l
IN THE NEWS x BY THE RULES
OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
x
FALL 2014
x
obsports.com
T
here are basically 34 rules
in golf – with hundreds and
hundreds of sections, sub-
sections and explanatory decisions.
Here are three simple ones every
golfer should adhere to:
1) Don't be late for
your tee time. On the
PGA Tour, they'll assess
you two strokes if you're
late for your tee time.
More than five minutes
and you're DQ'd. In the real world,
making it to the first tee on time is
critical for the course to run on
schedule and maintain pace of play.
2) Five minutes to search for a
lost ball. Pace of play impacts all
golfers. If you're searching for a
ball, you need to maintain your po-
sition on the course. Don't be that
guy holding up the field searching
for your recycled golf ball.
3) Play two balls if you're un-
sure of the rules. This rule allows
you to maintain your position on
the course without slowing down
your group. The rules are compli-
cated and sometimes it is best for
you to bring the ruling to a golf
professional after the round.
There also are some rules I'm
not so fond of. Here are three:
1) 14-club rule. Golf is hard
enough. We all could use an extra
wedge, driving iron, or utility club.
2) Play it were it lies. I get it if
you're playing in the U.S. Open,
but otherwise we should be able to
bump our ball up when needed to
get a better, easier lie.
3) Lost ball. Just drop one where
you think it should be or crossed a
hazard line, take a one-shot penalty
and hit it. For time's sake, keep
moving along while we are young!
› Eric Lohman is the PGA General
Manager at Monarch Beach Golf Links
in Dana Point, California.
BUILT FOR SPEED
n HOW THE RULES CAN IMPACT PACE OF PLAY • BY Eric Lohman
