If you were king for a day, what one golf rule would you change?

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, Golferpaul said:

That would certainly make the rules consistent.  

 

Exactly.

[MikeW2]

This might not be popular either, but I’d bifurcate the rules. Stay with rules as is for tour, tournaments, high level am events, etc… the have a more relaxed set for casual players

[Newby]

1 hour ago, MikeW2 said:

 the have a more relaxed set for casual players

But which would you relax?

[Shilgy]

9 hours ago, sui generis said:

Booo! There are several good arguments in favor of E-5 and next to no valid arguments against E-5, except, "I just don't like it." 😀

If it is such a good rule then make it one….not just a MLR.

 

Well gee, that’s an awful idea……….

[sui generis]

1 hour ago, jvincent said:

Don't want to hit off a cart path? No problem, take an unplayable.  Garbage can, that was there when you hit your tee shot, in the way? Take an unplayable. 

 

The hoi polloi would be at the gates of your palace shouting, "Off with his head." 😉

[sui generis]

14 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

If it is such a good rule then make it one….not just a MLR.

 

The intro to E-5 suggests why it is best suited to be a Local Rule.

 

E-5 Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds

Purpose. When a provisional ball has not been played, significant issues with pace of play can result for a player needing to take stroke-and-distance relief for a ball that is out of bounds or cannot be found. The purpose of this Local Rule is to allow a Committee to provide an extra relief option that allows a player to play on without returning to the location of the previous stroke.

 

The Local Rule is appropriate for general play where golfers are playing casual rounds or playing their own competitions. The Local Rule is not appropriate for competitions limited to highly skilled players (that is, professional competitions and elite amateur competitions).

 

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/rules-of-golf/rules-and-interpretations.html#!ruletype=cp&section=rule&rulenum=8&subrulenum=5

 

[Shilgy]

8 minutes ago, sui generis said:

 

The intro to E-5 suggests why it is best suited to be a Local Rule.

 

E-5 Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds

Purpose. When a provisional ball has not been played, significant issues with pace of play can result for a player needing to take stroke-and-distance relief for a ball that is out of bounds or cannot be found. The purpose of this Local Rule is to allow a Committee to provide an extra relief option that allows a player to play on without returning to the location of the previous stroke.

 

The Local Rule is appropriate for general play where golfers are playing casual rounds or playing their own competitions. The Local Rule is not appropriate for competitions limited to highly skilled players (that is, professional competitions and elite amateur competitions).

 

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/rules-of-golf/rules-and-interpretations.html#!ruletype=cp&section=rule&rulenum=8&subrulenum=5

 

So it’s basically for those that refuse to play a provisional.

[antip]

9 hours ago, dugue4 said:

I would require netting on the right side of the fairway. 

Just need to find a use for all that netting the day after.

[antip]

Eliminate the capacity to receive ANY advice during play. It is you, your gear, the golf course. Everybody equal. 

[sui generis]

21 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

So it’s basically for those that refuse to play a provisional.

 

Even with E-5, there are times when the provisional might be the smart play.

 

My ball off the toe into the spinach 100 yards right would suggest that I play a provisional.

 

Your ball out to 335 and maybe OB would suggest that E-5 is your friend and that you might not wish to play a provisional. Of course, E-5 is merely an additional option as you always are entitled to stroke-and-distance.

[DaveLeeNC]

1 hour ago, Shilgy said:

So it’s basically for those that refuse to play a provisional.

 

Where I play  we have pinestraw all over the place in areas that would be rough in many courses. Any ball in the pinestraw is a potential lost ball and a provisional for every ball in (or possibly in) the pinestraw is a WHOLE BUNCH of provisionals with the guys I play with on our courses. 

 

dave

Edited January 24, 2022 by DaveLeeNC

[MikeW2]

1 hour ago, Newby said:

But which would you relax?

Mostly equipment because as pros get longer and longer the rules to limit that effect the regular guy disproportionately and barely touch what the elite can do with their equipment.

[caniac6]

If I were King, I would grant relief from divots in the fairway you are playing. It’s a royal proclamation, so no debate. The King has spoken!

[Shilgy]

24 minutes ago, caniac6 said:

If I were King, I would grant relief from divots in the fairway you are playing. It’s a royal proclamation, so no debate. The King has spoken!

If I were king we would quit dumbing down the game and making it “easier”.

 

We’ll just change the name from golf to Play It Like It Lies.

[bobfoster]

That stupid rule that says the score you write on your scorecard has to be the actual number of strokes you took on the hole. That rule has tortured me for over five decades. 🤣

 

PS. I bring this up because a guy that actually was (sort of) a King really did that. Kim Jong Il. Who (says he) shot a 34 (including 5 hole in ones) when he ruled North Korea. 

 

https://golf.com/news/behind-kim-jong-ils-famous-round-of-golf/

Edited January 24, 2022 by bobfoster

[dugue4]

3 hours ago, antip said:

Just need to find a use for all that netting the day after.

I would hope that they would just say it’s too much work and leave it up. Either that, or rig out a fleet of shrimp boats. 

