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IN THE NEWS x BY THE RULES
OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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SUMMER 2015
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obsports.com
O
ne of the reasons people
choose to play golf is to get
away from everything else.
For a few hours, the focus is on fun
and relaxation in the great outdoors.
But that doesn't
mean a golf course is a
place of anarchy. There
are some 34 rules of
golf as codified by the
USGA, many of them
with multiple sub-sec-
tions. You don't need to be a walk-
ing encyclopedia, but there are a few
key rules every golfer should know:
Learn to let go. We all hit errant
shots and many times the last thing
we want to do is abandon the hope
of finding a lost ball. But Rule 27 is
quite clear: you have up to five min-
utes to find a lost ball. If you can't,
you take a stroke and replay the shot
from its original position.
Mind those drops. Rule 20 is one
of the longest in the book and every
golfer needs to get familiar with the
proper way to drop, and re-drop, a
ball. One thing to keep in mind:
don't lob or throw your ball. You
fully extend your arm and drop the
ball from shoulder height. If it does-
n't roll more than a club length, you
hit it from where it falls.
Embrace the entire tee box. Most
golfers think they must place their
ball directly between the tee mark-
ers. But you actually can tee off up
to two club lengths behind that
imaginary line. This comes in espe-
cially handy on par 3s, as you are
more likely to find cleaner grass
and fewer divots.
You're not Dr. Phil. Resist the urge
to offer unsolicited advice to your
playing partners. Unless you are
partners in a match, it's against the
rules. This rule actually can work in
a golfer's favor: If there's an amateur
swing coach in your foursome who
constantly tries to share their wis-
dom, you can tell the chatterbox to
zip it. Politely, of course.
BY THE BOOK
n 4 RULES OF GOLF THAT EVERY PLAYER SHOULD KNOW
