What do you guys think is the worst rule in golf. The worst rule to me is you cant replcae spike marks on the green.

hmmm..... worst rule in golf. im going to agree with you and say the spike marks rule. they can ruin a round really easily.

I would have to agree...gives the people in the morning the nice greens and the leaders in the afternoon the not so good greens. They're just like ball marks, I mean if you can move sand and little particles, why can't you tap down spike marks?!?!?

what about a divot in the middle of the fairway, and your ball ends up in it. that rule sucks. not enough courses, even private, and at tour events can get all of them fixed.

I really hate it when my ball ends up in a nice canyon in the fairway!

Stroke and distance for out of bounds.
By far the worst rule!

I have heard alot of complaints about divots, as in, balls coming to rest in them.

I think they should be considered ground under repair, and you should get relief. They will be filled later by the ground crew or another golfer. i think that makes them ground under repair.

Just a thought.

By the way I totally agree with the spike mark rule. It is good thing softspikes are used or it could be much worse.

I personally think that a divot OR unraked bunker are more like a 'ground under repair' than rub of the green. Rub of the green is landing in a burnt out area or a bad bounce. Landing in some hack's 3" deep divot or a bunker where someone hasn't been man or woman enough to rake the sand after they used it is just that - an area of the course that needs some attention.

BTW - there should never, ever be spike marks in a green nowadays. Only a-holes wear metal spikes anymore and most people, if caught, will be politely asked to remove them, then be kicked off the course - at least around here. The only other way is if someone grinds their shoe into the green - hopefully by accident - and doesn't take the time to fix it.

I think that the USGA should make a rule that says the bunkers are raked only at the start of the tournament. Guys are so great at fairway/greenside bunkers now that it's like bunkers are nothing. It's so easy for them to hit it close every time. Now if there are footprints and divots in them, it makes it so much harder. After all it is a HAZARD and you should penalized for hitting it in them.

Me too!!!

So if you're in the first group teeing off.....you would have an advantage over the last group. I don't think that would be the wisest of rules to change.

For me it's spike marks on the green. Ridiculous rule when you're following idiots that don't know how to pick up their feet.

It's just the same as spike marks...first group has less spike marks compared to last...rules aren't perfect.

The rule that penalizes you one stroke if your ball moves while you're standing within a clublength of it. You can hit out of a divot and still get decent results depending on the lie, but when you play on fast greens when the wind is up, you can get penalized for something that's clearly not your fault. It's not like my practice strokes on the green cause huge tremors and move the ball.

No that's only if you have addressed the ball or if you grounded your club on a putt; that's why tour pros don't touch the ground on those tap ins...if you haven't it's not your fault and you're not penalized. At least I'm pretty sure that's the rule.

True rules aren't perfect but a ball landing in a dug in foot print in a trap is a whole lot harder to hit then over a spike mark.

Ok I would agree about foot prints and divots, but not just slopes in the sand and little holes-not from balls or people.

Really? I remember seeing Angel Cabrera standing a couple of feet from his ball, making some practice strokes (he was chipping), when his ball moved about an inch. A rules official was called and did penalize him a stroke, even though he hadn't adressed the ball. Or maybe I'm wrong and he got penalized from something else?

How do you decide when a divot is healed and you no longer get relief? I'm afraid people would stretch this to the point where a depression in the fairway or a thin lie is now a divot that's not fully healed.

I hate hitting from a divot, but it would be tough to decide when one is no longer a divot.

All I remember is one time on the PGA Tour Scott Verplank was taking practice strokes behind the ball, he got ready to address it and the ball started rolling down the hill. He was allowed to replace it w/o penalty, as he was deemed to have not addressed the ball.

I found it on USGA's website:

18-2b/1 Ball Moves After Stance Taken But Before Address


Q. Outside a hazard, the player took his stance but did not ground his club. The ball moved. What is the ruling?

A. As the player had not addressed the ball, he did not incur a penalty under Rule 18-2b (see Definition of “Addressing the Ball”).
If, however, the player caused the ball to move, he was subject to penalty and the ball should have been replaced — Rule 18-2a.


18-2 By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment
a. General
When a player’s ball is in play, if:
(i) the player, his partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves it, touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it) or causes it to move except as permitted by a Rule, or (ii) equipment of the player or his partner causes the ball to move,the player incurs a penalty of one stroke. If the ball is moved, it must be replaced unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.
Under the Rules there is no penalty if a player accidentally causes his ball to move in the following circumstances:
• In searching for a ball in a hazard covered by loose impediments or sand, for a ball in an abnormal ground condition or for a ball believed to be in water in a water hazard — Rule 12-1
• In repairing a hole plug or ball mark — Rule 16-1c
• In measuring — Rule 18-6
• In lifting a ball under a Rule — Rule 20-1
• In placing or replacing a ball under a Rule — Rule 20-3a
• In removing a loose impediment on the putting green — Rule 23-1
• In removing movable obstructions — Rule 24-1.
b. Ball Moving After Address
If a player’s ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke), the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke. The ball must be replaced unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.

I think one of the worst rules is having to take a penalty drop if your ball finishes in a water-filled bunker. Another is no free drop from a plugged lie in the rough. Both these rules (or non-rules) can make winter golf in the UK difficult to score in!

I'm in favor of doing away with any stroke-and-distance rule.

