Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / March 28, 1991, edition 1 / Page 74
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Rules Of Golf BY WILL COCKRELL Beacon Golf Editor Last month month at the Doral Open in Florida some of us saw a television replay of a marvelous shot out of a water hazard by Paul Azinger, PGA touring professional, which was also the source of the most definitive penalty in golf: dis qualification. Azinger's ball was completely submerged in a grcenside hazard. As he addressed the ball Paul had one foot in the water and the other perched on small rocks which bor dered the hazard, but were still clearly inside the painted line mark ing the boundary of the hazard. In his attempt to settle into his stance his spikes were slipping on the rocks and Azinger made a flicking motion with his foot which tossed several small pebbles aside. Officiating By Fans Watching TV That movement looked perfectly natural for a person trying to get the best balance possible for a very dif ficult shot. However, some "legal eagle" watching TV knew that the rocks were "Loose Impediments" as defined in Rule 23 and as such, they could not be moved when both the ball and the loose impediments were within the boundaries of the hazard. The rest of us watching were fascinated by the unique diffi culties of the shot and, like Paul, never gave the loose pebbles a thought. Azinger pulled off the miraculous shot, digging the ball out of its wa tery perch and deposited it on the green. He finished his round and went on the following day to shoot a good score which kept him in con iciiUOil. TiiC Rules v_OmfTiiu.ee 0! the tournament was alerted by that "legal eagle" in the meantime and they reviewed the TV tape of the in cident causing Azinger to be dis qualified for submitting an incorrect score lower than that which he should have had if he had penalized himself for moving a loose impedi ment in a hazard. Rules Not Fair, But Equitable The ruling was correct under The Rules of Golf, but many golfers would scream that it was unfair to penalize the player so long after the fact. It brought to mind a similar in cident involving Craig Stadler who used a towel to keep his trousers clean while kneeling to hit a ball tucked under some low branches of a tree. Stadler was not aware that he would later be found in violation of Rule 13-3, in that he was deemed to have been "building a stance" when he used the towel. That ruling resulted in a penalty which altered Stadler 's score and caused such an uproar that the inci dent became the basis for an addi tion to 'The Decisions on the Rules of Golf." The "Decisions" is an an nual publication of the United States Golf Association which inter prets the rules when clarification is n&essary or when two or more pjles appear to be in conflict in a given situation: Decisions On The Rules Of Golf Most golfers have seen or read a rule book on occasion and many carry a copy in their golf bag. Few golfer have seen or care to see the thick little book on "Decisions on the Rules of Golf." All professional golfers have a copy and one is gen erally available around the Pro Shop to settle the occasional dispute re garding the rules. Referees and oth er rules officials at tournaments al ways have a copy nearby a few "Rules Freaks" like myself order one every year. "Decisions" is not recommended for light weekend reading. It is a reasonably organized book with good cross referencing, but reads more like a set of court decisions than anything jlse. It is not a book one would read from cover to cover. Rather, one weird decision leads to another as you skip around in the book from one rule to another. The most striking reaction I get is the underlying humor of many situa tions which are addressed in the "Decisions." It is frequently hard to imagine how a golfer can find himself in some of the circumstances found in these pages. What if a dog, squirrel, itaraiKiraffiirararak 8 FOR SALE 3 8 BY OWNRRS 0 New, spotless 2 and 3-BR 5j gl marina townhouses on k \ Intracoastal Waterway in North ? a Myrtle Beach, SC. Private w Si community, pool, clubhouse, iB Si tennis courts. Boat slips ? \ available. 2 BR. $115,900. 3 g g BR, $120,900. 5 g (914) 941-9073 * Zl . K I Complete Adult Medical Care All Medicare claims filed for you. Assignment accepted on all in patient care and out-patient procedures. new Patients Welcome Timothy P. Gibble, M.D. Adult Medicine | Board Certified Internist Susan Gibble, PA-C f Physician Assistant ^ 754-8921 ? 754-8921 ? 3 Medical Center Dr.. Supply, MC 28462 i 6 I a Can Be Weird And Wild or some other animal picks up your ball and runs off with it? Weil, if you know that such an animal is de fined as an "Outside Agency" under the rules, you will know that you may substitute another ball for the one lost. It is lost in fact, but not "lost" un der the rules. From The Weird To The Ridiculous The circumstances found in "Decisions" range from the weird to the ridiculous. Until you forage through some of the decisions you cannot image how many wild situa tions can actually be encountered in a round of golf. For an example: your ball and that of a competitor are lying close to each other in a bunker. If the competitor feels that your ball may interfere with his stroke, he may require you to lift your ball under Rule 22. After he plays you replace your ball and play your shot. If his shot or his sand divot has altered your lie, you may reconstruct your lie before replacing your ball. So far everything is pretty straight forward under regular rules. r Bui what if he is satisfied that your ball does not interfere with his shot, and then makes an unexpect edly poor swing which dislodges and moves your ball? Is he penal ized for hitting a "wrong ball?" Do you play the ball as it lies or must you replace it? Can you reconstruct your lie? Does it make any differ ence if you were competing in match play instead of stroke play? What if in playing his shot he un covers and strikes a ball that was out of sight in the sand? And what if that ball struck and moved your ball? Worse yet, what if the uncov ered ball was the same brand and number of your ball? How do you proceed? Weird, yes. Wild, yes. And all these circumstances are covered in the "Decisions." Having perused this publication for several years it would seem that, as Ed McMahon says, "All the weird circumstance you could ever imagine are contained in these deci sions. Wrong again Camel Breath." Each year new and even more weird decisions are added to the list. It is also interesting that when the rules moguls start splitting smaller and smaller hairs, they often reverse or rewrite previous decisions. Are You A TVivia Buff? If you arc one of those people who like to play trivia games, here's an idea for you to consider. After a round with your friends or on a rainy day at the course when every one is sitting around and you don't have the ACC Tournament or any thing else to argue about, try this. Borrow the "Decisions on the Rules of Golf from the Pro Shop, open it to any page and read one of the questions on the rules. Let everyone else make a bet on what the deci sion should be. Soon someone will remember a similar occasion when they got a bad ruling that cost them a few bucks. You will be laughing and jousting with one another in a mat ter of minutes. Here is a clue for finding some of the wildest deci sions: check out the decisions for hazards and loose impediments. 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The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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March 28, 1991, edition 1
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