Apparently this one came up during this year's Captains Meeting. I was supposed to sub for our cap at this year's meeting, but forgot to attend. No free beer for me... Anyway, someone brought up some anecdotes about matches in which there were long discussions regarding changes to hole scores due to rule violations at the end of the match or even in the clubhouse that would alter an individual hole score.
IDEALLY, the time to address a potential rules violation is before a competitor makes his next stroke. Some penalties can be compounded by incorrect play after the penalty (say you play from the wrong place and incur additional strokes). I'd say that you shouldn't wait to discuss a potential rules infraction until after the completion of a hole, but the voting at the captain's meeting was for any possible rules violation to be discussed before completion of the next hole in competition. That doesn't mean that you can't do the ideal thing (bring a rule violation up before the next stroke), but does establish a reasonable time limit. After all, we're a hybrid of match and stroke play (something that the USGA frowns upon by the way), and in match play, you're required to come to a consensus for who won that hole before starting the next. So, good call, captains!
By the way, still have each team go over the scores for each individual on every hole before signing the card to be placed in the box at the end of each night's play. Double check each other, and if there's a disagreement on a score, go over the strokes for that player and resolve the issue before signing. Which brings me to another beef. BOTH teams should keep score - that way each team can double check the scores to ensure they're accurate. I can't tell you how many times I've finished a match and found out that our side was the only one keeping track of the scores.
Wednesday was my day at The Masters. I'd recommend anyone with an iota of interest in our game put in for the ticket lottery for The Masters Tournament. Odds are a lot better that you'll win a practice round ticket versus a tournament day, but it's still an absolute treat to see Augusta National with your own eyes. The TV camera doesn't due the course justice.
I watched most of the tournament coverage this year and nothing really bizarre regarding rules came up. I'd question Tiger's decision to take an unplayable and play from the magnolias behind the 5th green on Friday, but that was his choice. I thought he would have been better served to take that unplayable and go back to the rough where his tee shot had come to rest and re-hit. Rory's play from the azaleas next to the 13th green may made a bit more sense - I thought that one was worth the try from uphill.
Heard last Tuesday was a pretty rough night to play golf. Newly aerated greens, drizzle, cool weather, fading light. There was a lot of misery to go around and a lot of big scores. Conditions will get better as the days get longer and sunnier. Remember to play with a sense of urgency and keep pace with the teams directly in front of you.