What rules would you Change / Delete / Add if you could?

[acbert]

I've been playing golf for about 40 yrs. so take that into consideration but here are the two rules I would change.

 

1. Flag stick must be taken out of the hole on any stroke played from the putting green.  Yeah I know it's probably old school but I do not think you should gain an advantage, or suffer a disadvantage because of the flag stick once you are on the green.    I generally take it out unless everyone else in my group wants it left in.  I know I have a choice but I think everyone should play the same way and I think we should go back to not having the flag stick in the hole while putting.

 

2. Putter must be held in the hand(s).  So they outlaw the long putter being held against your chest, or the hand resting against your chest, but then they allow you to arm lock the putter against your forearm.  Makes no sense to me.  For the record,  I use a 34" putter held only in my hands.  I think it should go one of two ways.  Either the putter should be held in your hand(s) ONLY, or go ahead and allow anchoring to the chest, arm, teeth, belly, whatever you want.  I just think it should be one way or the other.

 

Thoughts?

[jordan2240]

Well, after recently finding out one could change dexterity to get relief then not have to play the next shot with that dexterity, I'd change that rule and say that you have to play a shot with the dexterity that allowed relief.

 

As for putting, I'd probably just say the putter cannot be the longest club in your bag, then allow you to put any way you want.

[Newby]

But please don't mention d.... h....   😴

[sui generis]

Since free relief is granted from movable obstructions anywhere on or off the course, I would like free relief from immovable obstructions anywhere on or off the course. (The arguments against such relief are flimsy.)

[596]

The new OB rule should be in effect on every course. Not put in place by a committee on each course if they decide to.  Make it a standing rule. 

 

As far as armlock putting.  I've tried every kind of putting, belly, anchoring, side saddle, etc.  Armlock is almost like cheating.  I hope they don't change that rule. 

Edited September 17, 2022 by 596

[mshills]

The rules generally make sense, but given the opportunity, I would drastically simplify them so they fit on one 8 1/2” x 11” piece of paper. I think it could be done. 

[Socrates]

The OB penalty needs to become point of entry and a stroke.   No option to play the ball if across the line.

 

I see so many courses that put in OB on holes where it takes an exceptional drive to put the ball into an area where you have a second shot.   Anything less and you are making a double or more.

[Golferpaul]

Change the 14 club limit to ten clubs.  Saves money, lightens the load for walkers, and good players will learn how to hit shots with less than a full swing.

[Newby]

26 minutes ago, Socrates said:

The OB penalty needs to become point of entry and a stroke.  

How far from point of entry?

[Dufferonius]

I would see the rule about not touching/testing the sand in bunkers eliminated.

[Dpavs]

Not being able to ground a club in a bunker should go away and the rule should simply you be can't improve your lie like anywhere else, IMO. What does it really matter if you barely touch the sand as long as it does not improve your lie?

[Dpavs]

5 minutes ago, Dufferonius said:

I would see the rule about not touching/testing the sand in bunkers eliminated.

 

You could add greens to this also, IMO.

[Augster]

I’ve got a few that would greatly simplify playing golf. 
 

LCP in your own fairway. 
 

Grounding everywhere. 
 

No free relief from IO’s except sprinklers and control boxes. 
 

Always drop within 2CL’s. You get 1 drop then play it as it lies. Drop is from ankle height to knee height. The only exception is if the drop comes to rest on a putting green. Then redrop. If a player drops twice and both times comes to rest on a putting green, they must take an unplayable and place the ball where it landed for the second drop. 
 

Putt any way you’d like. I’d eliminate the anchoring ban. One better, I’d allow croquet style putting. Lower scores and faster rounds? Oh no! Who would want that?

 

Advice can be given and received from anyone at any time. The player still has to execute the shot. 
 

E5 in effect always, everywhere, as a Rule of Golf. 
 

A ball accidentally moved at address is played as it lies with no penalty. A ball accidentally moved in search is played as it lies with no penalty. 
 

Given those changes, players could go months before needing to break out the rule book. 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Augster

[Socrates]

51 minutes ago, Newby said:

How far from point of entry?

Point of entry and 2 club lengths. No other options.  

[SE Gamer]

Definitely agree with the OP's second one. All or nothing with putting/putters. I truly don't care which way they'd go with the rule. It's just nonsensical that armlock is OK, but belly, side saddle, etc. is not. FWIW, have always putted with a traditional length putter, and a traditional stroke. Still don't care if others want to use a different approach. Have seen every method and approach tried over the years by other players. Never felt like I was at a disadvantage. And if it's all or nothing, no one really has a right to complain about another guy. If they think it's providing an advantage, they have every right to learn and use the same method.

