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Bunker Shot Question

Fourputt

Littleton, Colorado
Sep 5, 2006
973
0
Our group follows the Rules of Golf. We do NOT do so in a religious, "rules gestapo" style. We, too, play for fun. Most of us do not carry a bona fide GHIN handicap. We don't play for the big bucks. We're just out there, having fun. But, we play by the rules.

We do NOT roll the ball. We play the ball where it lies, even in fairway divots. There are no "gimmes" on the putting green. Each and every putt is made. Lost balls do NOT get the "leaf rule". A lost ball is lost and incurs the appropriate penalty.

There are only two or three instances where, for the sake of pace of play, we deviate from the actual Rules of Golf. Many times, we will putt out instead of marking the ball. If I roll the first putt to 1 foot, I'll go ahead and tap in before the next player will putt. That just keeps pace of play moving forward. We do NOT spend the entire 5 minutes looking for a lost ball. Make one pass where you think you saw it land. If you don't see it on the first pass, take your drop with a new ball and play on... with the penalty. If I hit it in the junk, I deserve to lose the ball. I have 7 or 8 dozen of AA+ found Pro V's at the house. Another 2 or 3 5-gallon buckets of Top Rocks and other assorted balls also are in the basement. When we play first off the tee on Saturdays and Sundays, you stumble over quite a few balls left behind by the later players the eveing before. If you hit an errant shot off the tee box, we hit provisionals. It is not conducive to pace of play to have to return to the box to rehit.

My wife and I play a lot of Scrabble on weekends. We play by the rules... with challenges... and the Official Scrabble Dictionary to check a challenge. If you play... play by the rules!!!!

Sorry! Just my opinion.

Just FYI, the part I highlighted is still well within the rules. By the rules in stroke play you are not required to mark if your ball interferes with another players stroke. You have the option of playing your stroke first or marking and lifting your ball, whichever seems most appropriate at the time.

From Rule 22-1:

In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball.
 

eclark53520

DB Member Extraordinaire
Supporting Member
Dec 24, 2007
17,521
7,590
South Central Wisconsin
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United States United States
If you play... play by the rules!!!!

Sorry! Just my opinion.

I do play by the rules. My rules.

My rule is, if it doesnt hurt or impact anyone else in any way, it doesnt matter to them. I also abide by that rule, if it does not hurt or impact me in any way, i dont care.

Play by your rules, play by THE rules as layed out in the official rule book. Good, i'm happy for you.

My rolling the ball out from underneath a tree while playing a fun round with friends hurts no one but me, and i choose to accept that.
 

indacup

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jun 1, 2007
1,519
37
Iowa
"... He's not a guy we've played with before (or since) so it's not likely to be a problem again...."

If that was a sample of his antics on the course, I have a feeling he doesn't play with the same group more than once.....
 

JEFF4i

She lives!
Supporting Member
Jul 3, 2006
13,545
95
I've always wondered why it bothers some people when someone in their group doesn't follow the rules to the letter. I've grouped with people like this before, and I've actually taught him a rule or two.

He was quite bothered that I ahd 15 clubs(had just gotten a new driver so I had 3 in the bag).
 

JEFF4i

She lives!
Supporting Member
Jul 3, 2006
13,545
95
If you play... play by the rules!!!!

Play by what makes you happy so long as it doesn't impede a partner or bother your competitor. Isn't that why you are doing leisure activities, happy?
 

Fourputt

Littleton, Colorado
Sep 5, 2006
973
0
Play by what makes you happy so long as it doesn't impede a partner or bother your competitor. Isn't that why you are doing leisure activities, happy?

I couldn't care less if I'm playing with a stranger who plays some other game than golf. He can do as he wishes and I'll just avoid watching him. But most of my rounds are played either in club tournaments or with a wager of some sort on the line, so in that case it does bother me.

What I really don't get is why so many say that you can't play by the rules and still have fun. That makes no sense to me. Part of the fun of golf is remembering those special holes where you did something unusually well. If I'm rehashing a birdie, but I have to think that I kicked my ball out from under a tree after my tee shot, then I hit that long putt too hard, so I had my partner leave the pin in for a backstop, then in reality I didn't even come close to a birdie ( I actually made a 7). Where's the fun in that?

Point being that without rules there isn't any game. There isn't even any standard to measure progress by. If that's too inflexible for some then what can I say??? It's my opinion :shocked:
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
I played yesterday in a howling wind with my youngest son and a friend of his. By the 13th hole of the round I was ready to wring both of their necks. I finally told them play whatever game they were playing and drove off ahead of them. They were hitting balls until they'd hit one they were happy with. Then cherry picking their scoring ball. If you want to hit a provisional, or just drop and hit one for $hits and giggles, that's fine. But you can't hit 5 balls, and take the 4th one as your scoring ball because it's closest to the green. Not unless it was pre-agreed upon before the round it was just for fun and no score would be kept.

I struggled to shoot a 94 under the conditions, my sons friend supposedly shot a 81, and was proud of his score. I just looked at him and laughed. :emot-ange
 
OP
M

Matt

Well-Known Member
Jan 13, 2009
6
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #23
Wow, I never knew I'd start this one rolling so well, thanks for all the replies! The original guy in question (I now find out) is fairly well versed in the BS Golf Rule Book and plays his own game most of the time.... fair enough, our group is pretty relaxed but we follow the rules and but play within the spirit of friendship. If one of us needs a ball finding and we're not holding anyone up we might make the 5 minute rule a 10 minute rule - scoring is done to the letter (or number) though.

