OT: Golf gets a dose of sanity

[eebmg]

It seems that Golf has done the impossible. They made rational changes including

1) No more additional 2 stroke penalty for signing the score card which later and without the golfer's knowledge has an error.

USGA and R&A officials just made the fairest change to the Rules of Golf that we can remember - Golf Digest

2) No more call in's from fans watching on TV to report infractions.


After three decades of fan intervention, golf wisely changes course

Golf is not my thing but I remember when Lexi was hit with 4 strokes of penalties which cost her a Major, the board was properly apoplectic.

 

[oldude]

Golf’s governing bodies have been working in this general direction for several years now. Last year they got rid of the rule that penalized a golfer if their ball moved after they placed it on the green. This would happen typically on a windy day on an exposed green.

 

[Goodgood]

It seems that Golf has done the impossible. They made rational changes including

1) No more additional 2 stroke penalty for signing the score card which later and without the golfer's knowledge has an error.

USGA and R&A officials just made the fairest change to the Rules of Golf that we can remember - Golf Digest

2) No more call in's from fans watching on TV to report infractions.


After three decades of fan intervention, golf wisely changes course

Golf is not my thing but I remember when Lexi was hit with 4 strokes of penalties which cost her a Major, the board was properly apoplectic.

I hope this is just the beginning. Golf has so much more archaic rules than any other sport. The decline of golf in the last decade has forced these upgrades.

 

[eebmg]

Golf’s governing bodies have been working in this general direction for several years now. Last year they got rid of the rule that penalized a golfer if their ball moved after they placed it on the green. This would happen typically on a windy day on an exposed green.

Well, based on the Golf Digest article , they were still nuts as late as last year. I am sure the Lexi incident had alot to do with the newest changes even if that is not admitted.

"Interestingly, the two-stroke penalty only went into effect in 2016 when USGA and R&A implemented the most recent changes to the Rules of Golf. Prior to that, players would be disqualified if they had signed their scorecards and were later found to have committed a penalty that they had not accounted. In changing the rule to be more lenient, officials acknowledged a DQ was a punishment that didn’t fit the crime."

 

[oldude]

I hope this is just the beginning. Golf has so much more archaic rules than any other sport. The decline of golf in the last decade has forced these upgrades.

While I agree for the need to change some of Golf’s archaic rules, I’m not sure where you come up with a decline in golf in the last decade.

The best indicator of golf’s popularity is the number of rounds played. That number exploded during the Tiger Woods era, leveling off in 2012 as Tiger’s performance declined. But in 2015, with a new crop of talented young golfers, the number of rounds played have started to grow again according to statistics provided by Golf Digest.

 

[SVCBeercats]

1) No more additional 2 stroke penalty for signing the score card which later and without the golfer's knowledge has an error.
Roberto De Vicenzo has a bemused smile in the afterlife.

2) No more call in's from fans watching on TV to report infractions.
Sooooo, Tiger can begin to cheat again while the officials study their TV ratings?

 

[Goodgood]

While I agree for the need to change some of Golf’s archaic rules, I’m not sure where you come up with a decline in golf in the last decade.

The best indicator of golf’s popularity is the number of rounds played. That number exploded during the Tiger Woods era, leveling off in 2012 as Tiger’s performance declined. But in 2015, with a new crop of talented young golfers, the number of rounds played have started to grow again according to statistics provided by Golf Digest.

Here is an article on golf decline..
Can rules changes save golf from decline?

 

[oldude]

Here is an article on golf decline..
Can rules changes save golf from decline?

Thanks for the link. Not sure how the National Golf Foundation came up with the statistics for a decline in the number of golfers, but that information seems to be in conflict with Golf Digest’s statistics that there has been an increase in the number of rounds played which is compiled by the USGA directly from data provided by all U.S. golf courses. I guess both statistics could be correct, which means that more rounds of golf are being played by fewer golfers.

 

[Orangutan]

And it only took one of the LPGA's biggest stars getting screwed out of a major!

 

[Goodgood]

Thanks for the link. Not sure how the National Golf Foundation came up with the statistics for a decline in the number of golfers, but that information seems to be in conflict with Golf Digest’s statistics that there has been an increase in the number of rounds played which is compiled by the USGA directly from data provided by all U.S. golf courses. I guess both statistics could be correct, which means that more rounds of golf are being played by fewer golfers.

That seems to be correct. Because good tee times are available, the same golfers play more rounds, even twice in one day. I used to have to call really early, at least one week in advance to get one. Now I can just walk on and the longest wait is about 1/2 hour. I like it this way.

 

[j66kicker]

I suspect Golf Digest has an incentive to present the statistics in as favorable light as they can. This article quotes a study that indicates the number is US courses is down 700 from its peak, and the number of new courses now under development is at an all-time low.

Study: Number of U.S. golf courses declining

This trend is certainly affecting my Phoenix suburb, where there are ongoing legal battles between HOA’s with golf course covenants and the owners who are closing the golf courses. The owners are saying, “If you want the course to stay open, then play it.”