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.

Those who know me know that I am a dog lover.

My wife and I have had two miniature poodles in our lives together.  The first was Hogan (after golfer Ben Hogan, not Hulk Hogan) who now is looking down at us from heaven.

The second was Callaway (I named by golf clubs after him) and he is still with us, ruling the roost.

So it was that I read a column this morning by Frank Bruni, who writes for the New York Times.  As an addendum to his column this morning, he attached as blog from another writer that appeared under this headline:

“The Joy Series: Old Dogs/On Westley, sleep zones, and the love that comes with being chased.”

The story was so good that I decided to run it as my blog post today.

**********

A couple of weeks ago, Westley — our ancient standard poodle — stopped putting any weight on his front left leg. We still aren’t sure why. He doesn’t seem to be feeling any pain. The vet took X-Rays and couldn’t find any structural issues.

We’re supposed to go take him to a doggie neurologist this week. It’s possible he suffered some sort of stroke. It’s also possible that this is just the natural consequence of Westley getting older. He turns 14 in July. Pup math says that’s 98 in dog years.

Westley now spends his time standing on three legs and occasionally limping to a new spot to sleep. That was always his favorite thing in the world — scouting out new sleep zones. He would sneak around the house and find some hidden place to sleep on one of our three floors. Sometimes he’d be on the third floor behind a couch.

Sometimes he’d be in the little closet off the bathroom on the second floor. Sometimes he’d be so well hidden that we couldn’t find him at all, and we’d call out his name, and after a good while, he’d just appear, fully content that he had won the game he was playing.

But he can’t do stairs now. Well, he can still awkwardly climb up stairs, but he can’t go down; this apparently has more to do with his poor eyesight than his leg issues. In any case, he refuses to be carried, so we have had to block the stairs with a bench.

He so desperately wants to go upstairs to find a place to sleep that he occasionally will press his head against that bench and try to move it, like he’s Hercules trying to push aside a boulder in front of a cave. This morning, he moved it just enough to sneak upstairs. Getting him back down was one heck of a chore.

Without the stairs option, Westley instead finds different spots around the living room to sleep. We’ll find him sleeping behind the couch, behind the chair, behind his kennel, by the guitar nobody ever plays, by the side door.

You can tell this isn’t as satisfying for him. We always find him.

Other than the stairs thing, though, Westley seems content. Happy, even. Age suits him. He has always been an old soul. When he was young and spry and full of energy, we’d take him to the backyard and try to get him to fetch tennis balls. He toyed with us.

Sometimes, he’d run after the ball and get it, but then he would just stand on the other side of the yard and make us come to him. It was like he was saying, “Who’s playing fetch here, buddy?”

And sometimes we’d throw the ball, and he’d just stand there and look at us with those big eyes and an expression that either said, “Why did you do that?” or “That ball looks really far away.”

Instead, he liked being chased. That was always his jam. I sometimes think about the scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding, when Dermot Mulroney (or Dylan McDermott) is chasing after Cameron Diaz, and Julia Roberts is chasing after Dermot Mulroney (or Dylan McDermott), and Rupert Everett says to Julia Roberts, “Who’s chasing you?” I think about that scene because love really is, at least a little bit, about being chased.

Anyway, Westley has always thought so.

We don’t know if he will ever get feeling back in that left leg. Sometimes, particularly when he really needs to do his business, he will almost gallop. Other times, he will stand in place for a half hour with that left leg in the air, as if he’s frozen.

You might ask: How is this part of the joy series? This seems very sad. And it is sad, but not really, because Westley is not sad. He’s exactly as he’s always been. He’s stretched out right now at my feet, sleeping the sleep of angels, and every now and again, he will look up at me in that familiar way as if to say, “Come on, man, you should have finished that writing by now.”

And before too long, he will pop up and walk over and bump his head into my leg and demand that I chase him. The chase will only be a step or two. But it will be long enough to know that he is loved.

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.

Like many golfers, I have been watching as much golf on TV as I could over the last couple days and will continue this weekend.

After all, it’s the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major tournaments.

