Headphones in a match?

[Augster]

I’m having trouble finding it. Where is the rule that says you can’t wear headphones while you play. I type “headphones” into the rules app and get nothing.

Thanks.

[Mr. Bean]

No wonder you cannot find it as it is not there...

Rule 4.3a(4) gives you guidance on the issue.

[Augster]

OMG. So a player IS allowed to wear headphones as long as he’s doing it “for the right reasons”. That is, because he likes music. If he’s doing it to block distractions, including hearing someone yell FoRE, or if he’s listening because it calms him, relaxes him, or helps him with his tempo, then it’s illegal.

The USGA/RNA really botched that rule

[Mr. Bean]

'The USGA/RNA really botched that rule'

I disagree with your view.

Golf is based on integrity. If I want to listen to music that calms me down I am entitled to do that. But I am not allowed to listen to music that helps me in keeping my swing tempo. You as an outsider could never tell the difference but I can so I am not doing it. I could keep on singing or whistling instead, what would you do about that?

You are not allowed to use ear plugs to reduce the noise as that would be contrary to the spirit of R4.3a(4). If you keep the spirit as your guide you will see that this Rule is just fine.

EDIT: Do also note that the old Decision 14-3/17 has been 'discarded' and is being replaced by Rule 4.3a(4) meaning that even prolonged listening to music is now allowed. At least that is how I understand the current texts.

EDIT2: Wearing headphones on the course has been dealt with on this forum before, and it is still my personal view that wearing headphones in the company of others shows lack of good manners and is a sign of seriously limited social skills. Not a rules issue but an alarming one nonetheless.

[Shilgy]

I would think your idea is incorrect. “Listening because it keeps you calm” would in my opinion fall under the forbidden category. Same as the helps with tempo and blocks distractions. Or does it need to be expressly forbidden in writing to count?

[2bGood]

I have no dog in this fight (don't listen to music, don't know anyone who does).

...but given the rule expressly says 'background music' is allowed and background music is partly defined as 'music to create a mood or atmosphere', playing music that creates a calm atmosphere (or happy atmosphere, or energetic atmosphere etc.) not only seems not against the rules, but actually is encouraged in the rules as 'background music' is given as an example of something allowed in rule 4.3.

Of course my interpretation relies on the definition of 'background music', so I included a few definitions below.

 

Wikipedia:Background music refers to a mode of musical performance in which the music is not intended to be a primary focus of potential listeners, but its content, character, and volume level are deliberately chosen to affect behavioral and emotional responses in humans such a concentration, relaxation, distraction, and excitement.

 

Dictionary.com:

background musicSEE SYNONYMS FOR background music ON THESAURUS.COMnounmusic, often recorded, intended to provide a soothing background, usually played over loudspeaker systems in public places, as railway stations or restaurants.

music composed specifically to accompany and heighten the mood of a visual production, as a movie.

 

English Wiktionary:

background-musicNoun

(uncountable)

Any music played in a public space whose main function is to create an atmospheresuitable to a specific occasion, rather than to be listened to.Any music in a film, video game, or other medium that establishes mood and is not meant to have the audience's focus.

 

[oikos1]

Too funny. So if the foursome on the next hole over is jamming some Snoop Dogg and my opponent hears it (listens, as per 4.3a(4)) and smokes his driver down the fairway and turns to me and says "Man, that really helped my tempo", is he now penalized?

[antip]

This is an interesting issue. IMO, listening to music to calm me down is a grey zone because some folk may align its meaning and practice with background music (benign) but others as taking away distractions or helping with swing tempo (not benign). I don't think the printed word in 4.3a(4) delivers a definitive answer. I believe further RB guidance would be helpful here.

For sure, making your own music (whistling/singing) or incantations of 'Om Mani Padme Hum' are no breach. There is an important divide between measures the person does personally versus measures delivered via an artificial object.

[Sawgrass]

Hold up a flag to see wind direction? Penalty. Look at an existing flag on a roof? No penalty.

 

Play your own music to help your tempo? Penalty. Listen to the same music played by someone else, over which you have no control? No penalty.

[oikos1]

Not Allowed.Listening to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo, orI don't see where it says "Listen to the same music played by someone else, over which you have no control". However, this would imply that within a four ball match, my partner could play music that for him was only background music but for me helps my tempo and we would be fine within the rules?

