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Golf Rules: Who Really Cares?

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caddyshack putt

I read an interesting press release yesterday from Polara golf. You might recognize Polara as the manufacturer of drivers and golf balls that are banned on the tour. You know, those golf balls that can “correct” a slice and what-not. It’s funny because usually I never read stuff like this from any company but it had some interesting info.

In their response to the USGA/R&A’s ruling on “anchoring” clubs, Polara included some research results that I found quite amusing. A couple polls were taken and the results were just what I expected…the majority doesn’t give a crap. Let’s take a look:

In April 2013, Polara Golf commissioned a Google Consumer
Survey of 18,000 internet respondents; 1,000 of which were
golfers with a USGA handicap that were asked what
they thought of the anchoring ban. Here are the results:

35.4% – I don’t care.

25% – I agree with the proposed ban.

23% – I didn’t know there was a proposed ban.

17% – I disagree with the proposed ban.

You would think the USGA should take action and make an effort to improve these numbers. In reality, it probably wouldn’t even make a difference. Just as I had mentioned earlier, most could care less. Actually, another poll (below) shows more than 75% of golfers are out there for fun and have never even laid eyes on a rule book.

In December 2012 a Google Consumer Survey of 6,800 internet
respondents found:

* 78% of golfers play for fun and 22% play according to the USGA
rules
* 61% of respondents said they sometimes take mulligans, gimme
putts and other popular infractions such as using a “foot wedge.”
* 63% of golfers said they would consider using golf equipment
that was banned from professional play.
* 72% of golfers said they have never read the USGA Rules

There’s a trend happening here when it comes to rules. Somehow we know them but we never really read them. Take a look at how many U.S. citizens have read the constitution and laws governing our country. I’d bet the majority hasn’t. It’s just one of those things we pick up along the way from the generation before us…just like golf.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

The USGA Rule Book: Definitions

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Do you know golf law?
Do you know golf law?

Let me go out on a limb and state that most weekend golfers probably try to follow the USGA rules. Sure, we might not walk back to the tee to re-hit a ball that’s gone OB (or play a provisional). And we sometimes take mulligans and gimmies, but for the most part, we try to play the game right.

But do we really know the rules? I’m sure many of you have thumbed-through the USGA rule book, but have you read it cover to cover? Probably not. So in this continuing series, I’m going to write about stuff you find in the rule book – perhaps about things you’ve never even realized.

Today we’re highlighting Section 2: Definitions. Perhaps part of what makes understanding the USGA rule book so difficult is the terms used for things. Do we really know the difference between a “water hazard” and a “lateral water hazard”? To that end, the USGA Rules have an entire section devoted to the definition of golf terms.

There are literally dozens of rules defined in the rule book. Do you know what “Rub of the Green” means? That’s when a ball in motion accidentally is deflected or stopped by an “outside agency.” Of course, you then have to read the definition of “outside agency” – which is basically a person or thing other than the players themselves, their caddies and/or their equipment (with the exception of wind or water). So an outside agency, for example, might be a chipmunk that runs across the green and deflects your ball. Now then, what is the benefit of “Rub of the Green”? Well, you play the ball as it lies (after the chipmunk moves it) and don’t have to take a stroke. Gee, thanks.

What constitutes a “stroke” is also a good one to highlight. A “stroke” in golf is when a player has the intent of hitting the ball – even if said player misses the ball! However, a check swing (where the player is able to stop a swing before it reaches the ball) is NOT considered a stroke. By the way, if you are addressing (hello ball!) the ball on the tee and mistakenly tap the ball with your club causing it to fall, that is also NOT considered a stroke and you may re-tee without penalty.

Do you know what “through the green” means? That’s basically referring to the fairway of the hole being played (or the area between the tee and green). Though hazards (both water and sand) are not considered “through the green.”

“Abnormal Ground Conditions” is a rather abnormal one: It includes things like “casual water” and “ground under repair” (which, of course, have their own definitions). But it also includes holes made by burrowing animals. “Burrowing animal” is defined (yep, that’s defined too) as a “hole for habitation” for critters such as moles, gophers and salamanders. But the rule doesn’t apply to worms or insects. Which is a bit discriminatory if you ask me – after all, I’ve seen some pretty large burrowing wasps out on the course!

Finally, let’s circle back to the difference between a “water hazard” and a “lateral water hazard.” See below:

  • A “water hazard” is any sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch or other open water course (whether or not containing water) and anything of a similar nature on the course.”
  • A “lateral water hazard” is a water hazard or that part of a water hazard so situated that it is not possible, or is deemed by the Committee to be impracticable, to drop a ball behind the water hazard in accordance with Rule 26-1b.

Get it now? LOL. Basically, there may be portions near a water hazard where you might actually find your ball but cannot play from (environmentally safe areas, etc.). So in these instances, you can play the ball up to two club lengths away from the lateral water hazard (and still lift and clean or substitute a ball).

So know your golf terminology! Though I’d rather familiarize myself with more non-traditional golf terms like THESE.

