FIVE MISUNDERSTOOD GOLF RULES
Perspective from the 19th 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.
As a golf rules afficionado, I love looking them. Who knows who!
So it was that I read a Golf Digest article that appeared under the headline I used for this blog.
Here are Golf Digest’s “top five” misunderstood rules of golf.
- Does the player who is farthest from the hole always play first?
In match play, the answer is “yes” and, if a player closer to the hole ends of playing first, he or she may have to play the shot over again. Plus, the status of being on or off the green doesn’t matter. If you are away, you always play first.
In stroke play, it doesn’t matter who plays first, though the usual approach is that, if you are closer to the hole, you ask permission from the farthest-out player to go first. But not required.
- Do you get relief from boundary objects such as OB stakes or fences?
The answer is “no.” You have to play the ball as it lies, even if that means you club encounters the obstruction or if you end up hitting the ball off the obstruction to get into better play.
- Is there lateral relief for penalty areas marked yellow?
The answer is “no.” Even if your ball carries the pond and rolls back in; you still have to drop the ball in order to go over the water again. In some courses, there might be a designated drop zone to allow an improved result.
- Is there always relief from the sprinkler head on your line?
Not always. Under normal golf rules, you only get relief if your golf ball, your stance or swing are impeded by the sprinkler head. Sometimes, those who run golf courses have the option of a local rule that provides more relief.
- Do you have the option of playing a provisional ball if it is known or virtually certain that your golf ball is in a penalty area?
The answer is “no,” though many golfers think the answer is “yes.” It’s not.
Now, aren’t you glad you know all this?