[cgasucks]

Do away with the 2010 groove rule.

[Mr. Bean]

8 hours ago, Halebopp said:

 

I'd like to see S&D being the only relief option for a while, for everything. If you can't play the ball as it lies, go back and try again. The two things that should happen is players putting more emphasis on keeping the ball in play (which might actually lead to lower scores on average) and a newly-found appreciation for all the relief possibilities provided within the current set of rules.

 

In a perfect world it would move people from thinking about the rules being stupid for penalising player for "everything" to a more positive mindset of the rules providing the possibility to get away from very bad situations at the cost of just a single stroke. Even for free occasionally.

 

Let us take this a bit further and use the North Korea model. OB lines are on both sides of the fairway two meters from the edges. You hit until you find the fairway. No need to search for a ball, ever.

[oikos1]

"If you were king for a day, what one golf rule would you change?"

Lol.  Wrong forum.  Rules guys don't change rules, they follow rules.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by oikos1

[2bGood]

Rule I would change would be:

 

Drops can be made between knee and shoulder.

 

I think the RB's missed big time on this, for some older golfers the knee drop is awkward and why not give some room for error (kind of like one club length). 

 

yep - I dont have many rules gripes if this is my biggest one.

Edited January 24, 2022 by 2bGood

[BlackDiamondPar5]

This thread made me think of this... which is a really great song 🙂

 

 

[nsxguy]

18 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

Exactly.

 

I can just see Mr. Vincent, tied for the lead on the last hole with his ball lying on, or immediately behind, one of those 100/150/200/250 yardage discs, or poles, in the middle of the fairway or perhaps in the depression of, or lying on or against, a sprinkler head just off the green saying "Oh well. Dems da breaks". 

 

 

[nsxguy]

Oh, and btw, easily the number 1 complaint of pretty much all golfers is pace of play.

 

But "we" don't like E-5.

 

And oh, btw, can't the provisional end up just as lost as the original ball ? And then we hit another provisional ?

 

And, serious question btw, don't we have 3 minutes to find both the original and the 1st provisional ? Assuming the 2nd provisional finds the fairway that is - otherwise,,,,,,,,

 

And note "The Local Rule is not appropriate for competitions limited to highly skilled players (that is, professional competitions and elite amateur competitions)."

 

Pretty funny actually.

Edited January 24, 2022 by nsxguy

[jvincent]

16 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

I can just see Mr. Vincent, tied for the lead on the last hole with his ball lying on, or immediately behind, one of those 100/150/200/250 yardage discs, or poles, in the middle of the fairway or perhaps in the depression of, or lying on or against, a sprinkler head just off the green saying "Oh well. Dems da breaks". 

 

 

 

If it were a pole, you could remove it. But in the other cases I'd be fine. Normal golf cursing would occur.

Edited January 24, 2022 by jvincent

[nsxguy]

Just now, jvincent said:

 

If it were a pole, you could remove it. But in the other cases I'd be fine. Normal and golf cursing would occur.

 

Fair enough,,,,,,,, and easy to say,,,,,,,,,,, here and now,,,,,,,,,,

[jvincent]

4 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

Fair enough,,,,,,,, and easy to say,,,,,,,,,,, here and now,,,,,,,,,,

 

If those were the rules I'd be perfectly fine with it.

 

I've played off cart paths many times because the drop would have been in a bad lie or given a bad angle. People always look at me like I'm from Mars because they just assume a drop is always a better option.

[nsxguy]

45 minutes ago, jvincent said:

 

If those were the rules I'd be perfectly fine with it.

 

I've played off cart paths many times because the drop would have been in a bad lie or given a bad angle. People always look at me like I'm from Mars because they just assume a drop is always a better option.

 

Playing by the Rules is not the question here.

 

And NOT the same argument. But you already know that.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by nsxguy

[jvincent]

1 minute ago, nsxguy said:

 

NOT the same argument. But you already know that.

 

True. Hence the cursing.

 

Thankfully there is no rule against that.

[Golferpaul]

17 hours ago, DaveLeeNC said:

 

Where I play  we have pinestraw all over the place in areas that would be rough in many courses. Any ball in the pinestraw is a potential lost ball and a provisional for every ball in (or possibly in) the pinestraw is a WHOLE BUNCH of provisionals with the guys I play with on our courses. 

 

dave

Exactly.  Sometimes our rough is deep but we find 90% of the balls hit there.  We hit quite a few in the rough, so hitting a provisional every time would certainly slow play because you now have to look for two balls instead of one.

[Mr. Bean]

2 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

I can just see Mr. Vincent, tied for the lead on the last hole with his ball lying on, or immediately behind, one of those 100/150/200/250 yardage discs, or poles, in the middle of the fairway or perhaps in the depression of, or lying on or against, a sprinkler head just off the green saying "Oh well. Dems da breaks". 

 

 

 

I can see Mr. Vincent at that point thinking 'oh well, I should have sunk those twofooters two days ago'.

 

No competition EVER has been so perfect played by the players that one single bad lie on the fairway would have been THE turning point. So stop whining.