There is a course I have played – which will remain nameless – where it seemed the only way a visitor could successfully get round was equipped with something from Ordnance Survey.
It was a labyrinth. I think my dusty old skeleton would still be trapped there had I not spied a group in the distance and tracked them for dear life.
When we play a strange layout, it’s not unusual for us to stray off the beaten path. Let’s be honest, we’ve all got lost once or twice.
But is the way you negotiate a course a crucial part of the exercise? I’ve been asked this very question on email:
“Whilst playing a strange course on one of our society trips, the fourball in front of us unknowingly played the 18th instead of the 16th, then carried on and played 17 to finish on 16.
“A pair from the fourball came in with the lowest score and were awarded the pairs prize. It was an honest mistake so no objections were made. But was it technically correct?”
Is it 1 to 18 or else? Or are you at liberty to wander where the mood takes you?
Lost on the golf course: Do you have to play holes in the right order?
What is a round? It is “18 or fewer holes played in the order set by the committee”, according to the definitions in the Rules of Golf.