The machines are taking over. Well, that’s the fear anyway. We seem to be in two camps on artificial intelligence.
We’ve either embraced it as a welcome tool in helping humanity reach out ever further into the universe, or decided it’s only a matter of time until we’re all in bondage under a Terminator-style iron fist.
AI doesn’t have emotions. It’s not blinded by bias or prejudices. It’s never had someone ask it if their 6 on that Par 4 was really a 7.
Some of you wags out there might say that makes our computer friends sound like the ideal rules officials. No, before you ask, we’re not all machines. But what if we were?
To test out this theory, I asked ChatGPT to rule on what it considered the worst rules in golf. What will it change when we’ve all surrendered to the mechanical jackboot?
You’re about to find out. Of course, we couldn’t just let it have its way unchallenged. We’re still in control right now. So I’ve listened to what AI has to say and been the ultimate arbiter. What do you think of AI’s views and my verdict?
Worst rules in golf: What does AI reckon?
We should change the stroke and distance rule
ChatGPT: “This one is brutal. You slice a ball just barely beyond the white stakes, and suddenly, you’re back to the tee hitting three. For casual play, most people just drop near where the ball went out and keep going – but officially? It’s like golf’s way of saying, “Hey, enjoy this double bogey.” Not fun, not practical.”
What I think: Well, this is a good start. I know many of you won’t agree but the machine and I are largely singing from the same songsheet when it comes to stroke and distance. I think it’s too tough for the average hacker and it just slows the game down. Why is a ball lost in rough and a ball that goes into a penalty area treated differently? Tack on a penalty shot and let’s keep the club game moving.
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You should get a free drop from a ball in a divot
ChatGPT: “This one seems so unfair it’s almost comedic. You hit a perfect drive or approach shot, land in the middle of the fairway… and you’re stuck in someone else’s trench. Golf is hard enough without being punished for doing the right thing. A free drop here just feels like common sense.”
What I think: Ah, now you’re all on board, aren’t you? OK, it’s a little more nuanced than that. But we know that not being able to take relief from a ball lodged in a divot is a source of serious irritation for many club golfers. Me? I’m in the ‘get on with it and stop moaning camp’. It’s unlucky and it’s unfortunate. Sometimes you smack one off the planet, though, and you get a good lie. If all well-hit shots need to have great outcomes then surely the opposite is also true? And if you don’t try to smack a 3-wood out of one, it’s really not that hard a shot – and I’m a total hacker.
Hitting the wrong ball is an honest mistake
ChatGPT: “A two-stroke penalty for accidentally hitting the wrong ball feels unnecessarily harsh. I get it – don’t cheat or steal someone else’s ball – but casual players often grab a ball in the rough without checking closely. Honest mistake, so why ruin someone’s score over it?”
What I think: You ruin it because it’s utter carelessness. What excuse is there for not checking whether a golf ball is yours or not? The Rules allow you to do it penalty-free. If you can’t spend the 10 seconds it takes to mark, lift a ball, and figure out whether it’s yours or not, you probably deserve all you get.
Show mercy for unplayable lies and awful conditions
ChatGPT: “When your ball is in a bush, behind a tree, or jammed between two rocks, your options are usually expensive (penalty stroke!) or impossible (hit some miracle Houdini shot). The game could use more forgiving relief rules for those impossible spots – especially for amateurs who don’t have tour-level trick shots.”
What I think: There’s got to be some consequences for playing a bad shot. Isn’t some of the fun of the game trying to engineer that Houdini outcome? And, as our computer friend also hints, you can take unplayable ball relief and it will cost you a shot. How forgiving do you really want relief to be? Free? For hitting the ball in a bush? That’s not going to fly.
Lost balls need to stop being a drama
ChatGPT: “The time limit for finding a lost ball (now three minutes) feels like a countdown to public humiliation. Add the stroke-and-distance penalty, and it’s enough to make casual players dread every stray shot. Why not let people drop where it went missing and keep it moving?”
What I think: We’ve gone over some of this already, but I reckon there remains a discussion to be had over the search time for a ball. A couple of years spent officiating at big tournaments has shown me that three minutes really isn’t much time at all. Yes, the reduction from five to three minutes was partly about speeding up the game, and there is also the argument that if you don’t find your ball relatively quickly then it’s likely you won’t at all. But the number of times I’ve stopped a clock on a player who has then immediately located their – now – lost ball makes me think there’s still room for manoeuvre on this one.
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It’s a crime not to have mulligans written into the rules
ChatGPT: “Mulligans are the best part of casual golf! The fact that the official rules don’t even allow one re-do off the tee is kind of a crime. Especially for beginners, one mulligan can mean the difference between enjoying the game or wanting to quit forever.”
What I think: No. Just no. Imagine the clubhouse rows that would erupt when it emerged that the winner of the monthly medal had done so with a mulligan. Do what you want in a social game. It’s entirely up to you. But when a card is on the line, every shot counts. As ChatGPT asked me in a final thought, this one should go “straight in the bunker of bad ideas”.
Main image created using ChatGPT
Now have your say
What do you think about these rule changes? Are these really the worst rules in golf? Do you agree with AI, or are your views more in line with ChatGPT’s human counterpart? Let us know by leaving a comment on X.
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