Enjoyment the Key for Retaining New Golfers

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Stinky Golfers Pete (L) and Chris enjoying themselves on the course. (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

It may sound obvious: That in order to turn beginning golfers into lifetime golfers, they should enjoy themselves. But how often does that really happen? Think about it – the very fundamentals of golf can be extremely frustrating – especially to a golf newbie.

Take the golf swing for instance. Have you ever tried teaching someone how to swing a club? You’re at the driving range with someone who has never played – you show them the basics (grip, stance and swing), hand them the club and let them have at it. That can be pretty frustrating to both the golf newbie and to you.

Stinky Golfer Chris summed it up the best when he wrote in a post:

“Handing [my wife] a club was like handing a cell phone to my grandmother. Some things are better left in the hands of others…[Have] you ever see a baby just learning how to walk? It’s walking into things and falling down and you can’t help but to laugh. Picture that baby with a golf club in one hand, completely throwing off it’s balance even further, and a glass of Jack Daniels in the other. It was like that. But less graceful.“

What about golf etiquette? Remember going out to the course with a first timer? “Don’t step there; You can’t put your bag there; It’s not your turn yet; You can’t touch it until the green; Let this other group play through.” It’s (what must seem to them) an endless list of don’ts and can’ts.

And what about slow play? A new golfer will inevitably be slow – they are still learning how to get the ball in the air; still learning the rules; still learning the etiquette; but yet they are constantly being pushed through the course – golf newbie or not, no one forgives slow play.

I haven’t even mentioned the cost factor (equipment, apparel, greens fees) yet! It’s no wonder there are so many people out there that claim: “I tried golf, but it just wasn’t for me.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, golf isn’t for everybody, but I believe we can retain more golfers if the introduction to the game wasn’t so abrasive. Perhaps most importantly if you have a friend that wants to try golf, the best gift to give them is a lesson from a pro. Yes, you pay for the lesson – whenever something is free, people tend to appreciate it more.

And don’t stop there – the second most important thing is to make the game enjoyable. This means point out the rules and etiquette of the game but don’t always enforce them. In fact, their entire first season playing should be very informal. And prepare them upfront that as a newbie, it’s OK to pick up and move on sometimes.

Some other ideas: Allow Mulligans (multiple Mulligans if necessary); Tell them 95% of golfers can’t shoot anywhere near par so they should just have fun; Get them hand-me-down clubs; Don’t just talk golf – catch up on things in general – let them see the camaraderie this game offers.

So the next time you have an opportunity to introduce someone to golf, do right by them – make it an enjoyable experience and you might just end up with a golfing buddy for life.

Why the Polara Ball will Hurt, Not Help Golf

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Last week, The New York Times published an article about a golf ball that doesn’t slice. I’m sure you probably read about it – there was much re-posting going on in the golf blogosphere.

The basic theme of many blog posts regarding the new ball was: “This is great – a ball that flies straight! The only catch is it’s not sanctioned by the golfing gods. But [they ask as a devilish smile widens across their face] should we use it anyway?”

Obviously, professional golfers won’t be using this ball. So that leaves the rest of us. In fact, “the rest of us” is exactly who the developer had in mind when marketing this illegal orb:

“It’s for the other [non pro] golfers, the ones who rarely hit it straight…It’s for people who want to be embarrassed less, play faster and enjoy it more. I respect the U.S.G.A., they help identify the best golfers in the world, but what about the rest of us?”

The audacity of this company to assume that deep down, “the rest of us” are all just a bunch of cheaters. You see, it’s this kind of crap that’s killing golf. It’s been emblazoned into our ethos…right down to the molecular level – that we’re failures if we’re not good at something. Golfers are self-conscious about their swings and their high handicaps. They’re self-conscious about flubbing one when everyone is looking or missing a 1-footer for par.

Marketers love the idea of the self-depreciating golfer. They think: I know what we can do…let’s produce a product that breaks the rules to make all these golfing failures feel better about themselves! That’ll really sucker them in!

Ah, but they’re missing one major point: Golfers don’t really quit the game because they’re poor players. I mean, when was the last time you heard something like this: “I’ve had enough! After playing this game every weekend for 40 years without much success, I’m quitting!” The truth is, you just don’t hear stuff like that. And you don’t hear it for one reason: People play golf not because they are good at it, but because they love it.

Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself why high-handicappers still play. Why do golfers that have averaged in the 90’s or higher their entire lives continue to hit the links? Why go through the agony of another embarrassing flub? I think it’s obvious: We play this game because we love it – regardless of whether we’re good at it.

But what this Polara ball will do is diminish the game’s integrity by fueling the following notion: That the ultimate goal of recreational golfers should be to get better. And since golf is so hard, you’re going to have to cheat to do so.

Look, if you really want to change the way you golf, change your mental approach to the game. You don’t have to make the main focus about getting better – instead make it about having fun; or being outdoors; or spending time with friends; or just the fact that you are out doing something you love to do. And if you really need a ball that only flies straight to attain that satisfaction…then you, my friend, are no lover of golf (or any other sport for that matter).

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