Here is Rule 1.2 extracted right from the rule book:
“All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:
· Acting with integrity – for example, by following the Rules, applying all penalties, and being honest in all aspects of play.
· Showing consideration to others – for example, by playing at a prompt pace, looking out for the safety of others, and not distracting the play of another player.
· Taking good care of the course – for example, by replacing divots, smoothing bunkers, repairing ball-marks, and not causing unnecessary damage to the course.
You should check to see whether the Committee has adopted a Code of Conduct, as you could get a penalty if you do not follow it.”
The three bullet points in this rule are the basic pillars of the game. We play without referees because we don’t need them. We play with respect for the opponent or fellow competitor, and we cherish the ground on which we play.
There is one key word in Rule 1.2 – expected! It doesn’t say “All players shall”, or “All players will”. It says “All players are expected”. If someone is dishonest or puts someone in danger or doesn’t take care of the course, unless a committee overseeing a competition has placed language into the rules for the competition, that someone can continue to play without repercussions.
I think we’ve probably all played a round of golf with someone who we lose respect for or someone that irritates us by their actions. It could be something they’ve said, it could be an action that they take that isn’t good etiquette, it can be blind ignorance, or it could be a complete disregard for how the game should be played. I haven’t met many of those on the golf course during the Ruggles Evening Golf League. One of the things I do like about our league is meeting and playing with people I don’t know. By the end of nine holes, you probably know a good deal more about them, and win or lose, you’ve competed and can share a handshake and a beer in the clubhouse. Unfortunately, occasionally you’ll tee it up with someone who’s bitter and bad golf can make them no fun to be around. There’s throwing of clubs, spewing foul language, anger. Fortunately, most of those people don’t last long playing golf.
I like to play a pretty fast round of golf – even if I’m walking. I walk quickly, decide what kind of shot I’d like to play before I get to a golf ball, don’t take a practice swing, set up and swing. Not everyone plays that way. If you’re on the PGA tour and play a round in under 72 strokes, you can probably afford to take more time in preparation, debate club choice with your caddy, take a couple of practice swings, throw grass in the air, etc. In REGL I have encountered people who are incredibly deliberate – they mimic PGA pros in their routines - lots of practice swings, long setups. The bad thing is, they’re taking almost 50 swings in 9 holes. As the match tightens up they slow down even more. You look back down the fairway and there’s a group in the fairway waiting to play to the green and there’s another group standing on the tee. Those nights can be really miserable for me. They can also be miserable for the teams behind us. There are REGL rules that deal with slow play but those rules aren’t enforced very often. Stay in touch with the group in front of you, and if you don’t see them, pick up the pace until you do. Doing that would resolve a whole lot of complaints.
Rule 1.2 seems innocent enough, and the language of the rule only sets expectations, but living by the rule means a good deal. I remember being in the rough on number 9 one night up near the green near a pine tree on the right. My ball was just in front of a pine twig (a loose impediment in the old lexicon, an “abnormal ground condition” now). I knew moving that twig was going to get me better contact with the golf ball so I risked moving it even though it was very close to the ball. Sure enough, the ball moved, and I assessed myself a one-stroke penalty and replaced the ball. Our competitors thought I was being too hard on myself and that I shouldn’t take the penalty, to which I said “Sorry, it’s still a penalty”.
Playing with integrity means playing by the rules, accepting the hand you’ve been given, and trying to make the best of it. That’s life, and that’s golf. Cheat at golf and it’s a pretty good bet you cheat in life.
The same goes for players who are considerate of others – you’ll find they’re good people off the course as well. The verbiage in the rule talks about pace of play, player safety and not becoming a distraction. That’s a good start, but here’s a list of a couple more I thought about while writing this:
1) Help your playing companions. Whenever someone’s lost a ball and I have the opportunity, I’m going to help find the ball. They only have 3 minutes to search for it now and I’ve had plenty of people find my ball (for which I’m very grateful), so I should want to reciprocate. Same goes with applying a rule – if someone’s confused I’ll detail their options for them or crack open the rule book for them.
2) Resolve scores before anyone tees off on the next hole. The right time to bring up discrepancies is while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind.
3) Always have an extra tee and ball marker in your pocket to lend if someone doesn’t have theirs.
4) Distance to the hole is not defined as “advice”. If you have a distance measuring device, offer to share the information for those people who don’t.
5) Grab a couple of scorecards out of the box each night. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve been asked – “Can you keep our scores? We didn’t pick up a card.”
All of these things are considerate and helpful, but they also tend to speed up play.
The last section of this rule is one of my pet peeves – treatment of the course. I hear a whole lot of griping about bumpy greens, courses being in poor shape, courses getting too much play. Most golf courses have a maintenance staff that you’d have an easy time counting on two hands, but each and every day more than 100 people spend hours tramping all over the course. Courses would be in much better shape if we:
1) Applied divot mix to the tee boxes when we made a swing that tore up the turf. Ruggles has this mix on every par 3. Fix your divot and at least one that isn’t yours.
2) Kept the carts on the cart paths as much as possible and minded the cart direction signs to keep us away from soft areas.
3) Retrieved our divot off the fairway and replaced it carefully or applied divot mix.
4) Raked and smoothed the bunker after playing out of it.
5) Walked carefully on the green.
6) Carefully laid the flagstick on the green surface.
7) Fixed all of our ball marks properly. Each ball mark creates a depression of compressed dirt and turf. In order to fix the ball mark, you have to push the edges of the mark back toward the center of the crater all the way around the crater. Once everything’s been pushed to the center you can push the center down and smooth the turf. Never, ever jab under the mark and push upward – you’ve just torn the roots of the grass and haven’t fixed the depression of earth.
8) Never slammed our putter or any other club into the surface of the green.
9) Re-erected penalty area stakes after moving them to make a stroke.
10) Put litter in its place. There’s usually a trash can on every hole.
If you want to continue playing a game you love, love the course you play on. Treat it kindly and it’ll pay you back. Look for opportunities to leave the course BETTER than you found it that day.