show on Sirius this morning I heard perhaps the worst rule ever...
Aparently, if you come to a blind shot you CAN NOT use a golf cart to go look ahead and make sure play is clear or where the green is. You CAN walk there but not take the cart. 2 stroke penalty for "scouting..." Seriously?!

How may times has THAT rule been broken?

[Richie3Jack]

Gotta love how the rules officials really think these rules out.




3JACK

[gmbtempe]

Aug 24, 2010 8:07:09 GMT -5 cloran said:

Listening to Matt Adams show on Sirius this morning I heard perhaps the worst rule ever...
Aparently, if you come to a blind shot you CAN NOT use a golf cart to go look ahead and make sure play is clear or where the green is. You CAN walk there but not take the cart. 2 stroke penalty for "scouting..." Seriously?!

How may times has THAT rule been broken?

I almost would question that, is he with the USGA? There is too broad an interpretation then. What exactly is "scouting", and why would using a cart versus walking have any impact on anything?

[cloran]

In this particular situation the golfer that got penalized was in a cart and his playing partner was not. Aparently he gained an unfair advantage by using the cart... insane.

If I remember correctly this was a stroke play event at his club. They asked the PGA Pro after the round and he was assessed a 2 stroke penalty.

[Richie3Jack]

The Casey Martin case kind of exposed the Rule Officials for being more interested in being rules following dorks than actually caring about the game. It wasn't that difficult to sift thru and figure out that Martin wasn't getting an advantage in the end with his leg condition and that most people in golf could care less about a golfer walking versus riding or what the Senior Tour gets away with when it comes to carts.

Instead, they held their ground in being rules following dorks and came off to the rest of the world as cruel and uncaring, all for a guy who never won a PGA Tour event because even though he had the talent, the leg condition just wouldn't let him.






3JACK

[bentshaft]

The Casey Martin ruling was an abomination...

I believe he is coaching up in Oregon now. Sooner or later, he will have that limb cut off, and I have no doubt they still wouldn't let him use a cart!

Absolutely sick...

I'm sure if Erik Compton starts getting too winded on hilly courses, the same ruling would come about; After all, 2 heart transplants isn't really that big a deal...

[Richie3Jack]

With my past health issues at the time I had a similar leg condition as Martin. It's basically one of the most awful experiences you can have...and deal with it day-after-day.






3JACK