The Rules of Golf

July 2, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

The rules of golf are in-depth and attempt to explain some of the crazy situations that may occur on the links. They are varied and sometimes a little off the wall. They can be applied after the fact or during a match that could mean the difference of winning or losing. The rules are applied evenly (we hope) or perceived not to fair. The rules will undoubtedly make you scratch your head. Regardless, the rules of golf are important and should not be taken lightly. Or should they?

In a previous article called Gopher It! I explain how rule 25-1, Immovable Obstructions and Abnormal Ground Conditions, from the 2012 Royal Canadian Golf Association rule book impacted a tournament I participated in several years back. Needless to say, we discussed this rule for quite some time.

Sergio Garcia took the meaning of “play the ball where it lies” to a whole new level. The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf and Country Club, Garcia climbed a tree to play the ball out into the fairway. It can be seen at PGATOUR.COM.

The penalty for slow play against the Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old, grade 8 player from China, who made the cut at the 2013 The Masters caught everyone’s attention. A statement, in The Guardian, by rules officials stated that his age did not matter. I would have to agree with that statement. He obviously has the game to play at the Masters, so he must play by all the rules. Whether the rules are applied equally is the real topic of conversation of most analysts.

Of course the Tiger Woods rules challenge at this year’s Masters. In this case, the rules officials were under tremendous pressure to make an appropriate call because a television viewer called in and challenged Tiger Woods drop. Woods was not disqualified for signing an incorrect score card as many had suggested, but was assessed a two stroke penalty.

The RCGA, USGA, R&A are all governing bodies that routinely examine the rules of golf and make what they deem as appropriate changes. They focus mainly on the elite players, but do attempt to keep the average duffer in the mix.

The Putting Rule

So, what about those unwritten rules used by local players? No, I am not talking about etiquette, but the fun rules! Rules like:

The 30 Second Rule – If you can pick up your ball and place it back in the spot you just hit from within 30 seconds, the shot does not count.
First Tee Do Over Rule – You arrive at the first tee before 7 am and duff your drive – you get a do over because you are not warmed up yet.
The Putting Rule – On the first green, if it has not been cut yet, you are allowed two putts from the same spot to get a feel for the speed. If the ball drops on either stroke count one!
Foot Wedge Rule – it is used regularly and without shame! It is the – I am here to have fun and do not care about the score – shot!

These unwritten rules are for the fun of the game. Golf is challenging and the rules were developed over centuries of play, however golf is meant to be fun! Using your own rules sometimes is just the break we duffers need to have a memorable round. If we were making money at golf, maybe the rules would be more important! Since we don’t….remember – be a grateful golfer! See you on the links.

US Open Day 2

June 14, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Well the second day of the US Open proven to be interesting. It seems everyone took a few steps backward. This is not surprising given the tough conditions of Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa. The rough is long and the fairways tight…what a great course!

I was particularly impressed with a couple of amateurs; C. Pan and M. Kim, both shot 2 under. How is that for playing under pressure. I hope that the play well for the rest of the weekend. Would the US Open truly be the US Open if an amateur won!

Phil Mickelson finished strong with a birdie on the 18th hole. He made a long putt with authority. Maybe this will be his trigger for success this year. Mickelson has the game to play Merion only if he continues to hit most of the greens in regulation.

Mike Weir, another of my favorites, has a chance to make the cut. As a past Masters Champion, he will have to play tomorrow morning because he finished on the 10th hole. He was a last entry and again, as I love underdogs, it would be great to see Weir do great this year. Weir also has a chance because he is a relatively short hitter, but is accurate and consistent (most of the time).

Lastly, the big three: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Adam Scott finishing +3, +3 and +7 respectively. They did not play bad or good. They just stayed alive….especially Scott. These three cannot be counted out, however my pick is McIlory. He is ready for a breakout round and tomorrow may be it.

The US Open is a tournament that tests even the most seasoned golfer. It is treacherous rough and greens slicker than your kitchen floor! Tomorrow should prove to exciting as the course will dry out and speed up. I can hardly wait!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Is The US Open Actually Open?