There's a difference between recreational play where you go out, don't even score it, enjoy the walk, the company and the exercise and the points you amass don't matter and competition play where there's something to win for the best scoring round - I think we've all played both styles at one time or another.

How stringently you follow the rules or how serious the consequences are for bending them depend on what, if anything, is at stake. Some would say that the game is all about honour and if you cheat on the scoring you're only cheating yourself. Some might say that if you never keep score all you can have is fun.

I guess I fall somewhere in the middle, I believe in karma, for every shot you kick out of the rough or from under a tee, for every partner I've played with and seen tee's flying through the air when they've disappeared into the rough to give them a better lie, when they mark the ball then replace it further on when they've cleaned it on the green I firmly believe they'll find a bunker later on.

Yes, I laughed my 4$$ off when mr bunker did his putter scoop trick, partly out of awe, respect, amusement, and his audacity but ultimately I thought that if he could live with himself then it was only his conscience that had to decide if what he had done was right or wrong.
 

eclark53520

DB Member Extraordinaire
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Dec 24, 2007
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South Central Wisconsin
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What I really don't get is why so many say that you can't play by the rules and still have fun.

I could definatly have fun following the rules as well. I dont remember anyone saying that.(in here anyway)

That makes no sense to me. Part of the fun of golf is remembering those special holes where you did something unusually well. If I'm rehashing a birdie, but I have to think that I kicked my ball out from under a tree after my tee shot, then I hit that long putt too hard, so I had my partner leave the pin in for a backstop, then in reality I didn't even come close to a birdie ( I actually made a 7). Where's the fun in that?

I think thats the difference. I dont 'rehash' birdies. I dont brag to my friends about that birdie i made. 99% of the time, i dont even keep score while on the course. LIke the OP just posted, i am out there for pure ejoyment of being outside with friends, anything beyond that is simply icing on the cake.


Point being that without rules there isn't any game. There isn't even any standard to measure progress by. If that's too inflexible for some then what can I say??? It's my opinion :shocked:

It is your opinion, i respect that. Just dont tell me i am wrong for what i do, which is basically what was being said. Not saying that u were telling me personally that i am wrong, im just sayin.
 

Fourputt

Littleton, Colorado
Sep 5, 2006
973
0
I could definatly have fun following the rules as well. I dont remember anyone saying that.(in here anyway)



I think thats the difference. I dont 'rehash' birdies. I dont brag to my friends about that birdie i made. 99% of the time, i dont even keep score while on the course. LIke the OP just posted, i am out there for pure ejoyment of being outside with friends, anything beyond that is simply icing on the cake.




It is your opinion, i respect that. Just dont tell me i am wrong for what i do, which is basically what was being said. Not saying that u were telling me personally that i am wrong, im just sayin.

Wasn't saying you were wrong, and you are more than welcome to your opinion. I'm just saying that I can't comprehend that sort of approach to the game. I've never met an avid golfer for whom score is meaningless. Or one who isn't doing what he can to improve. That is just beyond my experience. Maybe it comes from playing Men's Club competitions for the last 20 years, but even the worst players I know (36 handicap and up) still play by the rules.

We'll have to agree to disagree because we simply have no common meeting ground.
 

JEFF4i

She lives!
Supporting Member
Jul 3, 2006
13,545
95
Personally I break the rules a lot! I have rounds where I go out and make sure I take score, stats, and all that. Those I enter.

Then I have rounds where OB just means I toss my ball back in, I'll make my lie better, sometimes even worse. We call these practice rounds.
 

MCDavis

The Plaid Duffer
Staff member
Moderator
Oct 19, 2006
13,633
5,195
Sanford, NC
Country
United States United States
Personally I break the rules a lot! I have rounds where I go out and make sure I take score, stats, and all that. Those I enter.

Then I have rounds where OB just means I toss my ball back in, I'll make my lie better, sometimes even worse. We call these practice rounds.
Bingo, little buddy! :thumbs up:
 

FATC1TY

Taylormade Ho' Magnet
May 29, 2008
2,878
0
Personally I break the rules a lot! I have rounds where I go out and make sure I take score, stats, and all that. Those I enter.

Then I have rounds where OB just means I toss my ball back in, I'll make my lie better, sometimes even worse. We call these practice rounds.

Exactly what I do.

We'll write down our putts, and GIR, FIR, sand, and up and downs. Keep everything to the rules, and see how we really play. Then somedays, we'll sling down two balls in the tee box, and if it' slow, play 2 balls. Sometimes we'll pull it from OB, put it on the side hill lie, and try something out. Or go for the green over the creek, and then fish the ball out of the creek and wedge it up on the green. We take our penalty for hazards, but if it's OB from the tee, we'll find it, and if we lose it, we'll drop close to where we think it was.

It's all fun in the end. If we're playing with other people, and having a BS day, we'll play straight with the group.
 

twogreen

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
492
54
I tend to play by the rules when playing alone more than if I am playing with a group. One example is that I putt out on every hole when I am alone; but if the group is playing "gimmies" on short putts, I will play it their way.

One rule that I will break every time is when my lie ends up on rocks and pebbles. I will not risk damaging a club just to stay within the rules during a practice round.
 

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