[2bGood]

 

[Sawgrass]

Let’s take this a step at a time. Start with my wind direction analogy. Do you believe it’s illegal to look at the flapping flag on top of the clubhouse since 4.3a(2) forbids measuring wind speed?

[antip]

No rabbit hole here. If your partner plays music that helps your tempo you are breached, period. Rule 23.5.

[2bGood]

Sure, partner is easy enough but the rabbit hole is the rule says nothing about PLAYING music. The rule is about 'listening to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo'

So if someone else outside your control (not your partner) plays music that helps with your tempo - you break the rules by listening.

I have to say I agree with the poster above, that rule in this case leave a bit too much to the imagination .

[Sawgrass]

The rule prohibits listening to music TO achieve certain goals. When you listen to ambient music, you are not making a choice to do anything.

 

Surely you don’t believe that I, a competitor of yours, could cause you to get a penalty simply by turning on some music and subjecting you to it. (I assure you that I would not have that power.)

The prohibition is . . .

Listening to music or other audio to eliminate distractions or to help with swing tempo, . . .

[2bGood]

You are correct, I don't believe for a second that this silly scenario could cause you a penalty. I am pointing out that the wording of the rule is inexact in nature.

 

Well maybe it could cause a penalty.... I used to have a tempo track that I used to practice, and I actually find it very helpful (little piano notes). Lets say instead of using earphones like most people do, someone was practicing and playing their tempo track through a speaker near a tee box . I am within earshot and actively start listening to the track to help with my tempo. Rule broken?

[Augster]

While actively listening to ambient music, that is, music you or your partner are not playing, and using that ambient music to help your tempo ISN’T a breech by the “intent” of the rule, I do agree the actual wording of the rule is too imprecise to relay that intent. The word “listening” was a horrible choice to use by the ruling bodies.

That entire section needs a rewrite.

Two guys I know are playing a match and are on the 2nd green, which is below and to the right of the 7th tee I’m on. I say hi to Joe, he says hi back. I say hi to Ty, and he’s just going about his business. Joe says, “He can’t hear you, he’s got AirPods in”. That’s when I tried to look it up and started this thread.

I am quite shocked this is allowed by the ROG. If only from a safety standpoint. If someone yells fore, they won’t hear it, and there’s a chance they could get smoked right in the face. “They deserve it” comes to mind, but it’s really not fair to the guy that hit the wayward ball, yelled fore, then saw the guy not even attempt to get out of the way and is now a bloody heap. I know if it was my tee ball, I’d feel awful for a long time. The Ruling bodies have completely missed protecting golfers by kowtowing to the music mafia with a “They’re going to play music anyway, so we may as well make it legal” stance.

Even though I absolutely hate music on the course, I’d much rather have groups with AirPods in. If they HAVE to listen to music, at least I’m not forced to also. Having a guy get his face crushed every so often is the trade off, and I’m okay with that.

[antip]

As to the last sentence I am within earshot and actively start listening to the track to help with my tempo. Rule broken? My answer would be not in the first instance but once you are aware that the tempo track is in your head you should be making effort to get it stopped. This principle crops up in a number of places in the Official Guide.

[Mr. Bean]

'“He can’t hear you, he’s got AirPods in”'

That is pretty close listening to music in order to eliminate distractions. If you cannot hear other people talking (or yelling 'fore') you are in breach, IMO.

[oikos1]

"once you are aware that the tempo track is in your head you should be making effort to get it stopped"

So wait a minute. It's perfectly legal for someone to be playing background music, but if I become aware that what I'm listening to helps my tempo, and my golf swing, and this person is not my partner, it is my responsibility to engage whoever is playing the music and ask them to stop playing their music because my listening to their music is improving my swing which requires me to be penalized?

 

[Mr. Bean]

That is a very intriguing issue. I believe antip is comparing this to the concept of advice. If someone in the audience is giving you advice you should make every effort to stop that. However, music that is not being generated for you or by you is IMO a different issue and a player should not be penalized for listening to music someone else (other than your partner etc.) generates. I have a hard time to accept that Ruling Bodies would have actually meant 'listening to music' as listening to any source of music there might be on or near the course.

