"The year 2010 will not be remembered for any particular playing accomplishment but rather for Dustin Johnson failing to realize he was sharing a bunker with dozens of spectators who had nowhere else to go on a depraved course that led mobs into hazards."
I suspect that Frank Hannigan would just point us to his timelier-than-ever Golf Digest story after some of the rules-related groveling following Ian Poulter's unfortunate "lucky" coin incident Sunday.
The Rules of Golf, it was reported in bona-fide media and anonymous blogs, are an ass. It was all very Tea Partyish in that the government, in this case the rules-making USGA, was denounced as causing nothing but harm. The rules, said the critics, were made by doddering old men in a haphazard manner designed to irk those with common sense who were sure all the publicized rules confrontations could have been handled in some ad-hoc manner resulting in no penalty for the likes of the nonreading Johnson, who, after all, didn't mean to ground his club in a hazard and surely gained no benefit in doing so.
Mind, the USGA has asked for trouble by performing badly in many areas of its provenance. It foisted upon the game a new groove rule on the basis that doing so would improve the game dramatically, whereas all it did was make golf a more expensive game by encouraging golfers to buy new clubs for no good reason. But handling the Rules of Golf is what the USGA is good at. (I exclude Rules 4 and 5 on equipment, the evolution of which has been a disaster.) Because the USGA is good at rules, the game is one of law and respect.Cheating, taken for granted not only in other games but throughout our society, is not tolerated in golf.
He goes on, as only Frank can, highlighting a baseball incident this summer and how such a thing would never be tolerated in golf.
Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 08:27 PM
Reader Comments (56)
The drug/alcohol thing is about the people that think the rules are bogus and they should be ignored ( i.e. Poulter/Johnson should not have been penalized). There has been a big outcry of the rules not being fair. Hence my analogy of a couple of laws that many people are comfortable breaking. I guess a few did not connect the two.
JT
The Jeter comment ("the New York Yankees shortstop who passes as a sportsman in baseball") is way way out of left field, and suspiciously harsh ... in a "someone spiked my Kashi with buttermilk again" way.
On the other hand, Whistling Straits local rules for a Major = ridiculous, and he is right in calling out Pete Dye's prickly defense.
Another reductio ad absurdism, Jay. What I believe some of us are trying to get across is that we believe in the rules, but in the Dustin Johnson case we feel that PGA did the stretching. The player approached an area that seemed to be the sidelines. A crowd of people were standing there. None of the announcers on TV recognized it as a bunker. The player did not. The official was a far piece away doing crowd control. And then the announcement later on, after the player was done, that it all been spelled out in a memo left in the lockers, that reeked of Cover Your Ass officialdom. Other players in the past have won majors by hitting great recovery shots on the final hole. DJ was not allowed that glory. We don't defend him, though, out of sentimentality. Logic was set aside at that tournament, and it's galling. And to call us dope peddlers because we cry foul, well, that's to be expected, I guess.
we'll just have to lave it at , I get your drift, but I don't think it is the best metaphore/comparison.
thanx for keeping it civil, hope I did ok.
Have a good week.
Yes.
I Have actally been workig on that for ome time. as to a short list, stay tuned:....I'll do my best to provide you with some 'insight' in the next few......it may be as an OT in another heading, but I'll addtress you and give you a hads up.
I had an 18 stitch accident on my leg yesterday afternoon, so I am prayimg for the pain meds to kick in!
If you are willing to underwrite me, I will have this puppy put to be by he end of January.
thank you for your support.
It should also be noted, that I have been stifled by several very serious medical situations, and living is more important than a one stroke penalty. at least for me.
Hope the leg heals quickly. Here, try some of this ...
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-7245.aspx
Should have the required effect!
Can I put in a pitch for sand filled divots (or, even worse, unfilled divots) being treated as GUR. Nothing like trying to break 80 for the first time, striping your best drive of the day down the middle of 18 only to find yourself in a divot. Can someone explain to me how that is fair? And what is the insult to the spirit of the game for me to play my shot from the same conditions that someone else did when they made the divot in the first place?
divots are tough. when is it healed? etc....
Well, there is no harm in asking, Carl. My time vs the need for daily income has been the first slow down factor, but the doggone med issue has really kicked me around for some time.
the road to hell may be paved with good intentions ,but the day to day time to seriously write is paved with bunkers with undefined margins.
C&C ... I'll try and get 2 or 3 simple ideas on here very soon.
Her's the deal.
I am addressing the casual golfers real round, with defined rules. I DO believe that the USGA need to revise the ROG, tat is issue @ 2, and then there is competition rules.
So there are 3 issues on ROG.
My primary concern is rules for the daily player to have an enjoyable timely experience, with cmmon sense rules of play.
As to the second point, the ROG: I will address that with a couple of references.
So we'll see how the time runs here.
Here's one action that actually doesn't need new rules just a pot of paint!
Paint all stakes red so the lateral water hazard rule applies everywhere and the out of bounds rule ceases to exist. Instruct course superintendents to install red stakes along all long grass and bushes and forests so the lost ball rule ceases to exist too.
Get well soon