An Open Letter to Those Who Forsake the Rules

[arkstorm]

Please Comment

"nless you are playing in a tourney why not carry more than 14 [clubs]? [D]oes it really matter?"

...This quote was directed toward someone who identified himself as a newbie golfer.

I am not going to name names or identify the thread this came from, my intent isn't to call anyone out or embarrass anyone. However, this warrants a discussion in this community.

One of my favorite things about being a golfer is to be associated with a game that promotes integrity as its core foundation. I look up to the greats of this game because they have always exhibited very high standards of character. You don't see top golfers dressed like gangsta rappers or involved in thugish behavior. The rules of golf are what separates our game from any other. Can you imagine Allen Iverson calling a foul on himself?

I'm not proposing that if a new golfer carries more than 14 clubs the fabric of the golfing universe will suddenly unravel, but to ask "does it really matter?" regarding one of the most basic and easy to follow rules of our game I propose this answer:

Yes, it really does matter! But for the rules of this game it would be, as Mark Twain put it, "...a good walk spoiled". Sure, golf is a physical and mental test. But the power and self-restraint to overcome the temptation not to count that whiff as a stroke, or to take some liberty from a bad lie makes this game spiritual as well. I'll give you an example, just last week I was playing a hole that always gives me fits, but I was on the green with a three foot putt for par. I lined up the put and grounded my putter behind the ball and the ball rolled back an inch. I made the putt and marked down a bogey because had I not taken the penalty stroke I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that I had to cheat to par my nemesis hole. So I ask you this: Why would you encourage a new golfer to break the rules? What good would it be to break 100 or 90 for the first time with 15 clubs? Wouldn't it spoil the achievement if you bagged the rules to do it?

[Bomb and Gouge]

Why do you care what other people do? RELAX man!

 

I play strictly by the rules but I don't care what my friends or other people do. As long as it doesn't affect me of course...

[krustyburger]

"nless you are playing in a tourney why not carry more than 14 [clubs]? [D]oes it really matter?"

 

...This quote was directed toward someone who identified himself as a newbie golfer.

 

I am not going to name names or identify the thread this came from, my intent isn't to call anyone out or embarrass anyone. However, this warrants a discussion in this community.

 

One of my favorite things about being a golfer is to be associated with a game that promotes integrity as its core foundation. I look up to the greats of this game because they have always exhibited very high standards of character. You don't see top golfers dressed like gangsta rappers or involved in thugish behavior. The rules of golf are what separates our game from any other. Can you imagine Allen Iverson calling a foul on himself?

 

I'm not proposing that if a new golfer carries more than 14 clubs the fabric of the golfing universe will suddenly unravel, but to ask "does it really matter?" regarding one of the most basic and easy to follow rules of our game I propose this answer:

 

Yes, it really does matter! But for the rules of this game it would be, as Mark Twain put it, "...a good walk spoiled". Sure, golf is a physical and mental test. But the power and self-restraint to overcome the temptation not to count that whiff as a stroke, or to take some liberty from a bad lie makes this game spiritual as well. I'll give you an example, just last week I was playing a hole that always gives me fits, but I was on the green with a three foot putt for par. I lined up the put and grounded my putter behind the ball and the ball rolled back an inch. I made the putt and marked down a bogey because had I not taken the penalty stroke I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that I had to cheat to par my nemesis hole. So I ask you this: Why would you encourage a new golfer to break the rules? What good would it be to break 100 or 90 for the first time with 15 clubs? Wouldn't it spoil the achievement if you skipped the rules to do it?

 

Sorry, but I just don't buy all of this "golf is holier than thou" stuff. You compared golf to basketball, and I would say that tournament golf compares to a 5-on-5 officiated game of basketball. But a newbie going out with his friends on a weekend compares to a pick-up game of 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. When I play a pick-up game, I do call fouls on myself, and if I'm the last to touch the ball before it goes out, I'll say so. But we don't play by the same rules all the time, yet no one has accused us of denigrating the game of basketball.