[2bGood]

How the rule is written seems to imply this is correct you must attempt to to stop the music. I would point to rule/interpretation 10.2a/2 as very similar situation for some guidance :

10.2a/2 – Player Must Try to Stop Ongoing Advice That Is Given VoluntarilyIf a player gets advice from someone other than his or her caddie (such as a spectator) without asking for it, he or she gets no penalty. However, if the player continues to get advice from that same person, the player must try to stop that person from giving advice. If the player does not do so, he or she is treated as asking for that advice and gets the penalty under Rule 10.2a.

I am going to guess that is the player is responsible to attempt to stop unsolicited advice, they are also responsible to attempt to stop music they are not playing, but are listening to that helps with their tempo. The key word is attempt as the rules recognize you may not/don't have control to stop it.

 

 

[antip]

There are a number of places where the principle arises - if someone else if taking an action that assists your play, your ball etc that would be a breach if you took that action - then you should be attempting to prevent the action from occurring. This is another:1.3c(1)/1 – Action of Another Person Breaches a Rule For PlayerA player is responsible when another person’s action breaches a Rule with respect to the player if it is done at the player’s request or if the player sees the action and allows it.

In this case, there is a qualification, identified in 1.3c(1) last bullet point - the player would have to know that the action is a breach.

Does playing music actually occur on the course in the US? Is that bizarre combination that Oikos1 cites an actual thing? I can report on Australian golf courses since the late 60s I have never heard anyone audibly playing music in competition golf or seen anyone playing competition golf while listening with headphones. I also believe if it ever happened it would be shut down by the Committee in a heartbeat - that there would be zero tolerance for it.

[LeoLeo99]

On what basis would the committee shut it down? Because they don't like it isn't a good enough reason. If there is no rules breach, why would the committee shut it down?

[Sawgrass]

I respectfully disagree with your application of this principle. Do you agree that we are allowed to deliberately focus on a clubhouse flag hoisted by the course to gain wind direction or speed information? Or do you believe we are required to ask that it be dropped?

Here is the principle which should be applied:

 

4.3a(4)/1 – Viewing Video That Is Being Shown at the Course

There is no breach of Rule 4.3a(4) if a player views video that is being shown for the benefit of spectators at a golf competition.

For example, if a player is standing on a tee waiting to play, and he or she is able to see a public screen showing live coverage of the competition, statistical information, wind speed or other similar things, there is no breach of the Rule 4.3 if the player watches the coverage or views the information, even if it could help the player in choosing a club, making a stroke, or deciding how to play.

[Mr. Bean]

'Does playing music actually occur on the course in the US? Is that bizarre combination that Oikos1 cites an actual thing? I can report on Australian golf courses since the late 60s I have never heard anyone audibly playing music in competition golf or seen anyone playing competition golf while listening with headphones. I also believe if it ever happened it would be shut down by the Committee in a heartbeat - that there would be zero tolerance for it.'

It ONLY takes place in US. Never seen it anywhere in Europe and it seems this phenomenon does not exist in Australia either. At least around here people respect each other and would not even dream of playing music out loud when playing. Well, each have their own culture...

[Mr. Bean]

I believe antip refers to situations where the player has an option to interfere. But even in such instances I am very reluctant to start giving penalties to players who pick up a sound/noise/rhythm from the ambient and use it to their benefit. That IMHO goes beyond reasonable.

[antip]

I think a number of contributors are making assumptions that I am arguing for penalty. Not so, please revisit #18 and #23. I am suggesting that if a player is getting an advantage from the behaviour of another person and is in a position to do something about it then they should be exploring precisely that. If someone you are playing with in your group has that music playing and it is giving you a tempo, I'm suggesting you are bound by 1.3c(1) to intervene.

[rogolf]

While I fully support Rule 1.2a and playing with integrity, I think that listening to ambient noise for the benefit of a player's tempo is a stretch and not comparable to unsolicited advice. I would not expect the player to do anything about the ambient noise unless it was being generated by himself, his caddie, his partner or partner's caddie.

[2bGood]

We are on the far edges of the hypothetical now, but I could see instances I would expect a player to take action to have music turned off that is being played by others.

We have had a few club events that members will follow the leaders. It has occurred that a well meaning member, ignorant of the rules, have offered unsolicited advice to a friend. Of course they are told they can't do that and not to do it again, including by the player as the rules would require.

It is a huge stretch that this would happen.... But what if a well meaning spectator decides to play music he knows a player likes to listen to ( to assist with their tempo when practicing)? I believe the player must request them to stop in order to prevent a potential penalty. Wether they stop or not does not matter, the request would be enough to avoid any potential penalty.