And, of course, wouldn’t you know it, a few new golf rules issues cropped up.  Here, I cite three, because, if, for no other reason, I also like golf rules.

INCIDENT #1, LATE TO THE TEE

South African pro Garrick Higgo did the unforgiveable – he showed up late for his first-round tee time.  The result:  A two-stroke penalty before he hit his first shot.

Here’s how golf media described the situation:

“Garrick Higgo, a 27-year-old golfer from South Africa, is about as chill as a golfer could be.  But early Thursday morning, in the chilly air out here in affluent suburban Philadelphia, a feeling of sickness came over him.  Higgo was on the Aronimink Golf Club’s practice putting green, hard by the clubhouse and about 15 feet above the course’s elevated first tee, when the starter said these words:

“From Memphis, Tennessee, the 2003 PGA Championship winner, Shaun Micheel.

“The first player in Higgo’s three-some had been summoned to the tee, and Higgo’s two-shot penalty already was in motion.  Rule 5.3a.

“Everything else is commentary.

“From down below, Higgo could hear his American caddie yelling urgently, ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.’

“It didn’t matter.”

And, then, a day later, after two rounds, Higgo missed the cut by two shots, the ones he lost before teeing off on day one.

All this reminded me of last Monday when I served as the starter for the U.S. Open Local Qualifier here in Salem, Oregon.  On the tee, one player made it inside the ropes – the requirement – with only 20 seconds to spare.  He ran up the hill to make it barely on time.

INCIDENT #2, AN UKNOWN RULE

Here is how Golf Digest described this issue.

“Ever wonder what a golfer with a late tee time at a major does in the morning?  Are they laid up on a couch watching early coverage like millions of golf fans?  In short, it’s highly likely.

“Michael Kim (pro golfer) confirmed as much on Friday morning.  With the PGA Tour winner not teeing off in the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink until the afternoon, he had his eyes on ESPN+ to see how the course was playing.

“But he also pointed out a little-known rule that most golf fans aren’t aware of.  Heck, based on Garrick Higgo’s two-stroke penalty for showing up to his Thursday tee time late, there’s a good chance some players don’t know this one.  Anyway, we’ll let Michael explain:

“So, he’s allowed to watch and take mental notes, but not take actual notes to bring out to the course.

“And how would this rule be enforced?  Well, according to Kim, it really falls upon the players to enforce it themselves because he’s never had to hand his yardage book over to a rules official.”

And, I add, who knew?

INCIDENT #3:  CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY

The Professional Golfers Association has put a code of conduct policy in place, but one question is whether it will be enforced or just sit on a shelf someplace.

In GolfWeek, here is how writer Adan Schupak described the status.

“Justin Thomas tomahawked a golf club, Jon Rahm hit a volunteer in the face with a divot, and Rory McIlroy answered a question at a press conference with an NSFW four-letter word.

“None of these examples of boorish behavior during the first round of the 108^th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club merited a warning under the code of conduct policy adopted by the PGA of America this year. 

“Kerry Haigh, the PGA’s Chief of Competitions, explained at a press conference on Wednesday that it was instituted to police behavior by competitors so ‘everyone is behaving appropriately, professionally, and as we would want our children and people watching to see the major championship.’

“Despite Thomas, who heaved his club to the ground after his tee shot at 14 on Thursday, Rahm’s divot hitting a volunteer on No. 7 (he apologized after the round and explained it was accidental), and McIlroy’s language during his press conference (the first item on the list of unacceptable behavior), no punishment was doled out on Thursday.

“Any decision is at the discretion of the PGA’s Rules Committee.  But allowing such behavior to go unpunished on the first day of the policy calls into question if it will be used at all or is merely messing up the locker room wallpaper.”

Good point.

My experience with issue exists in tournaments where I volunteer for the Oregon Golf Association.  It also has a code of conduct policy and, I have seen it enforced.

The PGA should do the same.

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.

Even as many Oregonians set out to vote in a primary election (Independent voters like me cannot vote), it appears that the Democrat incumbent could have a race on her hands in the fall.

That official is Democrat Tina Kotek who is in her first term and wants a second.

