Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

People who know me know that, for some strange reason, I am interested in golf rules.

They usually are complicated and, with apologies to the United States Golf Association in the U.S. and the R & A in Europe, the rules are written in words that often don’t make sense.

Still, with all the complications, I enjoy focusing on and ins and outs of the game I love.

Here are two recent examples:

EXAMPLE #1:  WHEN IS A GOLF BALL REALLY LOST?:  A player named Emilio Gonzalez had been looking to make the weekend at the World Wide Technology Championship a week or so ago.  But, then, he was disqualified following a unusual rules incident.

Here is the way on-line golf magazine described the situation:

“After firing a one-over-par 73 on Thursday, Gonzalez would need a low round on Friday to make the cut at the tournament.

“Carding a one-under 71, he failed to make the weekend and, a few hours later, it turned out he was disqualified following a rules infringement at the par-4 15th!

“Signing his scorecard, the 27-year-old spoke to media and was likely on his way back to the hotel before rules officials revealed that he would be disqualified due to a rules’ breach of Rule 18.3 (Provisional Ball).”

“Being played at the Tiger Woods designed El Cardonal at Diamante, Gonzalez struck his tee shot on the 15th into the desert area and, a few seconds later, played a provisional.”

Now, this is where the rule infringement occurred because, after a brief search was conducted to find the first tee shot, a ball was found within the three-minute limit.  Then, officials claimed Gonzalez failed to make a “reasonable effort” to identify the ball once it was found.  He continued to play the provisional, making a bogey five.

Under Rule 18.3 – ‘Playing Provisional Ball After Search Has Started Is Allowed’, “A player may play a provisional ball for a ball that might be lost up until the point when the three-minute search time has ended.”

“For example, if a player is able to return to the spot of their previous stroke and play a provisional ball before the three-minute search time has ended, the player is allowed to do so.  If the player plays the provisional ball and the original ball is then found within the three-minute search time, the player must continue play with the original ball.”

To not be penalized and disqualified, Gonzalez needed to clearly determine whether the found ball was his or not.

And he failed, resulting in the DQ.

EXAMPLE #2:  WHEN IS OUT-OF-BOUNDS REALLY OUT-OF-BOUNDS:  In this example, the question is what to do if you hit your ball out-of-bounds off the tee, but discover the ball is in-bounds on a different hole?  Can you play it from its new spot.

The answer is that there is a Model Local Rule (A-5) that would treat a ball that crosses a boundary as out-of-bounds even if it comes to rest on another part of the course, which is in-bounds.

Without the Model Local Rule, if the ball comes to rest somewhere that’s on the course in-bounds, it doesn’t matter whether it crossed completely over a boundary or not.  The ball is on the course and it is in play without penalty.

If there is a moral here, it is this:  Know golf rules because, while they can penalize you on the course, they also can help you play better if you know them well.