Good grasp of Rules of Golf makes big difference

The big cat is back on the prowl.

I am not referring to the Kenyan big cat Tom “Mufasa” Simba, who has been known to be successful a few of the times in his hunt for victories on the local golf courses. No!

I am referring to Eldrick “Tiger” Woods who returned to competitive golf last week at the Hero World Challenge after an 18-month hiatus. Woods has been plagued by injuries that kept him off the golf course.

It was a great pleasure watching him back on the golf course where at some point on Saturday only four shots separated him from the leader.

Woods has not lost his allure and I hope that this will not be last we see of him playing aggressive golf.

There is something that the two big cats (Mufasa and Tiger) have in common; a good grasp of the Rules of Golf.

Some may remember an incident in the final round of the Phoenix Open in 1999, when on one of the holes, Woods’ tee shot came to rest behind a huge boulder. With the boulder so close to his ball, he did not have clear shot. He called for a Rules official and he was heard telling him “I know it is not a pebble, but is it a loose impediment?”

A loose impediment is defined as any natural objects such as stones, leaves, twigs and the like. Provided that they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded or adhering to the ball. The boulder in this case was not solidly embedded but it was not one that he and his caddie could easily move out of the way.

When Tiger ascertained from the Rules official that the boulder was considered a loose impediment, he requested members of the gallery to assist him in moving the boulder.

It took a dozen men to move the boulder out of the way leaving him a clear shot to the green. This may be an extreme example and it may not be practicable for us amateur weekend golfers to move a boulder out of our way, but there are a few things that we may do to help us take advantage of the rules when we have a bad break.

OBSTRUCTIONS

A good example is from an incident that was brought to my attention this past weekend. A golfer hit her tee shot, and the ball took a bad bounce and ended up in the long grass (rough) right behind a yardage marker.

Yardage markers are not natural objects and they therefore referred to as obstructions. There are two types of obstructions: moveable and immoveable obstruction.

On this particular golf course, the yardage markers are fixed with cement and cannot be removed without causing damage to the course or unduly delaying play. The player was therefore entitled to free relief under the Rules since this was an immoveable obstruction.

In taking relief, the golfer hurriedly picked her golf ball and dropped it just a couple of feet from where it lay. In trying to take her swing, she realised that the yardage marker was still impeding her swing.

Her fellow competitors quickly told her that she could not get another free relief. Being a bit more knowledgeable than her friends, she correctly told them that she was still entitled to relief.

She went ahead and dropped back in line with the yardage marker but still in the rough.

What the good lady did not realise is that with the free relief, she could even get her ball back on the fairway. What she and many golfers don’t know is that what a golfer in this case is expected to do is identify the nearest point of relief where the immoveable obstruction (in this case the yardage marker) does not interfere with the swing.

The player is then allowed to drop their ball within one club-length of this nearest point of relief. This player can use their driver to measure the one club-length. If the one club-length gets the player’s ball back on the fairway, then good for them.

A good knowledge of the Rules of Golf is not only good for avoiding arguments on the golf course. They may in some instances make a difference on whether the player gets a par or a double bogey on a hole.

If you doubt this, check with our local big cat, Mufasa, or look up the videos of some of the Rules incidences on the interwebs.

[email protected]

The author is a KGU Executive