New poll results this week, reported by the Oregonian newspaper, appeared under this headline:  “Kotek’s popularity craters in Portland, poll shows:  What that could mean for Republican candidates.”

First, don’t you like that word “craters.”  In seven letters, it says what need to be said.

Here is how the story started:

“A new poll indicates that a majority of voters in Oregon’s most Democrat-friendly region are dissatisfied with Governor Tina Kotek, as the Democrat approaches the end of her first term and seeks another four years in office.

“Just a third of Portland metro area respondents said they have a positive opinion of Kotek, while 59 per cent said they have a negative impression of her.”

So, for the first time in more than 40 years, do Republicans have a chance to win the governor’s race?

The best answer:  Perhaps.  The fall general election is a long way off and a lot can happen politically between now and then, but Republicans are acting like this may be year for them to win.

I worked for the last Republican governor in Oregon, Vic Atiyeh, so, without indicating how I will vote in the fall, I just hope there is a real race so Oregonians have a good chance to make a good decision.  That means a credible Republican.

More from the Oregonian:

“Republicans seeking their party’s nomination to take on Kotek this fall have pointed to her weak approval ratings as a sign that Oregon could be ready to elect its first Republican governor in four decades.

“Such tepid support for Kotek in the state’s Democrat stronghold indicates that there is a small but real possibility that a Republican could defeat her this fall — even as Republicans seeking office nationwide are expected to face headwinds in November due to pushback against President Donald Trump.

Since entering office, Kotek has championed various initiatives intended to curb the state’s ongoing crises – such as housing and the state of the economy — but, so far at least, her initiatives have produced only mixed results.

One particular area where Republicans may focus their angst:  Foster care.

Here is how Oregon Public Broadcasting wrote about the issue under this headline:  “Abuse in Oregon’s foster care reaches all-time high.  State vows to figure out why and improve.”

The story started this way:

“In 2025, the rate of children in Oregon’s child welfare system being seriously harmed — physically, emotionally or sexually — reached an all-time high.

“That’s noteworthy since it came on the heels of a long-running class-action lawsuit, which was settled in May 2024 on the eve of a trial.  The primary goal of the lawsuit:  To reduce the rate of children being abused in care.”

Foster care problems existed during the administration of the governor before Kotek, Kate Brown. 

Now, nearly four years later, not much has changed.  The state agency in charge of the issue has not performed well.

It is possible that foster care problems could gain traction politically in the campaign later this summer and into the fall, not in terms of the state agency in charge, but in terms of the adverse effect on foster children.

If I was running a Republican campaign (no surprise, I am not and never would), I would focus on this issue, one where Kotek will have to be on the defensive.

So, on this and other issues, there is little question but that Kotek will have to defend her record along the campaign trail.

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.

This blog headline says it all.

The New York Times doesn’t just worry about Donald Trump’s move toward autocracy.  It uses a chart to gather information on his performance and rate his move away from democracy toward autocracy.  Facts before perceptions.

Remember, Trump wants to be king or Christ.  Easy to say.  Hard to prove.

Yet, the New York Times Editorial Board tries under this headline: The Iran War Worsens America’s Democratic Erosion.

Here is how the editorial started:

“President Trump’s war with Iran is the most significant military action in American history that a president has undertaken without any form of congressional authorization.

“Yes, past presidents have often pushed the bounds of their constitutional authority in using the military.  Nonetheless, they have typically involved Congress for anything more than a brief attack.  Sometimes, Congress passed a bill formally approving action, as was the case in Iraq in both 2002 and 1991, Afghanistan in 2001 and Vietnam in 1964.

“In other instances, such as Korea in the 1950s, Congress offered de facto approval by passing bills that provided additional resources for the military action.

“Trump has received no approval whatsoever from Congress, the only branch of government with the constitutional authority to declare war.”

Nor has he made comments to the public about his reason for going to war in Iran.  And, we, members of the public, are paying the cost of his military foray, and he appears to have no coherent plan to bring it to a conclusion, nor any interest in issues other than growing his pocketbook.

