Burn The Rule Book

This is a big week in the world of golf, well, YouTube golf anyway, and no, it's not because of the two minute video of Tiger Woods chipping. Although, we can all admit that we loved that, and a big thanks to Eastside Golf for sharing! Instead, all eyes are focussed on a golf competition amongst content creators whom you wouldn't typically find on the golf course. This week is the premier of the long anticipated Writers Cup, brought to you by Barstool Sports, and boy did it start with a bang. In just the first match, Kirk & Hank vs Arian & Francis, sparks flew as rule books were opened and integrities were called into question.

After a slow start Kirk began nitpicking on rules as a means to gain an edge, since his golf game certainly wasn't going to do the trick, and started an argument over Francis finishing a putt for bogey, and thus relinquishing Arian's right to an attempt from the previous spot for par. Kirk went toe to toe with El Presidente himself, prevailing in both his effort to uphold the rules, as well as winning the match for his team, with only the fragile minds of his once astute competitors as a cost. As valid as the gripe may be, according to the USGA rule book, golf is a gentleman's game played by gentlemen's rules, and those can often fall outside the lines. Even Kirk knew he was crowning himself a villain when he took up his crusade, but he did win the match, so in the end, does it matter? As a tactic it worked liked a charm, and there is something to be said about following the rules when playing for money, so what rules of golf should be followed when playing a match, and should gentleman's rules ever override the actual rule book? If you are hitting the links any time soon, here are some rules to consider for a fun match, that will still be competitive.

1. A Gimmie is a Gimmie

Since this was inspired by the controversy in the Writers Cup I figured I would address my stance on the matter first. One thing to keep in mind here is that you should really establish these rules in the beginning, so an argument mid-round really wouldn't happen, but when it comes to a "gimmie" putt, we all know what that looks like when we see it. I've always played that it was good inside the grips, but if I was ever in a match I would certainly bring that up beforehand. In today's game, with all the different grips and lengths of putters, "inside the grips" is no longer the standard that it once was, so I now say anything within a foot works. And before you start huffing and puffing about how many 2 or 3 putts you can make in a row, I promise you that 2 feet looks A LOT BIGGER when you have a few hundred dollars riding on it. If you know the skill level of your competitors you should be able to come to a fair understanding of what a "gimmie" is, and if you are within that space you should be able to assume that it is good. If you want to be a hardo about it, establish that early before it becomes a problem. If you are playing in a scramble like they were in the Writers Cup, the answer is simple, don't be like Kirk. You know that your opponenent is going to want to take an effort at a lower score, and tapping in a 1-incher should't sacrifice their right to do so. If you are trying to have a good time and winning isn't as crucial, call it 2 or 3 feet for gimmies and watch that score drop a few strokes just for fun!

2. All Lateral, All Day

If you are unfamiliar with golf course rules and set up, "lateral" is a term used for relief from a water hazard, or any hazard designated with red or yellow stakes. However, golf courses also tend to have white stakes, marking the boundary lines for an unfriendly area referred to as "out of bounds". This is typically reserved for the outer edges of the course should not be seen within the confines of the track, though I swear I've found out of bounds steaks just about everywhere. The difference with the white markers is that when you cross this boundary, you are supposed to go back to where you hit your last shot, often taking extra time and almost always resulting in a loss of the hole. In just the last few years, for amatuers, a rule was introduced where a player can take a lateral drop if they hit it out of bounds, but the penalty is two strokes as opposed to one. If it was up to me, I'd say this should be the standard as it would save lots of time and could result in some pretty cool hero shots from players looking to make-up for their incurred penalty. I'd even go so far as to suggest that there shouldn't be out of bounds. I think that if everything was just a one stroke penalty that it would be fine, and there would be no need to remember the differences in penalties between the colored stakes. It's hard enough to just hit the golf ball, no need to make it even harder with penalty zones.

