Gimmies

photo credit: sidewalk flying   Gimmie Definition:  A putt that one player requests be conceded by another player, allowing the first player to pick up and move on as if the putt had been holed.  The word Gimmie comes from “give me.”

Have you ever asked for a Gimmie?  Of all the infractions in the game of golf the Gimmie is the most widely used. 

Usually, a Gimmie is the distance between the putter head and the putter grip.  Any put within that distance could be considered a Gimmie.  Bottom line:  Gimmies are against the rules of golf and are prohibited.

If you must use Gimmies, however, allow the distance to be only within the length of the putter’s grip.

Cheating in Golf

photo credit: Jorge Franganillo     Have you ever cheated in golf?   If you've taken a mulligan, you have cheated.    If you have  ever improved your lie while in the rough?   You have cheated.   If you have  ever placed your ball back down on the green ahead of it's original position, you have cheated.    If you have accepted a 3 foot gimme, you have cheated.

There  is an entire book of  USGA rules that govern the game of golf.   If you intentionally break just one rule, you might as well break all of them.   Each and every player has a need to improve their game  but this can be  accomplished  with more practice not more cheating.   Make a start and be honest with yourself. . . you will enjoy the game more.

The Cartpath

photo credit: nimish_gogri     What do you do when your ball lies on, or immediately adjacent to, a cartpath?   If your swing or stance is interfered with, you do not have to play the shot.   The USGA. rules permit a drop.

USGA. rule 24-2, (immovable obstruction) states that you can drop within one club-length of the nearest point of relief which allows you to stand and swing freely without interference from the cart-path.   The nearest point and drop-zone, however, cannot be closer to the hole.   A player is entitled to relief, without penalty, from any path to which a foriegn material such as tar, gravel, dirt, etc. has been applied.   A player cannot get relief from a dirt path created by vehicle traffic unless it had been defined as ground under repair.+

Lift & Place

In many parts of the country the weather conditions are conducive to wet soggy fairway conditions.   In this case, golf courses will proclaim a lift and place rule.   This means that you are allowed, under no penalty, to move your ball in order to improve your lie.   Usually this means moving the ball within a foot of it's original lie.   This course ruling makes playing conditions  fair for everyone.   Many times the lift and place rule will go into effect when a course is under repair.

The lift and place rule applies to the fairway only.   Balls that are in the rough are not allowed to be moved.   If you are playing a course with sloppy fairways, ask the pro if the lift & place rule is in effect.

Immoral Cheating

photo credit: SouthAsiaGolf     Taken  from GOLF MAGAZINE:   According to the recent Duke University survey the 5 most immoral kinds of cheating are:   1)   After feeling you played well, you don't like your final score, so you change the final number.   2)   You physically pick up your ball from behind a tree and place it in the fairway, which gives you a clear path to the hole.   3)   After failing to find your shot in the rough, you drop a ball from your pocket and tell  your group you found the original shot.   4)   Intending to avoid a creek you know is there, your layup finds water-and you take a free drop.   5)   You kick your ball from behind a tree to the fairway, giving yourself an unimpeded shot at the green.

Whiffing

photo credit: ttarasiuk     Whiffing (missing) your ball on the first tee, is about the most humiliating experience in the game of  golf.   Its happened to everyone at one time or another as beginners.    Miss the ball  and its  a one stroke penalty.

Now, let's presume you hit a beautiful 285 yard drive down the right or left side of the fairway  and it trickles out of bounds.    For  just a few inches of error or perhaps, just bad luck, you receive  a penalty of  one stroke and  distance (tee it up and hit  the shot again).    

The rules of golf leave many players bewildered.   I would venture to guess  that  golf has more rules than any other sport.   Somebody correct me if I'm wrong?

The New Groove Rule

photo credit: nimish_gogri     Starting January 1, 2010, a new rule will go into effect that is designed to reduce the spin on the ball.   This new “groove rule,” will take the advantage away from the “bombers” who, because of their length, are able to enjoy relatively close approach shots.   Also, when hitting from the rough, they will hit more “flyers” (shots that roll when they hit).

The question:   Will the new rule make the game easier for amateurs?   Answer: Not yet !   For all players besides Tour Pros, the rule doesn't go into effect until the year 2024, however, the answer is a resounding “yes.”   Amateurs will have more difficulty trying to stop the ball on the greens.   Does this rule change make sense then?

USGA. Rule 17-3 Flagstick

photo credit: sidewalk flying     If the flag is left in the cup while you are putting and your ball hits the flagpole you  will incur  a 2 stroke penalty and have to play the ball as it lies.    If your ball hits the pin  during your approach  shot from off the green, there is no penalty.

There are advantages and disadvantages  when the pin is left in the cup.   When playing a shot from off the green, the flag can play an important role in stopping a fast moving ball that would ordinarily have rolled a good distance past the cup.   Another reason for leaving the flag in the cup is for alignment, especially if you are playing to an elevated green and can only see the top of the flagstick.

Dropping From a Water Hazard

photo credit: nsaplayer     One of the least understood options after taking a penalty drop, after hitting a ball in a lateral water hazard, is the drop on the “opposite margin.”   USGA. Rule 26-1c says that if your ball crosses into a lateral water hazard, you're allowed to find a point on the opposite side of the hazard that's the same distance from the hole as the point where your ball crossed the hazard.   From there, you are allowed to take a drop within two club-lengths…but no closer to the hole (adding one penalty stroke).

Note:   If you draw an imaginary line from the point where your ball first  entered the hazard, to that point on the opposite side of the hazard and that line first crosses land that is outside the hazard, then dropping on the opposite side is not an option.

Leaf Piles

photo credit: LiamDC     In the Midwest, leaves accumulate in the fall in great quantities.   In these conditions you should be sure to check with the course to see if it's using a rule that treats the accumulation of leaves as ground under repair.   On designated holes, you may be entitled to relief without penalty if your ball stops in a leaf pile.   If there is reasonable evidence that a ball entered a pile but is lost, a player can substitute another ball without penalty and drop it at the spot where the lost ball is believed to have crossed into the leaf pile.   You must be certain the ball could not have been lost for any other reason.   If you're not certain, treat it as a lost ball (Rule 27), take a one-stroke penalty and replay the shot.

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