New Golf Rules Changes (Tiger Woods Rule!)

[nate]

USGA said that these rules were in their sixth draft when the BMW Champ was being changed but I am sure people are up in arms.

 

http://www.pgatour.com/tourreport/2013/11/19/usga-decision-affects-viewer-call-ins.html

 

• New Decision 14-3/18: As of Jan. 1, 2014, players will be allowed to access weather reports on their smartphones during a round in order to protect their own safety.
• Revised Decision 25-2/0.5: Illustration were added to help to clarify when a golf ball is considered to be embedded in the ground.
• Revised Decision 27-2a/1.5: A player is allowed to go forward up to approximately 50 yards without forfeiting his or her right to go back and play a provisional ball.

[Mudville]

How about this rule, no television viewers get to be rules officials. The USGA needs to ignore the couch referees and tell each caller thanks for viewing then hang up.

[mtangelsfan]

I agree, nothing worse than some jealous bitter golfer sitting at home pissed off because they still can't break 90 and thinking they are keeping the game "pure".

[gotbeer]

So, people will argue that instant replay is absolutely necessary in baseball.  But in golf they want nothing to do with it?

 

In golf, every play is not looked at by a referee or umpire.  You have marshalls that more or less are there to interpret rules.  Cheating is on the honor system.  

 

But I would limit the rules changes to when the score card is signed.  None of this overnight review.  

 

I also don't like the first rule.  One of the things a weather report can give you is wind speed and direction.  That is very valuable technological information.

[mtangelsfan]

Instant replay for what?  Baseball and football instant replay isn't ruled on by the fans.

[xboom28x]

what MT said.

 

Also, I believe there is a rules official with each pairing in major tournaments. Why not do that for all PGA tournaments instead of relying on viewers to call in?

[Tank]

agree with preventing viewers from calling in and alerting officials to something they saw. leave it to the rules officials or playing partners, and let that be the end of it.

 

and no more usga commercials talking about how walking is how the game REALLY should be played.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Tank

[Mudville]

Yeah, how the hell can you play the game and enjoy it if you don't have a caddy to carry your bag and clean the traps, fix your divots, wash your balls, etc.

[LBHalos17]

It's about time they got rid of the "couch-potato rule!"  Golf is governed by the players acting as their own referees.  Most of us honor the game by calling penalties on ourselves; at least during competitive rounds.

 

Next rule to change should be allowing drops out of fairway-divots.  If you can fix a ball-mark on the green in your putting-line, you shouldn't be penalized for somebody else not fixing their divot.