There may be one or two of you who play the odd round of golf. Now, being on the road a bit, you may not have heard of changes to "Rules of Golf for Seniors".
For those of you ignorant of the new rules, I'll copy them here;
RULE CHANGES IN EFFECT FOR SENIOR GOLFERS :
Rule 9.k.34(a): If a tree is between the ball and the hole, and the tree is deemed to be younger than the player, then the ball can be moved without penalty.. This is so because this is simply a question of timing; when the player was younger, the tree was not there so the player is being penalized because of his age.
CPGA: 2018 golf rule changes, I can live with:
Rule 1.a.5 - A ball sliced or hooked into the Rough shall be lifted and placed on the Fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled into the Rough with no penalty. The senior player should not be penalized for tall grass which ground keepers failed to mow.
Rule 2.d.6 (B) - A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed NOT to have hit the tree.
This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game. The senior player must estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree, and play the ball from there.
Rule 3.B.3(G) - There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone else, thereby making it a stolen ball. The senior player is not to compound the felony by charging himself with a penalty.
Rule 4.c.7(h) - If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped. The Law of Gravity supersedes the Rules of Golf.
Rule 5. - Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could be blown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to balls more than three inches from the Hole. No one wants to make a mockery of the game.
Rule 6.a.9(k) - There is no penalty for so-called out of bounds If penny-pinching golf course owners bought sufficient land, this would not occur.
The senior player deserves an apology, not a penalty.
Rule 7.G.15(z) - There is no penalty for a ball in a water hazard, as golf balls should float. Senior players should not be penalized for any shortcomings of the manufacturers.
Rule 8.k.9(S) - Advertisements claim that golf scores can be improved by purchasing new golf equipment. Since this is financially impractical for many senior players, one-half stroke per hole may be subtracted for using old equipment.
Please advise all your senior friends of these important rule changes and keep multiple copies in your golf bag.
Those not following the rules need to be provided a copy.
I love these new rules, but I do not think that even then it would help my game as everyones old Mate Mr Arthritus has now become my biggest handicap. Where I was able to reach par 3 in one and par 4 in 2 it now takes me an extra shot or .....mooooreeee.
Handicap was 13 now out to 26 and blowing out further. Only way I win a prize these days is in a team event, where the rest of the team seem to carry me.
But still enjoy the game and the mateship it has always offered.
Guru,
Much the same here for me. Learned to play in Dubai and was once down to 14 HC. A few years break from golf and now I need two clubs longer than I used to and I'm playing off 27 HC and can't improve.
I need the new rules for seniors but my club won't accept them. Bugger!!
Cheers,
Roy.