To track Trump’s move toward autocracy, the New York Times editorial board tracked 12 categories of democratic erosion in the United States, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts.  Its index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category.  Zero represents the United States before Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies.

Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran and Russia.

The Times conclusion:

“Based on the war with Iran, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — bypassing the legislature — up one notch, to Level 5.”

The categories of investigation are as follows:

• Bypassing the legislature

Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his personal interests, targeting people for legally dubious reasons while creating a culture in which his allies can act with impunity.

• Stifling speech and dissent

Modern authoritarian takeovers often do not start with a military coup.  They instead involve an elected leader who uses the powers of the office to consolidate authority and make political opposition difficult.  

• Persecuting political opponents

Autocrats use the immense power of law enforcement as a political tool, and Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his interests.

• Defying the courts

Would-be authoritarians recognize that courts can keep them from consolidating power, and they take steps to weaken or bypass judges.

• Declaring false emergencies

Autocrats often curtail democracy by declaring an emergency and arguing that the threat requires them to exercise unusual degrees of power.

• Using the military at home

Authoritarians frequently and performatively use the military for domestic control.

• Vilifying marginalized groups

Authoritarians tend to demean minority groups, trying to turn them into perceived threats that provide justification for a leader to amass power.

• Trying to take over universities

Authoritarians, recognizing that universities are hotbeds of independent thought and political dissent, often single them out for repression.

• Creating a cult of personality

Emperors and kings often glorified themselves by displaying their portraits everywhere.

• Using power for personal profit

Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for self-enrichment.

• Manipulating the law to stay in power

Authoritarians change election rules to help their party, and they rewrite laws to ignore term limits.

The Times says the 12 benchmarks offer a way to understand how much Trump is eroding American democracy.

It remains good work by a solid journalism outfit that relies on facts to underscore its perceptions.

And the fact that Trump is heading toward autocracy should surprise no one.

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.

Opinion writer David French came up with a simple, yet profound description of Donald Trump, the U.S. president who defies description.

Writing in the New York Times, French said this:

“At the core of Trump’s worldview is a belief that the world is a fundamentally transactional place, and that everyone has a price.”

For me, this rings true for Trump who conducts himself in politics like no one else.  I say that based on my 40 years in politics, always in appointed or contractor realms, not as an elected official – and almost always in Oregon.

So, do I know what I am talking about when I mention Trump?  Well, who knows?

But, to put French’s point another way:  Trump says if you bow and scrape before him, he will give you what you want. 

That’s transactional.

Not politics in the sense of finding middle ground solutions to pressing public policy problems.

French continues:

“The Republican Party has done nothing to disabuse Trump of the transactional notion.  Even the religious leaders around him are fundamentally transactional.  As they’ve demonstrated, they’ll put up with virtually any behavior from Trump so long as he delivers on a few, simple promises.  And now — especially when it comes to abortion — he doesn’t even have to deliver on those.  For some, it seems as if access to power alone is compensation enough.”

So, how does French contend that Trump enabled himself to acquire so much power, even amidst his personal foibles, if not alleged crimes?

“The key to Trump’s power isn’t just that he accurately sensed that much of the Republican establishment paid lip service to principle but really cared about power — it’s that he knew millions upon millions of voters possessed similar values.  Their commitments to character or ideology took a back seat to the simple desire to defeat their opponents.  The most important thing was to win.  Anything else was a luxury.

“And, in a strange way, they appreciated him for his brazenness.  In this cynical view, all politicians are, deep down, just like Trump.  They were faking their dedication to principle.  As for Trump, he was the honest crook.  He was like the mob boss who didn’t insult our intelligence by pretending to be in the sanitation business.”

Plus, to French, it should come as no surprise that “prosperity gospel pastors” were among the first Christians to answer Trump’s call.  Their entire religion is transactional — with God dispensing health and wealth in direct response to the financial donations of the faithful.

So, is “all” political activity transactional?

No, even if, on occasion, it seems like it.

“ Not everyone is transactional,” French writes.  “Some people — for better and for worse — actually have beliefs that they’re willing to die for, and Trump is painfully, obviously baffled when he encounters belief like that.