 

Too many people want to pretend that golf is the only sport with integrity. It's just not the case. There is cheating going on at all levels whether you want to believe it or not, just read some of the threads about it on this site. And I always like to ask, if golf is such a gentleman's game, why was the term "sandbagger" ever coined?

 

Let the weekend hacker play however he wants, it's not hurting the game.

[arkstorm]

Why do you care what other people do? RELAX man!

 

I play strictly by the rules but I don't care what my friends or other people do. As long as it doesn't affect me of course...

 

I think I explained why I care. Its great that you play strictly by the rules and I appreciate your opinion even though I respectfully disagree.

[Bomb and Gouge]

Dude, if my friends had to play by the rules, they probably wouldn't play at all. Most of them play about 5-10 times a year MAX and if taking a few mulligans makes the game more fun, I'm 100% in favor of it.

 

My one friend sucks so badly we let him lift from bunkers and drop in the fairway if he goes OB. He's one of the most uncoordinated people I know but he has fun on the golf course and can actually get around ok with a few provisions.

 

Now I do have a problem w/ people who keep a handicap or claim to have a handicap yet don't follow the rules. That annoys me to no end!

 

And obviously in tournament play, I wont tolerate cheating...and have never seen someone attempt to cheat.

[arkstorm]

Sorry, but I just don't buy all of this "golf is holier than thou" stuff. You compared golf to basketball, and I would say that tournament golf compares to a 5-on-5 officiated game of basketball. But a newbie going out with his friends on a weekend compares to a pick-up game of 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. When I play a pick-up game, I do call fouls on myself, and if I'm the last to touch the ball before it goes out, I'll say so. But we don't play by the same rules all the time, yet no one has accused us of denigrating the game of basketball.

 

Too many people want to pretend that golf is the only sport with integrity. It's just not the case. There is cheating going on at all levels whether you want to believe it or not, just read some of the threads about it on this site. And I always like to ask, if golf is such a gentleman's game, why was the term "sandbagger" ever coined?

 

Let the weekend hacker play however he wants, it's not hurting the game.

 

I think you just made my point for me without me having to cry slippery slope. I know there is cheating going on in golf at all levels, I know there is sandbagging in my league and in every league. So if all this is going on why not discourage it from the start rather than implanting in new golfers the idea that the rules don't matter because they are often broken?

 

I don't believe golf is "holier than though". But I believe there is a value in striving to uphold the game's integrity.

[6t4gt0]

Answers to these please.

 

Why don't players keep their own scorecards?

Why does each group have markers?

[arkstorm]

My one friend sucks so badly we let him lift from bunkers and drop in the fairway if he goes OB. He's one of the most uncoordinated people I know but he has fun on the golf course and can actually get around ok with a few provisions.

 

This is funny because your uncoordinated friend is sort of stuck between two rules: ball played as it lies; and undue delay/slow play. You can't split the baby, but you can carry 14 clubs.

[mjc694]

The rules are there for a reason, and I believe that every single rule should be followed to the best of every golfer's ability in any round that is being played in compettition. No excuses, and no exceptions.

 

That being said......If I go out on a thursday night to play a few holes with my wife (who is new at golf) and skip out on a rule or two then I dont sweat it. As one of my heroes once said..... "there is golf, and there is tournament golf, and the two are not very much alike!"

 

I think a few extra clubs in a newbies bag, or hell in mine in a casual round is just not a big deal. We need golf to be easier for people to enjoy casually, not more difficult. Golf courses in my area are closing due to lack of play, and the fact that they can turn them into house lots, and actually MAKE money. Discouraging new people from taking up the game....is not going to create a utopia of golf, free from cheating. in fact, encouraging more people to play, by whatever rules, may improve the game for all of us. let those newbies figure out the game anyway that is comfortable for them, and let them come to the rules when they are ready to move onto the next level of golf.

 

Its still JUST a game.