June 12, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

The Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa, is hosting the 2013 US Open. For the 113th time, this elite tournament is garnering the attention of the world. The 156 player event traditionally captures the golf world like most majors. Unlike other professional tournaments, the United States Golf Association totally controls the US Open. This arrangement begs someone to ask if their selection process to enter and win this prestigious tournament fair or are the cards stacked in favour of a small elite group of golfers?

The USGA will set the specific rules to their championship, ranging from how the course will be laid out and the course conditions to include the length to the treacherous and famous rough. “The rough should be of sufficient height to provide a significant problem … The USGA believes that the penalty for straying off the fairway should be about one-half stroke. The desired height of the rough depends on the type of grass involved… (approximately) 3 and 6 inches, except that there is a strip of rough about 6 feet wide just off the fairways … Less punitive rough would be advisable for most club competitions as it increases the time spent searching for balls and leads to slower play.” Their exacting standards have caused many a player to self-destruct during the final round.

This year’s entrants include representation from approximately 17 different countries, 76 exempt players, 5 amateurs, and a slew of hopefuls. This year, the US Open starts on Thursday, 13 June 2013 and ends on Father’s Day, Sunday, 16 June 2013.

“Each year, thousands of competitors enter the U.S. Open. They are professionals and amateurs, teenagers and seniors, All-Americans and walk-ons, teachers and firemen. No matter their background, what they have in common is the dream of teeing it up in the national championship.”

There are some qualifying rules before any golfer can try their hand at winning the US Open. First, all entrants must have a handicap index of 1.4 or less. This means that they must shoot 1 shot over the course rating 10 times out of 20 rounds. This is a very difficult feat except for the best of the best. This year, qualifying started with an 18-hole local tournament at 111 sites around the United States. Those excited qualifier winners advanced to sectional competitions around the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, to compete with exempt players in a 36-hole marathon. After all is said and done, the field for the US Open is set.

So far, all seems fair for those players wishing to raise one of the most valued trophies in golf. With all this openness, has anyone actually been successful enough to enter the qualifier and win the tournament? The short answer is yes: Ken Venturi, 1964 and Orville Moody, 1969. Other important points include 5 amateur champions who won the US Open eight times. The oldest winner was Hale Irwin at age 45, the youngest winner was John J. McDermott aged 19, the youngest competitor was Andy Zhang aged 14 and the oldest competitor was Sam Snead at age 61. Most US Open wins was 4 by four players; one being an amateur…maybe you heard of him, Robert Tyre Jones Jr. Better known as Bobby Jones!

To answer the original question: Is the US Open Actually Open? The answer is an undeniable yes! The process to qualify is fair, yet challenging. They allow anyone who has the skill to step up and swing their way to victory! It is a difficult challenge, but over 9000 golfers felt they had what it takes to win this year’s US Open.

To get ready for the US Open, Major Championships.com has a top twenty moments in US Open history that will put you in the mood for more action. The Bleacher Report has some odds set out that may help and Major Championships.com has power ratings out for those interested in picking the winner.

Golf is a passion and I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links!

Making Golf Fun for Everyone!

June 11, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Setting up a golf course for play is more complicated than one would think. Each day a decision should be made on where to place the pins and the tee box to make the most of any course. The local pro or grounds keeper should relieve the pressure from the person responsible for moving the pins and tee box and set up the course in advance. Properly setting up a course will ensure that it fair and enjoyable to play by the average golfer.

A bush 4 feet high directly in the line of the tee markers!

The above image is a perfect example of what not to do. The tee markers are 8 yards apart with 5 yards set up directly behind a 4-foot bush. This set up was during a tournament recently run at a local course. Needless to say, it was frustrating and silly all at the same time.

The R&A has strong guidance on how to make the pin placements and the location of the tee boxes. “Tee-markers should be placed about six to seven yards apart. If the width of the teeing ground is greater, players are more likely to inadvertently tee up in front of the tee-markers. The front line of the teeing ground should be set up at right angles to the centre of the drive zone.” “There should be a balanced selection of hole positions for the entire course with respect to left, right, central, front and back positions. For example, beware too many positions on one side or the other of the green with a resulting premium on drawn or faded shots.”

All too often, the tee markers are moved to where there is the most grass. Moving to where no one has played is a requirement caused by not moving the tee markers for two or more days. Compounding the problem is par threes because most players take divots during these shorter shots. Eventually, setting up the tee markers poorly will ruin a tee box.

