9/20/2023 - Twin Oaks

This is one that I often forget about.  You are allowed (encouraged!) to fix pitch marks on the green, and you can fix damage anywhere on the course, as long as you don't give yourself an advantage in doing so.  Where this often comes up is a pitch mark in the fringe.  You can fix it if it's not close to your line of play, but if it is, then you need to wait until after the shot to fix it.  In some cases, this probably means chipping rather than putting, to go over the pitch mark.  It's somewhat like being in a divot in the fairway.  People think that it's not fair, but it happens.  Life isn't fair.

This is covered in Rule #8.1a, and it's a two stroke penalty.  Sorry.

9/9/2023 - Arrowood

Am I a rules nazi?  Or just an asshole?  A guy in our foursome missed a tap-in, and I counted the stroke, and the ensuing tap-in.  It was a tournament.  You have to hole out on every hole.  We're an SCGA sanctioned club.  What would you do?

And then another member of our foursome lost his putter.  He asked if he could borrow a putter.  I said no, that would be a penalty.  You have to putt with a wedge, or some other club.  He was not thrilled by this.

So when we got to the green, I putted out and left the green before he was putting.  If I don't see him borrow the putter, I'm not going to give him the penalty strokes.  I thought I was being generous.  He gave me his score on the next tee, emphasizing the penalty strokes.  So I wrote down what he told me.  If he hadn't mentioned the penalty strokes, I wouldn't have written them down.

Reading the rule more thoroughly (Rule #4.1b), there is a maximum of four penalty strokes for the round.  But if the player continues to knowingly violate the rule after the first instance, then it's a disqualification.

So am I an asshole?

9/2/2023 - Balboa

If you watch a lot of golf on TV, you will see a lot of players who wedge their shirt under their arm before they putt.  It's supposed to remind them to "stay connected" when they putt.

Could you shove a glove in your armpit an accomplish the same thing?  Yes, but it will cost you two strokes.  This is covered by Rule 4-3, and this would be using equipment in an abnormal way.  But it's perfectly legal to use your shirt.

Interestingly, the scorecard for Balboa doesn't match the SCGA database for slope and course rating.  I know they print them in large batches, but...