[krustyburger]

Sorry, but I just don't buy all of this "golf is holier than thou" stuff. You compared golf to basketball, and I would say that tournament golf compares to a 5-on-5 officiated game of basketball. But a newbie going out with his friends on a weekend compares to a pick-up game of 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. When I play a pick-up game, I do call fouls on myself, and if I'm the last to touch the ball before it goes out, I'll say so. But we don't play by the same rules all the time, yet no one has accused us of denigrating the game of basketball.

 

Too many people want to pretend that golf is the only sport with integrity. It's just not the case. There is cheating going on at all levels whether you want to believe it or not, just read some of the threads about it on this site. And I always like to ask, if golf is such a gentleman's game, why was the term "sandbagger" ever coined?

 

Let the weekend hacker play however he wants, it's not hurting the game.

 

I think you just made my point for me without me having to cry slippery slope. I know there is cheating going on in golf at all levels, I know there is sandbagging in my league and in every league. So if all this is going on why not discourage it from the start rather than implanting in new golfers the idea that the rules don't matter because they are often broken?

 

I don't believe golf is "holier than though". But I believe there is a value in striving to uphold the game's integrity.

 

But I'm not talking about the sandbaggers in your league, I'm talking about the new guy who plays once a month. It doesn't matter if he carries 14 or 15 clubs. He's not keeping a handicap anyway, and he isn't hurting the game.

 

If there are sandbaggers in your league, there are ways to deal with it. But I personally don't think that there is as much sandbagging going on as people want to think. It's why I won't play in a net tournament. In order to win, you have to shoot a really low score compared to your handicap, but if you do that, everyone calls you a sandbagger. So even if you win, it's not worth it.

[arkstorm]

But I'm not talking about the sandbaggers in your league, I'm talking about the new guy who plays once a month. It doesn't matter if he carries 14 or 15 clubs. He's not keeping a handicap anyway, and he isn't hurting the game.

 

If there are sandbaggers in your league, there are ways to deal with it. But I personally don't think that there is as much sandbagging going on as people want to think. It's why I won't play in a net tournament. In order to win, you have to shoot a really low score compared to your handicap, but if you do that, everyone calls you a sandbagger. So even if you win, it's not worth it.

 

If playing by the rules is strictly encouraged even at the entry level, if breaking the rules is never excused despite the experience level of the player or lack of perceived consequences, if integrity is maintained no one will call you a sandbagger if you win a net tournament.

[xan_user]

I am cheating right now. Shoot me.

I have 15 clubs right now cause im trying to pick a new driver and I keep my old one in the bag and put a demo in there as well to compare them on the course not just the range or LM. Iv'e also done this when picking wedges. I consider rounds played like that as practice rounds though.

Interestingly enough before I took a long vacation from golf, range finders where illegal, now they're not. Raking the sand trap was illegal if you landed in another, till that rule was changed. And now it appears clubs with movable parts are OK(if your a special OEM that the pga likes.)

 

I dont care if you have 25 clubs in your bag, just keep up with the group ahead of you and i'm happy as a clam.

 

Question: I had someone tell me that a ball retriever counts as a club towards your 14. Is this true?

[JoeF]

my thoughts in random order.

 

The rules of golf booklet should be available FREE at the counter of every golf course.

That being said the rules are way too complicated. They should be reviewed and simplified.

If the Pros do not know the rules how can we mere mortals be expected to know them.

I have no problem if a newbie or anyone playing for fun wants to carry more than 15 clubs.

If I am playing for practice I will sometimes carry more than 14 clubs and will drop extra balls to try a second shot as long as I do not hold anyone up. That score does not get posted.

Some people play simply for fun. good for them

I have had people in my foursome tee up a foot infront of the markers (inadvertently) I will kid them about it but will not impose anything

as I do not feel it gave him an advantage.

We do have one guy that likes to bump his ball to get a better lie and if we are playing for money we make sure to state that we are playing the ball down.

