February Update

Apparently spring will come early to Pennsylvania according to the rodent who didn’t see his shadow last week. Around here the continuing onslaught of winter storms suggests the only hope is a trip to a warmer place and I can’t wait.

This is the time of year we all get the itch to play or begin to get serious about the golf season ahead. Maybe you’ve got plans to play in an early spring event or your trips to the practice domes or simulators become more frequent or maybe you’re even hitting the gym. However you get yourself ready I hope you will plan to continue to support the Am Tour here in the Twin Cities. Now is a great time to start recruiting your friends and regular playing partners. It doesn’t take a special technique, just a willingness to share your passion and experience. Talk about what got you to join and why you continue to play. Focus on the one person you know would really enjoy it. If even half of you succeed we’ll have more than 100 members.

Speaking about winning people over, it seems the Pro’s aren’t quite in love with the new Rules. Apparently dropping from knee high is somehow less professional than dropping from shoulder high. And why is everyone fixated on what exactly is “knee high” when they never worried too much about what was shoulder high? Here is an example of Tiger with his drop from well above shoulder high. The keen observer will recognize this as the drop at the 2013 Masters that earned Tiger a 2 stroke penalty after his ball ricocheted off the flagstick at 15. It wasn’t because of how but where he dropped.   

Paul Casey and Phil Mickelson had to wait until Monday morning to finish their final round at Pebble Beach. I wonder if they might have finished on Sunday if Casey hadn’t needed to call in an official on #8 because his ball wouldn’t sit still on the putting green. That’s not even a new rule. If it won’t stay where you place it you find the nearest spot where it will, no closer to the hole. I mean I get that they are playing for big bucks but “come on man”!

The R&A and USGA did make an adjustment to the new Rules this past week by issuing a clarification of Rule 10.2b(4) regarding a caddie standing behind a player after the issues in Dubai and Scottsdale. The Pro’s were incensed that it seemed unfair when there was clearly no intent to line up the player. They didn’t change the Rule but issued a clarification which now indicates that if the caddie is unaware 1) the player is beginning to take a stance and 2) they are standing on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball then the caddie’s action is not deliberate and not a violation.

I hope they take another step in reaction to what occurred in Scottsdale to Ricky Fowler. Rule 9.2b says if a ball moves it must be decided what caused it to move in order to determine whether it should be replaced or played as it lies and if there is any penalty. Clearly no one caused the ball to roll back into the penalty area so the Rule goes on to say if it wasn’t moved by the player, opponent or an outside influence then it is treated as having been moved by Natural Forces. Rule 9.3 (Ball Moved by Natural Forces) says that the ball must be played as it lies.  Since it is in a penalty area the only way to get it out, aside from playing it from the water, costs a stroke. Rules purists will insist that he should have considered the possibility of that happening and chosen one of the other relief options like replay the shot from the front of the green under stroke & distance. I don’t disagree but the Rules now eliminate penalties for accidental movement on the putting green and during a search and in those cases the ball must be replaced. It’s not much further to eliminate all penalties for accidental movement wherever, and the ball should always be replaced, if the goal is to simplify the Rules.

So that leads me to another Rules issue I don’t think I’ve mentioned. As I’ve said before, you may use any ball when you are required to drop in a Relief Area. However if you have lifted your ball and are required to re-place it you must use the “original ball” unless the original ball can’t be recovered with reasonable effort, Rule 14.2a. Caution; you may not remove a loose impediment from the spot where the ball is to be re-placed if it is likely it would have moved the ball if it were at rest on that spot, Rule 15.1a, 1 stroke penalty but loose impediment doesn’t have to be replaced.

Well that’s about enough for now. I’ve got to plan my itinerary for Hawaii. I’ll write again when I return in March. Maybe there will be light at the end of this winter tunnel by then. Aloha!