“It’s embarrassing, for example, to watch him flail his way through the Iran war, shifting strategies, objectives and timelines sometimes by the day.  It’s obvious that he thought Iran would be another Venezuela.  In Venezuela, he was able to capture the leader and then more or less bend the remaining regime elements to his will, at least for now.

“But in Iran, he helped Israel decapitate virtually all of the nation’s senior leadership, and the rest of the regime seems to have become more intransigent and less willing to negotiate.”

In Iran, Trump plays the only cards he knows how to play — alternating between threatening death and destruction and proposing business deals.

And, a further reality is that business deals, if they occur, tend to line his personal pockets.

As I write this, Trump is landing in China to meet with its leader, but new came along the way that Trump invited a number of CEO business leaders to join him because, again, he views everything as transactional, including his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

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.

Why does this blog headline matter to me?

Well, it’s because I have Norwegian blood in my veins, so it was good to see a Norseman win on the PGA Golf Tour.

Here is how GolfWeek described the victory:

“Kristoffer Reitan has had to question whether he was going to get into the last two signature events.  He no longer has to wonder.

“The 28-year-old won the 2026 Truist Championship on Sunday, his first PGA Tour victory in his 15th start.  He’s the second player from Norway (Viktor Hovland is the first) to win on Tour and did so shooting 2-under 69 in the final round at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, to beat Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Hojgaard by two shots.

“’I don’t have any words, to be honest,’ he told CBS’ Amanda Balionis after the winning putt dropped.  ‘This is way more than I expected and for it to happen this quickly is just unreal.  Yeah, a dream come true.’”

Credit, obviously, goes to Reitan.  But I’ll take a small share as a fellow Norsman.

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.

There are a lot of words that can be used to describe those who bow and scrape before Donald Trump.

For his part, he’s:

• A Liar.

• An Abuser.

• A Retaliator.

• Selfish.

• Narcissistic.

• Etc.

One word I have used on many occasions is the one is this blog headline – sycophant. 

This time I mean it as a description for those who sally up to Trump to get what they want from him, as well as treat him like he wants to be treated, which is as king or like Christ.  Which he isn’t.

Sycophant is not a word used normally in everyday language, but, regarding Trump and his toadies, it is exactly on point.  Here is the definition:

“A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.”

Gaining an advantage with Trump?  Yes, for many these days, that’s the main thing or even the only thing.

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.

One of the subjects I like is golf rules. 

Stupid?  Yes.

Still, I like them, even though they are hugely complicated and could benefit from a re-write, not to mention a few changes.

So it was that I read a Golf Digest article the other day that, as this blog headline says, summarizes five rules most golfers get wrong.

Indebted to the magazine, I list these wrong decisions for many, if not most, golfers.

1.  In a match, the farthest player from the hole plays first.

Don’t roll your eyes if you think this one is obvious, because you’d be surprised how many golfers think a player off the green has to hit his or her shot before a player on the green can putt.  Not true.  If a player on the green is farther from the hole than a player off the green, that person should putt first.  In match play, if you play out of order, your opponent can make you replay the stroke.  That would sting if you chipped in.

In stroke play, there is no penalty for playing out of order and it’s encouraged by the rules makers if it speeds up play.  Obviously, courtesy matters, so it’s probably a bad move to walk in front of another golfer to hit your shot ahead of him or her, but prudence should rule the day.

2.  You don’t get relief from boundary objects such as out-of-bounds stakes or fences.

You hit a shot that nearly left the golf course but stayed in play — that’s great.  However, having your ball next to an out-of-bounds fence or some other course boundary means you’re going to have to get creative about how to play your next shot.  Unlike stakes that mark things such as penalty areas, environmentally sensitive areas or ground under repair, you don’t get relief from OB markers unless you want to take an unplayable lie (and accept the penalty stroke that comes with it).

What you could do is strike the fence or object first to advance your ball, or even play your shot off the boundary object.  Players at the Old Course at St. Andrews have been known to hit shots off the rock wall behind the 17th green to get their ball on or near the putting surface.