 

For myself I do not see the benefit of moving a ball ou of a divot as I know that someday I will face that shot when it counts and I have to be able to play it.

 

Some rules I flat don't agree with. If I hook a ball into the water I can drop where it last went in and add a stroke.

If I hook a ball OB I lose the stoke and the distance.

[JoeF]

Question: I had someone tell me that a ball retriever counts as a club towards your 14. Is this true?

 

 

No more than your umbrella counts as a club.

[villa]

Dude, if my friends had to play by the rules, they probably wouldn't play at all. Most of them play about 5-10 times a year MAX and if taking a few mulligans makes the game more fun, I'm 100% in favor of it.

 

My one friend sucks so badly we let him lift from bunkers and drop in the fairway if he goes OB. He's one of the most uncoordinated people I know but he has fun on the golf course and can actually get around ok with a few provisions.

 

Now I do have a problem w/ people who keep a handicap or claim to have a handicap yet don't follow the rules. That annoys me to no end!

 

And obviously in tournament play, I wont tolerate cheating...and have never seen someone attempt to cheat.

Good post and I couldn't agree more.

 

For the weekend hacker or for those that just want to go out a few times a year, it really doesn't matter what they do. There's a difference between the rules of golf and the unwritten rules of etiquette. If someone wants to have 20 mulligans a round, that's fine. It's only an issue if they're holding people up by doing it.

 

It does become a problem though if people are using those rounds to post scores towards their handicap. I played with a youngster at my course a few weeks ago and we gave every putt within a putter length. He then wanted to post his scorecard but we had to explain that it can't be done, simple as that.

 

The pro's often use more than 14 clubs during the practice rounds before a tournament (different wedge lofts, new drivers etc). That's not a problem is it?

[kal32473]

For the guy who plays once a month, no, it doesn't matter. If I'm playing with a player like that, I'm not going to think any less of him or get personally offended because his 103 was actually a 112. If someone just wants to go out, have a good time and not take it seriously, what's the harm? I've played with total hacks who don't care and I've played with accomplished players who had sticks up their butts for 4 hours. Guess which rounds were more enjoyable? I don't buy the arguement that the 25 handicap is cheating himself by not playing to the letter of the law because chances are, whether he could carry 14 clubs or 24 clubs, he's not going to get better playing once a month. If he wants to carry 15 clubs during his one round every 6 weeks, I don't see what the big deal is.

[arkstorm]

The rules are there for a reason, and I believe that every single rule should be followed to the best of every golfer's ability in any round that is being played in compettition. No excuses, and no exceptions.

 

That being said......If I go out on a thursday night to play a few holes with my wife (who is new at golf) and skip out on a rule or two then I dont sweat it. As one of my heroes once said..... "there is golf, and there is tournament golf, and the two are not very much alike!"

 

I think a few extra clubs in a newbies bag, or hell in mine in a casual round is just not a big deal. We need golf to be easier for people to enjoy casually, not more difficult. Golf courses in my area are closing due to lack of play, and the fact that they can turn them into house lots, and actually MAKE money. Discouraging new people from taking up the game....is not going to create a utopia of golf, free from cheating. in fact, encouraging more people to play, by whatever rules, may improve the game for all of us. let those newbies figure out the game anyway that is comfortable for them, and let them come to the rules when they are ready to move onto the next level of golf.

 

Its still JUST a game.

 

I don't disagree with anything you said in principle but maybe in practice. You appreciate that there should be certain exceptions for the greater good of the sport but you also know the rules and play by them aside from Thursday nights. But where is the line drawn? And if the line fails to be drawn close enough to the rules is golf going to remain or will it become the next extreme sport?

[blkdiamond]

I really don't see any advantage to carrying more than 14 clubs, especially for the high-handicapper. If you can't make the shot with the 14 clubs you have in your bag, that 15th sure isn't going to help you any.

