Honestly, it’s not your local course on a Sunday afternoon. Rules are well, what’s the name of that tournament again?
My point was: when does a trap cease to be a trap? Never, no matter how degraded it gets?
According to the PGA rules, that’s correct.
I played Publinx and you asked a rule official if you had any questions at all. There is always one available. That proves that Johnson came to the conclusion that it could not be a trap. If he had any question he would have called over the official. One walks along with the players. Each group has one.
He made a serious error. At least he didn’t get DQd.
All the players were informed beforehand that all the waste sand counted as bunkers. If he didn’t read the rules sheet, that’s on him.
Someone help a know-nothing: what does “grounding one’s club” mean, and why is it not permitted in a trap?
It refers to touching any part of the club to the ground of the hazard. You can’t do it in water hazards either (although, there grounding includes touching the water).
The main reason for sand bunkers is that grounding the club leaves a nice convenient marker for the player to aim for on their downswing.
As far as water hazards, I’m not sure why touching the water is an issue, since it’s not going to leave a mark, but someone more well-versed in golf could probably explain.
In a bunker it could also shift the sand and change the lie. In a water hazard, I guess sloshing the water could conceivably change the lie as well.
i think the ruling was fair but kind of utter nonsense.
they basically came out and said, when in doubt consider yourself to be in a hazzard.
i would have been a smart ass and asked for a ruling before each shot. even when i had a tap in on the green.
twelve hour round might have shaken up the officials.
sorry but this is utter nonsense. if i aim for where i potentially ground a club in a hazzard that puppy is coming out fat. i am looking at the base of the ball about 15 degrees inside. and shit if it is greenside and i hit it there i am going to be having a wedge coming back.
Actually, that would have gotten you some penalty strokes, fines and eventually disqualified. They have pace of play rules.
nope. you don’t get penalized for rules officials making their rulings. you are off the clock while the rules committee decides what to do.
neta: or at least every sanctioned event i have participated in.
You may be off the clock, but if your group is out of position, the time keeping vultures are going to be timing your every swing. And if you go over the allowed time you will be subject to penalty.
And your playing competitors will be timed as well.
Thanks guys.
and i totally understand that. but if i was a prick i could ask for a ruling on every shot. once i ask for the ruling i go “off the clock”. theoretically you could finish 12 holes back and still be in compliance. and at a place like whistling straits if i were leading i would have had a rules official giving me a ruling on every fracking shot. i mean the rules sheet even mentions that what might otherwise be waste is a hazzard but they won’t be clearly marked. that stinks and i don’t think fair. play it safe and ask for a ruling on each shot. that would have driven cbs and the pga bat shit.
The reason for the “grounding” rule is because it is considered “testing the condition” of the hazard. You aren’t allowed to use your club of your hand to see how soft or hard the sand is, or to see how deep the water is above your ball.
That is the stated reason for the rule.
and i totally understand the reasoning behind the rule. but where his ball ended up looked like any hard scrabble that i would encounter just playing normally. this course is a bit odd, and it seems like there would have been provisions for “between the ropes” and outside is all i am saying. i mean otherwise you just have an endless rule official scramble which seems to do little to advance the effort. otherwise just make not grounding the club a part of your mechanics. but that seems to reward waywardness.
from some of the commentary that i am hearing there are bunkers on this course that are only discovered when the do a rough mow because they are overgrown. now how in the world does that qualify as a bunker? sounds more like just being in the toolies. shoot play it and go, but a penalty for grounding in those instances seems really punative unless it is clearly marked as a hazzard.
The rules were the same for everybody, and they were clearly explained in the rules sheets. I’m not seeing any unfairness.
They put a rules sheet in every player’s locker, gave one to every caddie, and posted more on the walls of the locker room. Local rule #1 was that every bunker on the course was to be played as a hazard. Johnson has admitted that he didn’t bother reading the rules.
The same penalty was assessed to another player earlier in the week, and in 2004 at the same tournament on the same course, the same rules violation cost Stuart Appleby a shot at the title. There is no excuse for a professional golfer and his caddie to make that mistake. None.