Or as I remembered, have volunteers to remove the obstruction.
Tiger Woods had a situation where a good sized boulder might be interfering with the golf swing. There were a few of the spectator who carried the boulder away from his swing path. It was on Television with one of the tournaments broadcasting. Not sure if that is a violation of the rules where the golfer did not ask for the act but it was performed anyway.
1 Like
Now and then, a Loose Impediment can be removed by any means available, if its done with excessive delay to play. But if you cannot remove it, thats life, keep it out of the desert.
2 Likes
Yes, I remember seeing 3-4 strong men lifting that small piece of boulder to clear the way for Tiger. Amazing. Bethpage Black?
I’m thinking it was either Arizona or Palm Springs, but I’m way too lazy to Google it for myself
You’re correct, it was in Phoenix. It amazed me that the fans could help in this situation without breaking the rules.
I completely agree with that sentiment, but I’m not playing to maintain a handicap.
But, and this is strictly imo…
For people who are maintaining a handicap, I’m wondering if actions like that … along with others such as moving your ball out of a fairway divot … are contrary to “the spirit of the game”…
1 Like
If one is not depending on the outcome of this one round of score to bring his index down a half a point. Why do it? Even in tournament golf, we’d witness professionals assessing the situation then either go ahead or declare unplayable lie. Keep one thing in mind that they have sponsors for their equipment. A trip to the tour van after the round would get the damage shaft or head replaced.
Can’t remember which golfer nor the tournament, but I witness on the media there were quite a few incidents of broken or bent shafts resulted from heroic play.
I do remember Phil Michelson and others hitting off the paved asphalt surface a few times.
As for hitting golf balls in a fairway divot, why abandon a chance to practice such a shot? You won’t find this lie on the modern day driving range mat, and no one practice with this lie on grass tee.
I had several opportunity to practice and confirm on what I learned of hitting from the fairway divot ( not a crater). Take one or two more club hit down and through; the ball will come out a bit lower and mostly with a little curve to the right . Same as hitting a driver off the fairway on a long par 5 ( back a few decades ago when the center of gravity on the driver’s face was much lower on a smaller driver head ). I could pull off a shot with a driver head as large as 410 c.c.
It is a personal choice when playing a recreational round if to hit a wayward tee shot in the jungle, through tree branches to get back on the fairway or toward the green; trying to stop a full swing to avoid a tree trunk ( usually won’t work unless one is extremely strong). Not everyone is Saviano Ballesteros.
1 Like
I agree here. If you don’t want to play the shot due to risk of injury or damage fine but its a one stroke penalty. If its in a divot as Dews says, play it, its the only way you learn how to!
3 Likes
I’ve said it before, the “spirit of the game” means (to me at least) playing by the Rules. All the Rules, not just the convenient ones. Sure, that might mean you’re faced with a choice between potential injury and/or club damage, vs taking a penalty stroke for Unplayable. There’s discussion that free relief is OK in casual rounds, where the score doesn’t really count. But if the score doesn’t really count, why would a player be so concerned about adding a penalty stroke to his score?
2 Likes
I agree. Even in a casual round, I am playing out of a divot or taking an unplayable. Of course there is always a few $$ on our matches so we aren’t letting anyone break the rules lol.
2 Likes
Yes, agreed. You’re either playing golf (as we know it) or you’re playing “Judge Smails ball” 
It’s just screwing yourself. Those actions lower your posted score and will therefore show up in your handicap. Your opponent in a match/tournament isn’t likely to let you do it, right. But you’ll be getting strokes as if they would have let you do it.
1 Like
Exactly, and it is not easy to live by all the rules because not every golfer knows every rule in the book and how to "interpret, apply " the rule in a life situation. Not during a non-tournament round without rule official to help.
However, the Brits sneakered at our “winter rules” because they truly play the golf ball where it lies. That will eliminate a lot of the issues. Not lifting even with manmade obstructions. That’s the way this game should be played. I believe and exercise playing the golf ball where it lies, and the result is, many of my golf buddies criticized me of being “too serious with the rules of the game”.
1 Like
There be always someone who knows the truth, well, at least one, yourself.
A handicap index is to reflect your potential ability of scoring, nothing more. It won’t offer you a promotion at work , it won’t shame you among your peer; so if we don’t do it with all the rules and honesty, then, why bother? Use the time for something else that required you to mark down the scores with each hole, calculate it and input it into the handicap system.
I have been always telling my closest friends that if they might as well throw away the score card if the apply personalized altered rules. Unfortunately some need an index to play the weekend club tournaments. We know who they are, so if something like a trophy is on the line ( or Calcutta) , there be someone near by when they take a swing at the golf ball.
1 Like
Agreed 
Wish all golfers felt, and played, the same way … 
1 Like
Yeah it’s unfortunate that you, and others who hold to the Rules and spirit of the game, have to be distracted monitoring others. Oh well …
Anyway – there have some very interesting thoughts and perspectives listed in here!! 
1 Like
It is quite alright if someone I golf with do a little foot wedge. As long as there is nothing riding on the outcome for my sake. Long ago, golf with a guy who supposed to have machos moola. I spotted him turning the golf ball sitting in the fairway so marker will be pointed at the target line. We were playing a 3 team dollar skin. The winner of 2 skins will probably break even, and might come out covered his green fee if he win the majority of the holes; so not a really big bet but enough to get your attention.
I mentioned this to the guy while we were sitting down in the clubhouse restaurant for lunch to settle the skins. He got angry at me for fingering him out of his cheating, and warned me “you be careful”… LOL. He was an idiot to pull that teenager’s threat on me. I had never golf with that guy since. Heard he got several girl friends later and one of his son grew up to be a good golfer. Hope the son does not behave like his old man on the golf course.
So, they can do anything they wish on the golf course or off the golf course. I just think that one would be stupid enough to expose their true intention to others over a game. Who knows, there might be other situation involving the same people in the future and they’ve already know the cards you’re holding.
1 Like
Even the very first Rules of Golf, in 1744, allowed for free relief from a few things:
“Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes, or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out Teed and play’d with any Iron Club.”
The Rules have evolved over the centuries as the game expanded to different geologic settings and different climates, as technology has evolved (they didn’t have concrete pavements or underground sprinklers back then), as agronomy has improved, etc. The Rules have always tried to balance the original Principle of playing the ball a ball as it lies with overall fairness. As an example, divot holes pre-date the first rules, were accepted as normal by those first rules, no relief. Sprinkler heads are a recent development, decidedly artificial, so relief is warranted. So yeah, play the ball as it lies, but don’t insist that its the “right way” to play golf in all circumstances, you’d be saying that from the very first the Rules were flawed.
2 Likes
Thanks for the refreshing of the “first rule”.
I wee a lot of the YouTube video of the weekend golfers trying the impossible golf shots which never practiced before, created the funny moments and sometimes dangerous situation to the golfers.
A few Springs ago, during a round with a few skins riding on the line, a golfer in my group tried to swing at his golf ball settled on the shallow bank of a water hazards. It would had been okay, except the golf course was drenched from days of rain, the guy swung hard and he lost balance, slipped down the bank, luckily he only had mud and water from shoes to knees. Not worth the trouble saving one stroke from relieve ( they declared no free relieve from the winter rules that day before teeing off). The few dollars we were betting was not worth trying to follow the rules to the letter for a recreational round of golf.
1 Like
My instructor at Philmont CC taught me three things to follow:
- Respect the game
- Respect the course
- Respect the other player
These three points pretty much cover all the morals to look out for in a game.
2 Likes