 

I really could care less if someone wants to carry 20 clubs, improve every lie, and give themselves gimme's on 10 foot putts, I just wouldn't want them playing in a tournament, golf-league or with me for money.

[xan_user]

Question: I had someone tell me that a ball retriever counts as a club towards your 14. Is this true?

 

 

No more than your umbrella counts as a club.

 

That's what I thought.

 

What's an umbrella? We don't have those in California. :clapping:

[demetri17]

Most pros carry more then 14 clubs on an avarage day. they take some out to play tournaments with 14 but have clubs for all different types of lies and to see what works where. why is it a problem for anyone to have more and if it is a problem in a sunday morning round, just declare a club dead for the round.

[arkstorm]

The pro's often use more than 14 clubs during the practice rounds before a tournament (different wedge lofts, new drivers etc). That's not a problem is it?

 

No it isn't. The problem occurs when the newbie carries 15 clubs the first time he posts an 89 and the achievement is diluted.

[krustyburger]

But I'm not talking about the sandbaggers in your league, I'm talking about the new guy who plays once a month. It doesn't matter if he carries 14 or 15 clubs. He's not keeping a handicap anyway, and he isn't hurting the game.

 

If there are sandbaggers in your league, there are ways to deal with it. But I personally don't think that there is as much sandbagging going on as people want to think. It's why I won't play in a net tournament. In order to win, you have to shoot a really low score compared to your handicap, but if you do that, everyone calls you a sandbagger. So even if you win, it's not worth it.

 

If playing by the rules is strictly encouraged even at the entry level, if breaking the rules is never excused despite the experience level of the player or lack of perceived consequences, if integrity is maintained no one will call you a sandbagger if you win a net tournament.

 

And if pigs had wings they could fly. I think there's more chance of that happening than the scenario you've dreamed up.

 

Besides, if I were playing in net tournaments, I'd prefer it if people posted scores where they didn't follow all of the rules. Then when it came time for the tourney, their handicaps would be artificially low.

[arkstorm]

Most pros carry more then 14 clubs on an avarage day. they take some out to play tournaments with 14 but have clubs for all different types of lies and to see what works where. why is it a problem for anyone to have more and if it is a problem in a sunday morning round, just declare a club dead for the round.

 

The problem is that is violates a specific rule. In fact, the penalty for violating that specific rule even differs whether you use the 15th club or merely have it in the bag.

[mjc694]

where do I draw the line?

 

I think i mentioned, for me its tournament golf. I play enough compettitive golf that I can be satisfied with that. I also draw the line at playing a match. If you are going to compete at golf then the rules are sacred. If you are going to PLAY golf...then the rules are guidelines.

[arkstorm]

And if pigs had wings they could fly. I think there's more chance of that happening than the scenario you've dreamed up.

 

Besides, if I were playing in net tournaments, I'd prefer it if people posted scores where they didn't follow all of the rules. Then when it came time for the tourney, their handicaps would be artificially low.

 

You're 100% right. But why not strive higher? That's kind of the whole point of me starting this thread. I'm not some raging idealist but I feel that the cynicism of the world has embedded itself in a game which can rise above.

[villa]

The pro's often use more than 14 clubs during the practice rounds before a tournament (different wedge lofts, new drivers etc). That's not a problem is it?

 

No it isn't. The problem occurs when the newbie carries 15 clubs the first time he posts an 89 and the achievement is diluted.

I do see where you're coming from but that's the individuals choice and how they feel at the end of the round is up to them. I remember the first time I broke 100 my Dad dropped a couple of my OB's back in the fairway. I don't remember feeling like I'd cheated, I was thrilled.

 

For me, it only becomes a rules violation if someone is using 15 clubs and then posting their scores toward their handicap (I've got the same problem with people using carts and posting their scores but that's a different debate for another time!)

[krustyburger]

And if pigs had wings they could fly. I think there's more chance of that happening than the scenario you've dreamed up.

