If a blowing leaf deflects your putt while in motion the stroke must be replayed without penalty. Must be, if the leaf deflects your ball in the hole you must replay it.

ntnBO, thank you. doubt many people know that.

is it leaves specifically?..... i will go back and read the rule. but i really appreciate the cliffs...

ok, re: the blowing leaf.

it looks like it's moving objects but nothing that is alive.

and it looks like leaf, branch, pebble that are stationary don't apply.

i was wondering if this situation can be "gamed"

if you have a long putt with a very steep downhill portion by and past the hole: but lucky you, there's a big branch lying horizontally just after the hole, do you have to remove it? if so, where do you draw the line?

certainly there could be USGA tourneys and regional qualifying at tree lined courses with alot of debris on the green... i've always wondered if you have to clean away everything or not. i.e. intended line, including beyond the hole

Phil's rule violation


http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/...s-self-penalty

This one doesn't make sense to me. Why couldn't/didn't Phil just pull his tee and go to a different part of the tee box and tee off? Would he still have been in violation of the rule? It would be hard to argue he improved a line he didn't use.

I was lost for a sec too. I then re-read it and it was fescue in front of the tee box. Technically that could help him no matter where he teed off from the tee box, I guess.

He could have moved to a different area of the tee box and proceeded without penalty.

This is a good clip: https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1...g-line-of-play

They talk about at the end of the clip how he could have just moved the tee.

USGA released their suggested restrictions for greens notes for comment. Proposed restrictions are planned to be in place Jan. 1, 2019.

Essentially, they will only allow what I consider very basic handwritten notes and general greens sheets. For example, if you have notes indicating an arrow with the number 9 next to it to indicate severity, you will be in violation. Or, if you use a bold arrow, a long arrow, or multiple arrows to indicate severity of slope, you will be in violation.

I understand USGA's delimma in being consistent assuming they want the detailed topographical maps banned. But banning notes indicating general severity of slopes which can be compiled by a player from a single practice round is silly.

So can I notate direction of grain and speed/firmness of greens, or will that be banned also?

I have no idea how they are actually going to enforce those rules in a consistent manner.

I'm guessing fellow competitors or post round review.

I don't think these rules will be bifurcated, so local club rounds will also be affected.

One of my tabled projects was to do a green map of my home courses. Good thing I'm lazy and didn't get around to it.

I think you either allow them completely or not at all, nothing in between.

Question about the new stroke and distance rule that is coming for shots OB... Are you taking the point where your ball crossed the OB line or the spot where you believe your ball to have finished when deciding where you can drop?

link to this proposed change?

My handicap will go from a 14 to like an 11 if I don't have to hit 3 from the tee in these spots.

Is there any similar change proposed for lost balls? I definitely have a bunch that I hit way offline and I'm not sure if they make it OB or hit a tree and stay in since I often never find the ball.

It will be a two shot penalty for a out of bounds drop so still laying 3 - it's just to speed up play so players don't have to hit a provisional or go back to the tee. Also it's opening up for clubs to have this drop as a local rule, so it may not always be in effect.

Lots of good stuff in the new rules though:

https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/...es-2019-152161

interesting.

The good:
Drop after hitting it OOB instead of hitting again from same spot as before
Grounding your club in a hazard now allowed
Can repair spike marks on the green (was really stupid that you couldn't in the past)
3 min limit to lost ball searches
No double hit penalty (not like anyone tries to double hit a ball-I can't recall ever double hitting one)

The bad:
Can remove loose impediments in hazards
Can leave the flag in while putting (I like the rule that requires you to have it out on the green)
Drop from knee height (wtf? what's wrong with shoulder height?)

The higher up you drop it, the more likely you'll have to re-drop it and eventually just place it, which takes time and, in some situations is just pointless as it'll always roll too far off but you still have to go through the motions.

I did think the initial version of this ("drop" it from anwhere an inch above the ground) was the better option, but still think this one will be better than the old one.

I like having the option of putting with the flag in too though - as long as it doesn't mean take it out for the first guys putt, then in for the second ones and so forth. Not having to walk all the way over just to remove the flag when everyones putts are on the green but miles away will help a lot. Also when three people are on the green waiting for the fourth who keeps skulling it back and forth across the green.

No strong opinions on removing loose impediments in hazards - it makes sense in bunkers though I think. Other hazards that you can drop out off, not so much but it makes sense to keep the rules as simple and uniform as possible for hazards.

It doesn't take very long to execute a proper drop and in the case of severe slopes 18" or 60" won't really matter as you have to redrop either way.

I think a lot of players will have different preferences on putting so you might see some of the out then in then out situations.

Obviously you haven't watched these guys on TV trying to find the perfect spot to drop to make sure the ball rolls out of the drop area and then drop it twice there so that they can just place it. It really is annoying.

Yes, lost balls have the same rule, but I'm sure you saw that from the link. I agree this new rule will be great for those times that you pound one out and then you're hitting 3 from the tee and pound that one out as well. Now you won't have to worry about that. Keep in mind if you do decide to hit a provisional then you lose the option of taking the drop.

My question, still unanswered, is what point do we use as a reference when deciding where to drop? The point where the ball crossed the OB line or the point where we believe our ball came to rest?

I'm talking about the average guy dropping on a course. The guys on tour will still end up taking a similar amount of time.

I assume it will be where it crossed just like a hazard.

Common sense prevails. USGA backs off and allows handwritten notes with basically no restrictions, so long as the notes are wriiten by either player or caddie.

That does make sense; so caddies will be up late Tuesday nights tracing the old green books onto tracing paper and inserting them into the yardage books of the player

At half scale, I'd like to see that. Magic tracing paper maybe.

Probably easier to ask the caddie to wash the magic tracing paper so it shrinks to half scale.

You should quit when you are behind on most of your posts imo.