Dad gets Revenge

[ezra76]

Well although I had good day with the driver yesterday my short game was god-awful. I kept trying to hit wedge shots that were near impossible from the lies I had and the greens had lots of pine-needles and leaves. Many you had to putt over pine needles. (or spend 10minutes clearing a path). My dad played solid and shot a 92, beating me by 2strokes. As with most of my bad rounds I can attribute it to a couple holes. A 9 on the par 4 8th really hurt. I followed it up with a birdie on the par 5 9th but too many mistakes on the back to go ahead of dad. He needed a little something to keep him going now that it's getting colder anyway.

 

[Davebud]

Swell of you to toss the match just to make the old mans day. Altruism in its purest form. It is especially nice that you made it look like you were trying to beat him.

 

[ezra76]

LOL. I was really trying. I shouldn't have tried the heroics and stuck to my usual selections. I hit a massive drive into the wind on 14 and then hit the green with a knockdown 7iron. Parred it and he doubled it to get to even with him. 15 he outdrives me by 5yds. lol. I hit it low and he got it up into the wind. I tried an 8iron fade but the wind pushed it even more offline than it was. I made bogey, he parred. 16 I hit a driver fade perfect. From 50yds. I tried to hit a high fade SW and pretty well $hanked it. We both doubled that hole, a short game massacre. 17 was the worst luck I've ever had on one hole. Blocked my drive and ended up on the edge of the woods at 250. Pitch a 5iron perfect, should have left me in PW range but it catches a root and shoots straight up and back into the woods. Now I try a 7iron low cut and catch a pine cone under the pine needles just before the strike, shuts my face and a massive hook puts me way left of the green. Pitch it too long, onto the other side of the green. Hit a perfect little pitch from there and it just catches the fringe, shoots off to other side of the green. Triple for me, bogey for him, he's 3 up. I par the last par 3 and he makes a bogey for the win.

 

[JEFF4i]

There's something that I'm curious about, because it's never been an issue for me.

If your ball comes to rest on a pile of leaves, do you get relief? I mean, they are unintended obstructions, right? I had one lie like that yesterday and didn't take it, lucky for me caught it crisp with the 60 and brought it back a couple feet...missed the 10 footer,

 

[emc]

Seems like you lost on 16. you should have played for par when he was in trouble. Then you just got bad luck on 17 as punishment for the 16th

 

[ezra76]

Yeah, the course was playing against me and for him all day. He hits one badly, a tree sends it back into the fairway, I hit one tree just on the edge and it goes 20yards in. I knew I shouldn't have tried that shot on 16. How do I make a double from less than 50yds. away? That's just pathetic. I could and should have just hit a stock pitch shot and putted back to it. As usual I try to drop one right on a stick that is only 2feet onto the green.... The 20% of the time I pull it off is just awesome though.

 

[mont86]

When I read the header that your dad got revenge, I thought maybe he told you that you were adopted.

 

[JEFF4i]

Or your girlfriend is your biological mother...something Springer like that.

 

[Augster]

There's something that I'm curious about, because it's never been an issue for me.

If your ball comes to rest on a pile of leaves, do you get relief? I mean, they are unintended obstructions, right? I had one lie like that yesterday and didn't take it, lucky for me caught it crisp with the 60 and brought it back a couple feet...missed the 10 footer,

MOST of the time you will not get relief as leaves are just loose impediments. You can move them, but make sure your ball does not move or it's a penalty. (of course)

An exception to this would be if the grounds-crew had made the pile deliberately with full intention of clearing the pile later. That would turn the loose impediments with no relief into Ground under Repair and free relief. NOTE: The groundscrew must have the intention of moving it from that spot at some time in the future. It falls under the provision of "piled for removal".

Though, if you've hit your ball into the spot where these impediments (leaves, branches etc.) have been moved TO, you are SOL. Here is the Ground Under Repair definition:


Ground Under Repair
“ground under repair’’ is any part of the course so marked by order of the Committee or so declared by its authorized representative. It includes material piled for removal and a hole made by a greenkeeper, even if not so marked.

All ground and any grass, bush, tree or other growing thing within the ground under repair is part of the ground under repair. The margin of ground under repair extends vertically downwards, but not upwards. Stakes and lines defining ground under repair are in such ground. Such stakes are obstructions. A ball is in ground under repair when it lies in or any part of it touches the ground under repair.

Note 1: Grass cuttings and other material left on the course that have been abandoned and are not intended to be removed are not ground under repair unless so marked.

Note 2: The Committee may make a Local Rule prohibiting play from ground under repair or an environmentally-sensitive area defined as ground under repair.

If you remember a couple years ago at Augusta, Mickelson's first coat, Els was in contention. At one point he (i think) hooked his ball off the planet and into the deep, deep woods. He had to be 30-40 yards in. Amazingly he found his ball, but it was inside/underneath a bunch of sticks and branches that had been put there by the groundscrew.

He talked to the referee in his group and the referee said that he was NOT entitled to relief. (The CORRECT decision IMO) The ref stated that these branches were moved here with NO intention of being moved elsewhere. You have to remember, he's 30+ yards into the woods.

So he calls over another official. That official ALSO says he doesn't get relief.

Finally, Els calls over the Augusta National Rules official. (I can't remember his name) The guy that is in charge of all official Rules decisions during the Masters and is an active member at the club.

Amazingly, in order to save face for Augusta National (they can't have it seem like the groundscrew just leaves sticks lying about, 30 yards into the woods in a place no-one would ever see, or walk by, patron, player, member, or fence-jumper) he ruled that indeed the groundscrew had every intention of moving the sticks later. They must not have "gotten around to it" before the Masters started. Uh huh.

Thus Els was entitled to free relief. Took it, got out, and I think he made a bogey. He may have made par. I can't remember as I was livid. Without the free relief, he's taking double at best.

As much as I dislike Mickelson, I was happy he holed the putt to knock out Els who's score was artificially at least 1 stroke better due to that outlandishly favorable ruling.

For Els' sake, at least it kept the asterisk off his win. I'm sure Ernie would take the Jacket, the lifetime exemption, and the asterisk though. Wouldn't you?

What was the question again.....:miz:

 

[Eracer]

How does Augster do it? We never hear from him unless the post is a rules question. Then - BAM! - he's right there with a perfect explanation.

You're scarin' me, dude...

 

[JEFF4i]

Well thank you. And the grounds keepers never move the leaves, they just blow away. The problem was, they were below my ball, so I couldn't move them. Either way, it gave me a clean lie and easy shot.