 

Besides, if I were playing in net tournaments, I'd prefer it if people posted scores where they didn't follow all of the rules. Then when it came time for the tourney, their handicaps would be artificially low.

 

You're 100% right. But why not strive higher? That's kind of the whole point of me starting this thread. I'm not some raging idealist but I feel that the cynicism of the world has embedded itself in a game which can rise above.

 

You can strive as high as you like. You just have to realize that when a new person starts playing the game, they just want to hit the ball in the hole. They don't want someone on the course telling them all of things they are doing wrong, and adding penalty strokes to their score. I know because when I started playing 30 years ago, I played with people like that in the beginning. I told one guy that if I wanted to be nagged on the golf course, I would have invited my mother to play. He spouted the same stuff about integrity of the game and so forth. Eventually I just stopped playing with guys like that. Yet somehow the game of golf survived.

 

For what it's worth, the world isn't any more cynical than it was 30 years ago. And 30 years from now, people will be having this same debate and remembering back to this time as how things used to be.

[smithjohnjr]

"nless you are playing in a tourney why not carry more than 14 [clubs]? [D]oes it really matter?"

 

...This quote was directed toward someone who identified himself as a newbie golfer.

 

I am not going to name names or identify the thread this came from, my intent isn't to call anyone out or embarrass anyone. However, this warrants a discussion in this community.

 

One of my favorite things about being a golfer is to be associated with a game that promotes integrity as its core foundation. I look up to the greats of this game because they have always exhibited very high standards of character. You don't see top golfers dressed like gangsta rappers or involved in thugish behavior. The rules of golf are what separates our game from any other. Can you imagine Allen Iverson calling a foul on himself?

 

I'm not proposing that if a new golfer carries more than 14 clubs the fabric of the golfing universe will suddenly unravel, but to ask "does it really matter?" regarding one of the most basic and easy to follow rules of our game I propose this answer:

 

Yes, it really does matter! But for the rules of this game it would be, as Mark Twain put it, "...a good walk spoiled". Sure, golf is a physical and mental test. But the power and self-restraint to overcome the temptation not to count that whiff as a stroke, or to take some liberty from a bad lie makes this game spiritual as well. I'll give you an example, just last week I was playing a hole that always gives me fits, but I was on the green with a three foot putt for par. I lined up the put and grounded my putter behind the ball and the ball rolled back an inch. I made the putt and marked down a bogey because had I not taken the penalty stroke I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that I had to cheat to par my nemesis hole. So I ask you this: Why would you encourage a new golfer to break the rules? What good would it be to break 100 or 90 for the first time with 15 clubs? Wouldn't it spoil the achievement if you bagged the rules to do it?

 

I agree with about the rules to a certain extent but some people aret keeping handicaps and just want to have fun.

 

IF we are talking about playing by the rules, see where I bolded your remarks, Did you replace the ball to the original position? If you did not , you played from a wrong position, incurring more strokes. If we are going to play by the rules, lets play by the rules

 

And if someone has to use 15 clubs to break 100, I dont really care if it improved their enjoyment of the game. Now if we are playing each other for pride, money or whatever the stakes, we will adhere to the rules.

[MGWP]

The problem is that is violates a specific rule. In fact, the penalty for violating that specific rule even differs whether you use the 15th club or merely have it in the bag.

 

 

 

 

This only applies IF you declare the extra club on the first tee and your playing partner/s accept the responsibility of backing you up at the end of the day......otherwise...no difference if you used it or not.

 

In gact at any USGA..OR EQUIVALENT EVENT THERE IS NO EXCEPTION TO THE RULE 14 IS 14......

 

That been said...if guys are out there having fun...who cares....

[arkstorm]

This only applies IF you declare the extra club on the first tee and your playing partner/s accept the responsibility of backing you up at the end of the day......otherwise...no difference if you used it or not.

 

What I am talking about here is Rule 4.4 part c. The extra club must be declared upon discovery whether or not on the first tee and the penalty for continued use is disqualification.