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NWO Golf Links
ONTHE FIRST TEE, MY OLD MAN, WHO
taught me how to swear on the golf course,
as well as, the proper technique with which
to throw a golf club, hooked his drive deep
into the woods. After a quick stream of
profanity, he snapped his driver across his
knee. YIKES! He was then forced to tee off
with his 3-wood for the next eight holes.
As we made the turn, he popped into the
pro shop and purchased a new driver and
thus began his quest for the longest drive
on the back nine.
While he did not hold up our group
(defined by the USGA as ‘delaying play’),
he did break Rule #4-3a, which states, you
can repair or replace a broken club during
a round if it’s done without delaying play
and if the club you are replacing/repairing
was broken in the normal course of play.
Sorry pops, intentionally breaking a club
is not what the USGA considers normal.
Many golfers I know consider this cruel
and unusual punishment, as well as, a
huge oversight by the ruling body.
You may have seen a club broken in mid
swing on the PGA Tour, which would
comply with the rules for replacement, but
players that hit the ground, the tee markers,
or a tree and break a club, must play one
club short the rest of the round.
As we tallied our scores in the clubhouse
after the round, I educated him on the
rules and assessed the two strokes per hole
penalty, with a maximum of two holes.
Those four strokes pushed me into the lead
and covered my greens fees for the day.
There was no additional penalty assessed
for his colorful language upon learning
of the official ruling. It was unfortunate,
however, that I didn’t win enough for a cab,
as the walk home was somewhat tiring, but
it was worth it.
RICHARD TODD
Father’s Rule
GOLF RULES
As we made the turn, he
popped into the pro shop
and purchased a new
driver and thus began his
quest for the longest drive
on the back nine.