3. No Bad Lies in the Fairway

As any avid golfer can attest, one of the most frustrating things in golf is hitting a perfect drive right down the middle of the fairway only to find it resting at the bottom of someone else's divot. Think about it, you finally avoided your dreadful duck hook, you're 120yds from the green, you've already got birdie in mind as you approach your ball with a wedge in hand, and the second you see your lie you realize that the best you can hope for is making clean contact. As I see it, if you hit a shot in the fairway off the tee, then you should be entitled to a clean lie, or at the very least, you shouldn't have to hit out of a hole because the previous person didn't replace their divot. At many courses, golf carts are outfitted with small containers filled with dirt and sod, or sand, and players are expected to fill divots so that the grass will grow back. Depending on the state of the course, and your golf game, you may even take divots that can be replaced, and should be, laid back down to rest so their roots can try to reattach. You get relief in the fairway from all sorts of things like standing water, man-made hazards, and ground under repair, but for some reason we have all agreed to be penalized when the person before us chunks their shot and leaves us for dead. So if you aren't playing for a green jacket, as most of us are not, just roll the ball out of the divot and give yourself the lie you deserve. There is a good chance you aren't going to be sticking it to 2 feet anyway, so might as well give yourself a clean lie and try your best to hit the green. I'd even go so far to suggest that "lift, clean, and place" should be the standard, but that is an argument for another day.

4. Wet Sand, Rake in Hand

If you have ever played the day after a rain storm you have most certainly seen a bunker that looks more like a water hazard. It is hard enough to clip a sand shot under normal conditions, let alone when it is packed down, muddy, and resembling clay more than sand. Some grounds crews do a great job of draining traps before the first groups head out, but not every course has the means to do that, and in these cases there needs to be a rule in place to handle the situation. I have seen some people pull the ball out of the trap, take a drop just behind it, and play their ball as if they hadn't hit it in the trap in the first place, which does work fine, but really changes the shot more than I would like. My thought on the other-hand is that, when conditions in traps are subpar, to lift the ball, rake the area you are going to hit from, and then place the ball back in its spot. Raking will loosen up the sand so that it better resembles proper conditions, and you, or your opponent, will get a chance to hit the shot that you earned, rather than a chip that you didn't. And the same goes for landing in a footprint in the sand too. If someone before you fails to rake the trap, and you land in it, go ahead and rake the spot before having to hit. You shouldn't be punished because someone else is having a bad day and decided to take it out on the course.

5. Mulligans, Within Reason

Certainly my most controversial suggestion, and one that should probably not be implemented in competitive play, but I think that one mulligan per nine holes should be permitted, especially if your group's handicaps are pushing 20. The way I see it, mulligans don't guarantee a better score, nor do they even guarantee a better shot, in reality, they're just an opportunity to fix a mental mistake. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen someone drop a ball after chunking a chip, and then sticking it to within a few feet, I'd never have to pay for another round of golf again. Sadly, mulligans are not part of golf's rule book, but they are a fun wrinkle to include if you aren't the most cutthroat bunch on the course. With just one mulligan per side the extra swing is less aimed at improving your score, and more so targetted at making sure you don't compound a mistake. Topped drivers turn to topped 3 woods, which then lead to skulled 5 irons, and quite often, end in chunked wedges. One mistake leads to another, and before you know if you have a 6 foot putt for double par, and you are no longer looking forward to the rest of your round. Instead, do yourself, and everyone else in your group, a favor and just take a mulligan when a dreaded shank rears it's ugly head. And once again, if you are playing for fun, and not trophies, you might as well play by rules that will enhance your good time, and stop forcing yourself to grind out a 98 just to say you played by the rules, especially since no one cares anyway!

It's all fun and games until you start playing for money, but just because there is some cash on the line doesn't mean you have to be a stickler. Some rules make sense, and others are just ridiculous, so as long as you and your playing partners come to an agreement before the round, play by the rules that make sense for you. Some tracks will even have their own course rules, so keep an ear out when you are paired up with locals and see if you pick up on anything new. If you have rules that you and your buddies like to play, feel free to send them my way, as I would love to hear how others are making the game more fun. No matter what rule book you follow, just remember to enjoy yourself.

Any day on the golf course is better than a day in the office!