Two golf rules debates over the last month have left me frothing.
One concerned Scottie Scheffler’s playing of the 17th hole at Royal Birkdale in the final round of The Open.
You remember – when the Texan never saw his ball again with his second shot, but was allowed free relief as the ball was deemed to be in a TIO (temporary immovable obstruction).
That was a farcical situation. The rules not only allowed Scheffler a free drop after losing his ball, but also a more favourable drop than if he had found it. He literally told people to stop looking for it.
The second debate was last weekend. While in contention to win the Nexo Championship on the DP World Tour, Shaun Norris kicked away a divot that was interfering with his stance in the fairway before hitting his approach on the 5th hole at Trump International.
The rules outline that although we might think divots are loose impediments, they are treated differently if they are replaced and a player alters the surface of the ground by removing them.
The divot is treated as part of the ground even if it is not attached or growing, and the divot has been replaced when ‘most of it, with the roots down, is in a divot hole’.
Norris was given a two-shot penalty.
For starters, the video posted on social media by the tour, which demonstrated the rule break, was far from conclusive in my view. As Norris stepped into his stance, there was a divot by his foot which looked to me separate from the ground, and certainly didn’t seem like ‘most of it with the roots down in a divot hole’.
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Each rules of golf debate follows the same pattern…
My view is that it was incredibly harsh, and the evidence didn’t warrant such a significant setback for the South African.
In some cases, divots are integrated back into the ground, and players should avoid surgically removing them to improve the conditions of their stance.
That didn’t happen here, though. I think Norris was quite clearly moving a piece of turf that was loose from the ground. It was loose enough for him to kick it away, for crying out loud.
I expressed as much on social media, which attracted comments like:
‘The rules clearly state that a replaced divot is NOT a loose impediment. Do they need to provide pictures?’
‘It’s possible to disagree with a ruling. It is not possible to disagree with a rule.’
‘Read the Rules. Try to understand the reasoning behind them. Don’t like them… take up pickleball’.
Within both debates, there was a massive understanding gap between the people on the other side of the debate and me.
Yes, I can read English words. Yes, I understand golf rules when they are explained to me. Does it mean I have to agree with the rules?
Obviously not. Rules in sport change all the time, and rules in golf change all the time.
One of the most significant rule changes in recent years was with the pin. We’re now allowed to putt the ball into the hole with the pin in, instead of taking it out.
Here is a conversation that might have happened on a golf course circa 2013, which is the equivalent of what I’ve put up with recently:
Bob: I think this rule should change. We should be able to putt the ball in the hole with the pin in.
Dave: I think you’ll find rule XYZ says you must have it out.
Bob: I know what the rule says, but I think it should change.
Dave: I think you’ll find rule XYZ says you must have it out.
I have absolute respect for the rules of golf. I abide by them when I play, and I try to remember as many as I can.
Sometimes, I don’t agree with them. The game goes through rule changes all the time, so clearly, even the sport’s governing bodies occasionally don’t agree with them either. Otherwise, why alter them?
Can we all just remember one thing? If you don’t agree with a rule, it doesn’t mean you don’t understand it. IT JUST MEANS YOU DON’T AGREE WITH IT.
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