Breaking
the rules
5/4/01
Every day, thousands of golfers around the country break the Rules of Golf because of a piece of equipment they use. In particular, golfers show a flagrant disregard for Rule 14-3, which states:
"Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player shall not use any artificial device or unusual equipment:
a. Which might assist him in making a stroke or in his play; or
b. For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions which might affect his play; or
c. Which might assist him in gripping the club, except that: i. plain gloves may be worn; ii. resin, powder and drying or moisturizing agents may be used; and iii. a towel or handkerchief may be wrapped around the grip."Presumably the USGA does not intend to mean, by inference, that ladies can do all this stuff (see references to "him" and "his," above). But the fact is that men, too, break rule 14-3b in droves.
Today you will find all sorts of distance measuring devices on many courses, such as laser measuring guns the size of a cigarette pack which, when pointed at a small reflector on the flagstick and a trigger like button squeezed, the exact distance is displayed. Players and caddies are using binocular-like rangefinder devices during practice rounds to plot and record the exact distances from every nook and cranny, to be used later during regular play. Probably the most common device is the GPS (Global Positioning System) units that have been installed into the rooftops of golf carts at hundreds -- if not thousands -- of resorts around the country. These not only provide the exact distance to the flag on a mini computer screen but they also display a color aerial map of the hole layout and distances to those hazards which may be en route to the green, plus sometimes a handy tip from the pro.
Why are so many otherwise law abiding golfers not paying attention to Rule 14-3b? The answer is simple: the rule is silly. Think about it. Over the years there has been an inevitable and inexorable progression in getting distance information. Golfers used to just eyeball each shot and play accordingly. As caddies became a more important part of the game, they not only carried the equipment but provided advice and information to the golfer (he or she, by the way) -- including the distance of the shot to be played. The golfer with the best caddie had a distinct advantage over everyone else.
Caddies -- at clubs and on tour -- would measure off holes by pacing in yards or using measuring wheels. Some courses added 150-yard markers in the fairways -- they were controversial at the time, disallowed at some courses, and removed during competitions at others. Some courses planted little bushes in the semi-rough 150 yards out from the greens. The 100-yard and 200-yard fairway markers swiftly followed, and then fancy yardage booklets started cropping up at golf resorts -- including that bastion of tradition, the Old Course at St. Andrews. Flags then became color coded at a lot of courses based on the hole position, or a plastic ball was placed on the flagstick -- at half-mast for center of the green, up top for back of the green and low down for a forward location. And then yardages started appearing on sprinkler heads all over America’s fairways. The next step -- going digital -- was unstoppable. The horse isn’t just out of the barn, it was never really in the barn, and the barn doesn’t even have any doors on it anyway.
I’ll write more about this -- including what I think should be done -- in next week’s column.
This column appeared on golfdigest.com where Frank contributes on a weekly basis. Check it out every Saturday.