THE KILTED CADDIE
Joe
Public Will Have
No
Say
The Kilted Caddie expresses his opinion about the significant changes concerning the Rules of Golf and the Handicap System…
W
it h rega rd s to t he lat ter t here wil l, as from 2020, b e a si n g le world ha nd icap system ba sed on t he US model which averages all the rounds that you play including social ones. I think this is fairer as it reflects more a person’s overall ability and should ward against so-called ‘bandits’. However, the maximum handicap is going up to 54 to try and induce less able players to the game. Unfortunately, a
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negative and slightly cynical me thinks this could lead to a few problems. Golfers can be an awfully canny lot when big prizes are floating around the amateur circuit. As for the Rule changes they are mostly straightforward and sensible with the aim of speeding up play. Hoorah! For instance, you may now putt on the green with the flagstick unattended, only look three minutes for your ball and take forty seconds to play your shot. All well and good here and this has received much caddie approval. However, we then have the exception to Rule 6-6d and what I
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AFP/Getty Images
Lee Westwood talks with rules official about taking a relief drop on at the 2012 Masters
AFP/Getty Images
Lexi Thompson received four penalty shots in the ANA Invitational back in 2017
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call the Lexi Thompson camp appeasement rule. For this has surely been introduced to placate those who feel that the young Texan lass was unduly hard done to when she received four penalty shots in the ANA Invitational back in 2017. But let ’s look aga i n at what exac t ly happened here as I think it is important for the world of golf writ large and deserves to be scrutinised with the objectivity and seriousness that it deserves. What happened then? Well essentially, some bloke sitting on his sofa, I think in Wisconsin, was enjoying the TV coverage of the event and noticed that Lexi did not replace her ball properly. He picked up the phone to alert the golfing authorities at the event who agreed and gave her the penalties, to the stupefaction of Lexi and her fans. Now to say t hat I a m monu menta l ly suspicious of her mot ives here is a
preposterous and gross understatement. Look at what happened over the marking of this 2-foot putt. Firstly, she stands in a very awkward position to mark her ball, in fact almost at right angles to the ball-hole line. Why? Then she places the marker at a skewed position in relation to this line, lifts the ball and replaces it. Interestingly, when challenged next day she said, ‘I just put it right in front’, which indeed may well be true, and I do in fact accept that bit is true. But sorry Lexi, you sure didn’t mark it right behind! We ain’t living in some quantum universe here my dear. That inch didn’t just pop out of some wandering and errant black hole. Anyway, whatever one thinks, we now have a rat her wonderf ul exception r ule to forestall retrospective penalties, and indeed, the introduction of video analysis to the game. But, unfortunately, no longer
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for eagle-eyed dudes hanging out on sofas in Wisconsin I’m afraid. Joe Public will have no say. A nd oh, by the by, a new rule allows you to repair spike marks on the green! It wouldn’t have helped Lexi anyway because she said there weren’t any spike marks on those greens. Hmm. Ok, I realise that the stakes are very high in sport nowadays and particularly so in professional golf. But we are and have always been an honourable, untainted and noble sport. Let’s try and keep it that way. For
we don’t want to go the way of FIFA with its shenanigans and that game’s pathetic professional foul nonsense. Nor indeed the dreaded doping claim fiascos of athletics and cycling. And now, of course, the balltampering of cricket. Yes, cricket. For go o d ne s s sa ke! T he Au st ra l ia n captain, the second most esteemed bloke in the country, the best player in the world. Admits to cheating. It’s enough to make you start greeting. Please go to thekiltedcaddie.com to find out more about The Kilted Caddie
The most significant adjustments made following review of the feedback received from golfers around the world with respect to the Rules of Golf change include: DROPPING PROCEDURE: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height. MEASURING IN TAKING RELIEF: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent process for golfers to establish his/her relief area. Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement. REMOVING THE PENALTY FOR A DOUBLE HIT: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball. Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 included the existing one-stroke penalty. BALLS LOST OR OUT OF BOUNDS: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play.
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