Additionally, the pins have a tendency to be placed in awkward locations that require a skill level far beyond the weekend looper. Some may think that having the pin placed on the side of a slope is to test the skill of players, but actually this action just frustrates everyone on the links. Generally, someone told to move the pins makes this crucial set-up decision. This is not to suggest the maintenance worker cannot set up the green, but some fore-thought is required to ensure that the course is still fun with a mix of challenge for the average player.

Another aspect of properly moving the pins and tee makers is to ensure the traffic of walkers, carts and maintenance vehicles is balanced over the course. Having the same traffic tread over the same patch of grass for several days will cause serious damage and degrade the quality of the course. It is frustrating for any golfer to make a fantastic shot and then quickly realize they are on hard-pan for no reason other than the set-up of the course has not changed is three days.

Ultimately, setting up a course is challenging. It is a critical task not taken lightly. Most weekend golfers do not need to be challenged on every shot; properly setting up a course will ensure that it is fair and enjoyable can be played by the average golfer. If you are running a tournament, take the time to talk to your local pro for advice. If you explain your overall goal; fun, challenge or a mixture of both; there is a very good chance they will meet your expectations. Then everyone is a winner.

Golf is a fantastic sport. Millions of people play everyday. Properly setting up the course will only multiply their fun and willingness to come back!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

The Fifth Major

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

The Players Championship played this weekend is lauded as the Fifth Major. It is the only significant tournament owned and administered by the PGA Tour. The majors all have different sponsors. The Masters is owned by the Augusta National Golf Club; the U.S. Open by the United States Golf Association (USGA); The Open Championship by The R&A, and the PGA Championship by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA of America).

This tournament was created in 1974 and Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural tournament. This tournament has a short history, but gathers an elite field every year. The tournament runs every year at about the same time with the final round being played on Mother’s Day. It has a permanent home at TPC Sawgrass since 1982 at the stadium course.

Having the reputation as the Fifth Major is very tough. The Players Championship is a very young tournament, but has some great highlights. Tom Alter, PGATOUR.COM, outlines 40 history shots that capture your imagination. One of the favourites was in “2007 – In the third round, Phil Mickelson’s tee shot at the 10th hole found a fairway bunker. His only shot to the green was through a small gap in the trees. The leader couldn’t win the tournament with this one shot, but he could lose it. So “Phil the Thrill” threaded his approach shot through the trees and onto the green. Climbing out of the bunker, he said to his caddie Jim “Bones” McKay, “I didn’t want to tell you what I was doing.” Mickelson went on to win the first PLAYERS in May by two shots.” There are many more great stories and are worth a read.

Every tournament has great memories. If one researched enough, they could find enough great shots to fill a book. It could be the fact that it has the richest prize money of any tournament. Or that the winner receives 600 Fed Ex points for winning like the other Majors. Or that the field is made of the top 30-50 players in the world. Ultimately, this tournament has plenty to offer and continues to be elevated into the top five tournaments of the year.

The greatness of The Players Championship can be supported in the facts on many levels. However, what is the ultimate driving force that makes it the Fifth Major? It is RESPECT. The respect it receives from the players.

In an article by ESPN.COM, on Tuesday Tiger Woods is quoted, “We have our four major championships, and that’s that, …….But if there was going to be another one, this would be it. This is the best field that we have. We have guys from all over the world playing and, next to the PGA, probably one of the deepest and stiffest fields we’ll face.”

USA Today Sports penned “The Players just gets bigger and bigger,” two-time Players champion Davis Love III said. “The PGA Tour has done a great job in making this our major, the players’ major, and it’s a special tournament.”

The New York Daily News quotes the number 2 in world, “It’s funny,” said Rory McIlroy, who has missed the cut all three times he’s played here. “It’s a golf course where you look at the field and you’re like, ‘Anyone can win.”

The majority of the golf world respects the Players Championship as an elite tournament. The players themselves are eager to try their hand at one of the toughest competitions of the year. As stated by the players, this tournament has proven year in and year out that it is a top tier professional golf tournament. It is time to give The Players Championship its due and make it the Fifth Major!

I am a grateful Golfer! See you on the links!