With the onset of 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hr. rounds on tour, and with most people wanting to look for 15-20 minutes for a lost $4 - $6 dollar golf ball...

I'd like to see the rules change to where everyone in the group agree to look for 2 minutes for the ball, then if not found, the group agrees on the vicinity where it was lost, drop another and swing away.

This really could be pretty easy. Most players, golf professionals and superintendents know where the major trouble spots are on their respective golf courses and could set up several drop areas in those places so that there was no question as to where to drop...

Prolly a dumb idea, but it would surely speed up play at some places...

The rule that eliminated the Stimie

Then you wouldn't mind the spike marks as much

I believe that Rule 25 of the R&A gives you relief from abnormal conditions in a bunker, with no penalty.
And over here, most clubs that I play at have instituted a "Winter Rule" for imbedded ball in it's own pitchmark through the green. Alot of courses are so soggy that balls are lost in the fairway in spots.

spike marks....

plugged lies theyre stupid! try hitting the ball when half of its underground.

Agreed....Free drop from "casual water," even in a bunker. Cannot drop outside of the bunker or no closer to the hole. If the whole bunker has water, drop in the part that has 1/2" instead of five inches. The only time a penalty occurs if you drop outside of the bunker incurring one-stroke.

The spike mark rule. Would this be ground under repair or burrowing animal rule or are you just S.O.L?: a squirrel digs in the bunker, your ball lands in the little hole it dug, do you have to play it or do you get a drop?
Rich

Hey....... you just got to love it.....

Gotta agree with a plugged ball...as long as you don't hit in in a hazard or bunker. I can't tell you how many times my ball has plugged on the fringe 1' off the green.

-Stevd

Ok I know this has happened to everyone. You hit a great drive on a hole, everyone knows it was in the fairway. You get to the spot and no ball. You have to go back to the tee and rehit. I lost a tournament due to this and from that point on I have hated that rule. Obvious someone picked it up, but you are screwed.

As per the rules, If you saw someone pick it up, or have reasonable evidence that someone did remove it, you get a drop.

i holed out a chip shot when i plugged my ball partially in the fringe.. so that doesnt bother me as much.

I hate the spike mark rule on the greens, i played behind a group of guys that never lifted their feet off the ground. It was full of holes and scratches and marks... so much disgrace

14 club limit. Why is it 14 clubs. With the advent of hybrids and lob wedges the limit is outdated.
Greg

Here's one that happened in a tournament and was confirmed by the USGA via call. A player on a sloped green (par 3) marks his ball after it came to a complete rest above the hole. When it is his turn to putt, he replaces his ball and walks around to the hole to get the line from the other side. The ball begins to roll on its own and goes in the hole, FOR AN ACE!!!!

It wasn't me so there must be something wrong with that rule.

should it be more or less? I am assuming you think it should be more?

IMO I think they should drop it to 10-12 clubs, we would see who the real shotmakers were then.

that would make it more challanging, then wedgeplay would take a while... but they need to make the fairways tighter, and more elevation and slope in the courses to make it harder for shotmakers. My 2 cents

I totally agree.

Anybody have the rule # handy?

Has to do with outside agency...

"e.g. bird picks up your ball on island green and drops it in the water"
Bird is outside agency and you are allowed to replace your ball where it had originaly lay.

Same applies for people PROVIDED you have sufficient evidence they had indeed moved or taken your ball.

Outside agency does not apply if you simply can't find your ball and assume somebody picked it up.

I'd agree to getting rid of stroke & distance penalty for OB/lost ball only under the following conditions.

Provisional ball played - play as it is now.

Go back if you want - play as it is now.

No provisional ball played and don't want to go back, drop from where the ball went OB / nearest assumed location for lost ball with a 3 stroke penalty.

Hey...if you're not going to have to go back to re-tee it, you better hit a provisional. If not, you're going to pay for it.

-mini

Well stated, the closest was Jack's tourny with every other tooth missing from the rake. I think you should get relief from a divot in the fairway, why get penalized for hitting the ball where youre supposed to?

I'm not great out of bunkers but I agree, although i'd say don't even rake them in the morning. Players would be incouraged though to kick some sand around so as to not have dug in footprints to deal with.

I'm also down to bring back the stymie. Chip over me, fools!

Do I get to play God and decide what is a divot and what is not?

-mini

about the only way to fairly do the divots in the fairway is to have a permanent lift clean and place in the fairway.

i don't really care care about divots, i care about sand filled divots.

Worst Rules

Not being able to tap down spike marks (if you can tap down ball marks, why cant you tap spike marks, and it gives ppl that tee off early an advantage)

other bad rule is not being able to get relief from a divot in the fairway. Divots should be considered ground under repair (because technically, it is ground under repair). Nothing pisses me off more than to hit a perfect tee shot and get screwed and end up in a sand filled divot.

Cmon minitour, I think we all know what a divot in the fairway is and as was said a few ago. It is ground under repair.

I don't think a player should get a "free pass" per say. Sure they incurr a 3 stroke penalty...but they shouldn't be able to bypass a section of course because of it.

Kinda like the ball rolling back into a water hazard by the green. The player should not get a "pass" around the hazard, he must negotiate it. I feel the same for OB...player should have to negotiate that part of the course.

And if the player is dumb enough not to hit a provisional after a questionable ball.....they deserve the walk of shame and pressure that comes with it.