Under normal circumstances I try my best to live as ethically and morally correct as possible. Of course ethics and morality can be subjective but I’m referring to it as what society deems normal ethical and moral practices.
You know, I try not to rob banks, swindle old people out of money or “sample” produce at the grocery store. I prefer to have as little on my conscious as possible.
Then there’s golf. Without trying or thinking about it I cheat at least 2-3 times a round. Why? I have no friggin’ idea. The rules are clear and in place and I’m well aware of them but I choose to break them to my advantage and that’s fine with me. I made a quick list off the top of my head of my problem areas.
- Lost ball – No, I do not hit a provisional nor do I re-tee. I drop the ball where I think it should be.
- Play it as it lies – Right after I improve the lie.
- Picking up the ball on the fairway (or in the rough) to clean it or check to see if it’s mine – Can’t play with dirty balls…especially if they are not mine.
- The gimme – Anything within a clubs length of the hole is good in my book.
- Grounding clubs – Come on man, we’re not on the tour.
- Taking someone else’s ball – Thought it was mine…honest mistake.
- Mulligan/Breakfast ball – Mr. Mulligan said I get a re-do.
This is what I’ve got so far. I know we’ve covered this before but I’m pretty sure there are a lot of other hacks out there that have these issues as well. It’s o.k., we are only human. I believe Alexander Pope said “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” That being said, I forgive myself for erring and look forward to another divine round.
Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!
I love #2
I’m pretty rules conscious, but there are a couple of rules that I’ve modified to make the game more fun…
I’m generally painfully honest, but I have adapted a few of the rules of golf for my general enjoyment of the game. If I were in any sort of competition, I would never do any of these things, but when playing for fun…
1. If I haven’t hit balls on the range before my round, I allow myself a mulligan on the first tee.
2. If a ball that I have addressed moves, I’ll announce that I am cheating and not count the stroke penalty.
3. I will accept gimmes if they are roughly “within” the leather”.
4. If I’m in a big divot in the fairway, I’ll probably move it to a nice lie.
5. If I’m in a footprint in a bunker, I might move it to a smoother lie.