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"If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball." - Jack Lemmon
Golf Rules OK!
Rule by Rule
What It's About: Gives a definition of the game and lays down broad, general principles.
How else would the Rules of Golf start except by defining what the game is? Rule 1-1 reads, "The Game of Golf consists in playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules." At first glance, this seems to be a very simple concept. However, as we all know, there are a number of varied situations that await the golfer during the journey from the teeing ground to the hole, which is why this Rule is followed by 33 others.
Before 1984, when the Rules book contained 41 Rules, the sentence quoted above served as the whole of Rule 1. But when the Rules were consolidated, it was decided that a few other basic principles should also be placed at the beginning of the book. Rule 1 now has four sub-sections, and they discuss broad issues and ideas which are important in the proper playing of the game.
So, the game of golf is fundamentally a task of striking a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole. It makes perfect sense that the player must not take any action other than striking the ball to influence the position or movement of his ball. This is the basis for Rule 1-2. We have all probably seen the unfortunate case when the result of a player's stroke leaves the ball overhanging the lip of the hole and in a half-joking rebuttal to this act of fate, he jumps close to the hole in an attempt to jar the earth and cause his ball to fall into the hole. If the ball was still in motion (see Rule 16-2) when the player jumped, it is considered an action to influence the movement of the ball and thus a violation of Rule 1-2. (If the ball wasn't moving, it's a violation of Rule 18-2a if the jumping causes the ball to move.)
The third sub-section lays down the principle that playing in accordance with The Rules of Golf is an all-or-nothing proposition. Neither players nor committees are free to choose which of the Rules will be in effect for a given round of golf. Committees that choose to modify a Rule -- e.g., they permit players to carry in excess of 14 clubs, contrary to Rule 4-4a -- can't, of course, be penalized. But they do lose the opportunity to have the R & A/USGA assist with any Rules situation that arises in that competition. As for players who take such matters into their own hands, for instance by agreeing to repair spike damage on the putting greens, they are subject to golf's death penalty, disqualification.
It's impossible to write a rulebook that would cover every possible incident, so Rule 1-4 states that in cases where the Rules do not cover a particular situation the decision must be made in accordance with "equity" (fairness to all). The Rules Committee at the R & A/USGA rule on many questions every year. The goal is to reach a "fair" result. From a Rules perspective, "fair" can be the same as the middle ground. It will be neither the best nor worst possible result. In some cases, the application of equity will result in a penalty; in other cases, it will not.
Perhaps the most famous equity decision, Decision 1-4/10, is featured in the paragraph below. For those who think the Rules makers don't have hearts, this might change their minds!
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
A round of golf isn't supposed to turn into an episode of Animal Planet's "Crocodile Hunter" show. But, since the game is played in a natural setting, close encounters with some of nature's less friendly creatures can't always be avoided. Decision 1-4/10 addresses the case where a player's ball has come to rest in a place that is dangerous to the player, such as near a live rattlesnake, alligator, or a bees' nest. While it might not be unusual to find these elements on the course, it would be unfair to require a player to play his ball from near one. For that matter, the Rules makers wouldn't want it on their consciences if a player were attacked. Except in a few cases, it also would be unfair to require the player to incur a penalty to escape such a dangerous situation, so he or she is generally allowed to drop a ball at the nearest spot not nearer the hole, which is not dangerous. Naturally, the decision permits the player to substitute a ball for the original ball.
