Joe,
Help me settle an argument. The idea of hitting a provisional ball is supposed to save time. My tee shot had a long carry over water and I saw it land near the bank on the other side, but I could not tell if it stayed in the rough or fell back into the water, so I wanted to hit a provisional, but I was told I could not, because provisionals are only for lost balls outside water hazards. So I had to walk all the way around the lake to look for my ball, and when I could not find it I had to walk all the way back to the tee and hit again. The groups behind me were really peeved at me so they called the Ranger who scolded me for slow play. I guess I should have hit the provisional anyway, whether anyone liked it or not, right?
Paul
Hi Paul,
The rules do not allow for a provisional in this case (water), if you hit another ball, that would immediately become the ball in play, and you would be lying 3 whether you found your first ball or not. This is one of many examples where the rule should be changed, especially with today’s emphasis on pace of play. Provisionals are not the real issue for saving time because you really only need them for stroke and distance penalties. The real issue in wasted time is the stroke and distance penalty itself, which is long overdue to be abolished. If there were no distance penalties, you would never have to walk back to your original spot, so there would be no need for provisionals. You would either find your ball or take a penalty, simply dropping nearest the spot where it would most likely have been (this idea is already in the Rules for casual water). This would allow OB or lost balls to be handled the same way as a lateral water hazard. This would improve the pace of play in all instances. I think after I make my first couple billion dollars, I will be like Donald Trump and buy the USGA. Then I will ask if anyone thinks the stroke and distance rule is a good rule, and to anyone who says yes, I will simply say “You’re Fired”.
Joe
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Joe,
You say to have contests with your own type of stroke against another type of stroke. Won’t this mess up your regular stroke if you are trying to make it more consistent?
Mitch
Hi Mitch,
Unless you have the work ethic of Vijay Singh, who spends all day every day keeping his stroke grooved, I believe it is a false hope for most of us to think our swings will stay consistently grooved if we try to swing only one way all the time. Many golfers also play softball or tennis or other sports, so you have to believe these things will have some effect on your golf swing, more so than simply trying some variations. There are other activities that cause your muscles to change on a daily basis (like lifting weights or helping someone move heavy furniture), so it seems logical to me that your swings are always going to change a bit whether you realize it or not. I will even go so far as to say that anyone who refuses to participate in any other activities for fear of losing their golf swing is playing with a house of cards, which means the house will come tumbling down unless you do nothing but golf. It might sound like heresy to say the following, but there is more to life than golf (don’t hit me for saying that, Vijay). Besides, if a person never wants to try variations, what will that person do when a slump arrives? We all get slumps. Believe it. Deal with it. Feel the joy of overcoming it. Find a swing that allows simple corrections when your muscles change slightly, as they always will, whether you like it or not.
Joe
You say to have contests with your own type of stroke against another type of stroke. Won’t this mess up your regular stroke if you are trying to make it more consistent?
Mitch
Hi Mitch,
Unless you have the work ethic of Vijay Singh, who spends all day every day keeping his stroke grooved, I believe it is a false hope for most of us to think our swings will stay consistently grooved if we try to swing only one way all the time. Many golfers also play softball or tennis or other sports, so you have to believe these things will have some effect on your golf swing, more so than simply trying some variations. There are other activities that cause your muscles to change on a daily basis (like lifting weights or helping someone move heavy furniture), so it seems logical to me that your swings are always going to change a bit whether you realize it or not. I will even go so far as to say that anyone who refuses to participate in any other activities for fear of losing their golf swing is playing with a house of cards, which means the house will come tumbling down unless you do nothing but golf. It might sound like heresy to say the following, but there is more to life than golf (don’t hit me for saying that, Vijay). Besides, if a person never wants to try variations, what will that person do when a slump arrives? We all get slumps. Believe it. Deal with it. Feel the joy of overcoming it. Find a swing that allows simple corrections when your muscles change slightly, as they always will, whether you like it or not.
Joe