 

Another I'd change is that relief should be provided if your ball finds an old divot hole in the the fairway. Don't need to drop. Just place it within X inches of where it came to rest. Wouldn't be something we see with significant frequency. But if you've done the work to hit your drive into the short stuff. You shouldn't be punished in having to play from what amounts to a mini ground under repair area. 

[QEight]

Ah, a novel thread...

[Colin L]

1 hour ago, Dpavs said:

Not being able to ground a club in a bunker should go away and the rule should simply you be can't improve your lie like anywhere else, IMO. What does it really matter if you barely touch the sand as long as it does not improve your lie?

A snag there is that  grounding your club behind the ball in a bunker is likely to improve your lie just by the weight of the club, I'd suggest.

 

[Dufferonius]

3 minutes ago, Colin L said:

A snag there is that  grounding your club behind the ball in a bunker is likely to improve your lie just by the weight of the club, I'd suggest.

 

I agree with that.  Shouldn't be allowed to ground your club in the bunker w/in, say, one club length?

[SE Gamer]

3 minutes ago, Colin L said:

A snag there is that  grounding your club behind the ball in a bunker is likely to improve your lie just by the weight of the club, I'd suggest.

 

 

Agreed. Allowing grounding would introduce a significant gray area. 

[Dpavs]

9 minutes ago, Colin L said:

A snag there is that  grounding your club behind the ball in a bunker is likely to improve your lie just by the weight of the club, I'd suggest.

 

Whether the lie is really improve or not depends on how much sand is moved doesn't it? You could also easily argue that grounding it in the rough improves the lie because it is always going to depress some of the grass behind the ball. Yet that is allowed with reckless abandon. That's why I think they should change it. One simple rule regarding improving your lie regardless of where the ball is just makes more sense to me.

[Mr. Bean]

Nice to have brand new subjects.

[Halebopp]

1 hour ago, Dufferonius said:

I agree with that.  Shouldn't be allowed to ground your club in the bunker w/in, say, one club length?

 

So you'd want a more restrictive rule than the current one?

[Fuscinator]

Leaving the stick in speeds up slow players (one less thing for them to fidget with).

 

Anybody who uses any kind of weirdo putting grip (yes, that includes left hand low) should be sent to an island. And I don't mean some scenic little paradise. I'm talking about a pile of rocks in the very northern Atlantic.

 

Hitting the fairway should guarantee a clean lie (the guy who made that divot had a clean lie). Lift, clean, and place whenever you hit a fairway.

[Dufferonius]

8 minutes ago, Halebopp said:

 

So you'd want a more restrictive rule than the current one?

Current rule is you're not allowed to ground your club anywhere in the bunker, no?

[Halebopp]

4 minutes ago, Dufferonius said:

Current rule is you're not allowed to ground your club anywhere in the bunker, no?

 

No.

[Dufferonius]

6 minutes ago, Halebopp said:

 

No.

This disagrees with you: Major Change: Moving or Touching Loose Impediments or Touching Sand in a Bunker

 

Quote

Deliberately testing the condition of the sand with a hand or club continues to be prohibited...

So, as I read it: One is not allowed to deliberately ground ones club anywhere in the bunker, much less take test swings.

[Halebopp]

4 hours ago, mshills said:

The rules generally make sense, but given the opportunity, I would drastically simplify them so they fit on one 8 1/2” x 11” piece of paper. I think it could be done. 

 

Make Stroke & Distance the only relief option for anything. Play the course as you find it, play the ball as it lies and if you can't or don't want to do so, or managed to hit the ball off the course, try again from the previous spot. No touching or cleaning of the ball, except for a ball helping or interfering with play, or checking to see if it's broken. We'd do away with a lot of things quite easily but I'm not sure the general public would like the game with the small rule book.

[Halebopp]

7 minutes ago, Dufferonius said:

This disagrees with you: Major Change: Moving or Touching Loose Impediments or Touching Sand in a Bunker

 

So, as I read it: One is not allowed to deliberately ground ones club anywhere in the bunker, much less take test swings.

 

Did you read the first sentence on the page you linked?

 

Under Rules 12.2a and 12.2b, the player is allowed to touch or move loose impediments in a bunker and is generally allowed to touch the sand with a hand or club

[Mr. Bean]

14 minutes ago, Halebopp said:

 

Make Stroke & Distance the only relief option for anything. Play the course as you find it, play the ball as it lies and if you can't or don't want to do so, or managed to hit the ball off the course, try again from the previous spot.

 

Welcome seven hour rounds...

[Halebopp]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Bean said:

 

Welcome seven hour rounds...

 

Yep, the rules most often needed while playing a round simply make the game easier and faster to play. Hence I struggle to understand the need to do away with them.