3.  There is no lateral relief for penalty areas marked in yellow.

This rule is especially important to remember when a yellow penalty area fronts a green.  Even if your ball carries the pond but then rolls back in — like from the false front on the 15th hole at Augusta National — you don’t get to drop on the side of the pond where the ball rolled in.

At best, the course might provide a drop zone so you don’t have to replay from the spot where you just hit or anywhere using back-on-the-line relief, but playing on the other side would be playing from the wrong place (two strokes or loss of hole in match play).

4.  You probably won’t get relief from a sprinkler head on your line of play.

It seems unfair to be a few yards from the front of a green but your only decent option for your next shot is to chip over a sprinkler head.  Unfortunately, that’s typically the case.  Although sprinkler heads are considered immovable obstructions, you only get relief if your ball, stance or swing are interfered with by one of them.

There is one exception, however.  If the course or committee is using Model Local Rule F-5, there’s a good chance you can move your ball.  Here are the requirements:

The sprinkler head must be on your line of play.  That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be on a direct line between your ball and the cup, but you can’t claim the free relief if you choose a line of play that is clearly unreasonable.  The sprinkler head must be within two club lengths of the putting green and your ball must be within two club lengths of the sprinkler head.  A club length, by the way, is the longest club in your bag that is not a putter.

5.  You can’t play a provisional ball if its known or virtually certain your ball is in a penalty area.

Golfers get this one wrong, a lot.  If you hit a ball into a penalty area, the minute you re-load and hit another shot, the second ball is in play (plus add a penalty stroke).  It doesn’t matter if you said “provisional ball” or similar before hitting the shot.  

The provisional-ball procedure is reserved for times of uncertainty, like when you think the ball you just hit might be lost and you want to save time not having to walk back to the spot of your previous shot after a failed search.

There’s nothing uncertain about seeing your ball fly into a penalty area or being told by someone else it went in.  You must proceed with penalty-area options, which, by the way, include hitting a shot from the penalty area if you can find your ball.  And you can ground your club and make practice swings, too.  Did you know that rule also changed?

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.

It takes great skill to translate something complicated and transcendent such as Christianity into just a few words.

A visiting pastor at the church we attend in La Quinta, California, did just that a couple weeks ago.

Here is what he said:

“Remember, it’s Amazing Grace.  Not Amazing Effort.”

 His point:  We don’t earn our way into becoming children of God.  We accept the free gift of salvation God offers to those who make a choice to accept it.   

Though some of the words below hearken back to the past, they still portray a solid message.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Since I cannot sing a lick, it’s worth it to me to focus on the good words of Amazing Grace.

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.

Frank Bruni, who writes for the New York Times and teaches at Duke University, has become one of my favorite columnists.

Why?

• Well, first he uses words very well, better than most.  In almost every column, he uses a new good word and I have no choice but to look up the definition.
• Second, he highlights the good words many other writers use, which indicates that he practices humility, knowing that he is not the only good media writer these days.
• Third, he is precise and concise in his analysis of politics, skewering both sides when they don’t find the smart middle.

But, then, too, he is dog lover like me.  He often writes about his sidekick, Regan, which he did this week.  Here is what he wrote:

“We’re not the only creatures that turn their faces toward the sun.  That enjoy the tingle of a warming epidermis.  That have a complicated, contradictory relationship with heat.

“When the mercury crests 70, my Regan will sometimes refuse to take a walk of more than 200 feet.  But then, perhaps half an hour later, she’ll agitate to go outside and she’ll choose a patch of the driveway or backyard for bathing in the bright light.

“Here she is recently [I am not including the photo here] minus the lawn chair, sunglasses and piña colada that a more doting, generous human caretaker clearly would have given her.  It’s a wonder she puts up with me.”

I have similar thoughts about our dog, Callaway. [Yes, I named my golf clubs after him.]

When we spend our winters in the California desert, he loves to go outside on our patio without a leash.  Then, he finds a great spot and lays down in the sun in the warm grass, loving the heat while feeling a bit of independence without a tether.

Bruni and I share two things:  A love of words and a love for dogs.  He is better at the first than I am, but, as for the second, I suspect we’re equal. 

So enjoy the sun and contemplate life.