Author: Hilary

July rules (Hilary)

Hi Ladies:

I thought today I’d focus on the putting green and just a few of the many rules. Firstly the rules for the putting green are different from those that are “through the green”. Through the green is the whole area of a golf course EXCEPT for the teeing ground, the putting green of the hole being played, and all hazards on the course. The putting green is all the ground of the hole that is especially prepared for putting.

Your ball is on the green if any part of it touches the putting surface

RULE 16 The putting green

The line of putt must not be touched except:

  1. the player may remove LOOSE impediments for example sand, leaves or stones provided they do not press anything down
  2. to repair old hole plugs or ball marks
  3. in pressing down a ball marker
  4. in lifting or replacing the ball
  5. in moving movable obstructions (such as trash or…. yuck, yuck, cigarette butts)

This means that you cannot improve the line of your putt. So before you putt you may repair pitch marks and remove loose leaves or stones but you MAY NOT repair spike marks or remove attached grass. So be sure that what you try to remove is not growing into the surface.

Talking about improving your line of putt be very careful if you do this:

The player may place the club in front of the ball at address, but may not press anything down. two stroke penalty if you improve your line.

You are allowed to lift and clean your ball before putting but you must mark its position first with a marker and be sure to replace it in the same position. If your ball moves when you remove the marker there is NO penalty, just remark where it was, replace your ball and lift the marker a second time.

The fringe around the green is not the putting surface so the rules for the fringe are the same as for “through the green”.

We do have sprinkler heads in the fringes of all our greens. If your ball lands so that one of these is in direct line of your intended putt you MAY NOT move the ball unless the ball lies on the sprinkler head, or the sprinkler head interferes with your stance or your area of intended swing. If you do have these kinds of interference you will get free relief under Rule 24-2. You find your nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole and drop a ball there.

So please repair all your balls marks, and a few extra ones that have been missed too, and as you leave the green tamp down any spike marks you see AFTER everyone has putted out as you never know that mark might be on your line of putt on your next round.

I hope this helps you.

Hilary

24 Laws of Golf (by Hilary)

24 Laws of Golf —

LAW 1:
No matter how bad your last shot was, you should have Inner Peace knowing that a shittier one is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.

LAW 2:
Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

LAW 3:
Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water. Expensive clubs have been known to be partly made with this most unusual natural alloy.

LAW 4:
Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.

LAW 5:
The higher a golfer’s handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

LAW 6:
A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group. Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and an IRS agent — or some similar combination.

LAW 7:
All 3-woods are demon-possessed. Your Mother in Law does not come close.

LAW 8:
Golf balls from the same “sleeve” tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water. See LAW 3.

LAW 9:
The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.

LAW 10:
Golf should be given up at least twice per month.

LAW 11:
All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until sunset.

LAW 12:
Since bad shots come in groups of three, your fourth consecutive bad shot is really the beginning of the next group of three.

LAW 13:
If it isn’t broke, try changing your grip.

LAW 14:
It’s surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you’re lying 8.

LAW 15:
Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.

LAW 16:
Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.

LAW 17:
It’s not a gimme if you’re still 4 feet away.

LAW 18:
The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.

LAW 19:
You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time, and a 2-inch branch 90% of the time.

LAW 20:
Every Time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make a double or triple bogey to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.

LAW 21:
If you want to hit a 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to use it to lay up just short of a water hazard.

LAW 22:
There are two things you can learn by stopping your back swing at the top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.

LAW 23:
A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.

And finally,

LAW 24:
Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.

Our Golf Rules Gurus (Hilary)

Hi Ladies:

The Principles of the Rules of golf expect the player to play by the Rules and not by their own decisions. It was reassuring to learn of some of our ladies’ decisions on their Rules infractions during recent Ladies play days. These expert ladies I know about, there are probably many more of you.

1. One of our ladies on the putting green recently moved her ball ever so slightly at address. No one saw, but she called the one stroke penalty, and moved her ball back the half an inch.

2. In trying to escape that pesky bunker on hole #15 one of our ladies hit her ball twice. No one saw, but she called the one stroke penalty on herself.

3. Two weeks ago the same lady accidentally hit her golf bag with her ball. Her fellow competitors saw but she was the first to say, “Rats, a one stroke penalty for me”. Either this particular lady is accident prone or likes to use the Rules!

4. The most dramatic example of responsibility came because the lady played a “wrong” ball. She hit the ball two times before realizing it was not her ball. She called the correct two stroke penalty on herself. She then tried to find her original ball but was unsuccessful. We all know the pressure on play days to keep up the pace of play so, instead of going back to the tee and hitting again, she knew to disqualify herself. She continued play even though she was out of the game. The dramatic part comes next. One the subsequent par three her shot would have won her all the cash for closest to the pin. She missed the pay day but her honesty paid in my rule book.

These examples of calling penalties on themselves are not heroic, they are just the right way to play the game. As a group it appears that we are learning the Rules and calling the correct penalties.

Way to go ladies!