WA rules and changes

[Dale McMath]

For those who did not or have not yet watched the webinar on rules, two important things I gleaned are:

1. WA is not adopting the local OB Lost ball rule.

2. WA will utilized rule 21.2 (??) and use a max hole score of gross 9 for any hole. So, unlike in years past, a player can pick up in a hole and receive a 9 on the hole regardless of what the par is.

#2 is interesting as I have had the misfortune of either posting a score higher than 9 witnessing a competitor score higher than 9.

[Rick Murgittroyd]

What? Really? Pick up and take a 9?

[Dale McMath]

Yep. Check your email from world Am. The webinar was sent out for all the view.

Not sure how I feel about this rule implementation.

[Tommy Briggs]

The OB rule is not intended for tournament play.

It would have been more shocking if they would have implemented it.

9 Stokes on a hole is more than fair, even higher handicappers should not have more than 1 or 2 9’s or worse on any given round

[Jeffrey Barbas]

My nephew had 2 9’s or worse this weekend so this will help him out. So I guess no one should have to be DQ’d this year for any rules issues. Just take the 9 and move on. Unless you forget to sign or hand in your card anyways.

[Rick Murgittroyd]

Well, the 9 max count isn’t intended for tourney play either. I think the OB rule would speed things up faster than the 9 shot rule., personally. No more return trips to the tee. The higher HCPS might benefit more from the 9 stroke max in terms of playing time, I’d guess.

[Tommy Briggs]

Rick M on a normal course where OB is defined by the perimeter of the course, or private property the “average” course only has 4 – 6 holes where OB is in play. The 9 stroke rule comes into play on all 18 holes. As you said, neither is intended for tournament play, but I agree the 9 stroke rule will come into play more often than the OB rule would so it SHOULD improve the pace of play.

More importantly I think a higher handicapper appreciates not having to finish a hole where they have completely blown up and can limit the damage to a 9.

[Rick Murgittroyd]

We’ll have to see how it plays out. Glad golf, and the WA, are finally making some decisions to speed up play. I will say this, I’d hate to lose my flight by a stroke or two when someone should have had an 11 and only took a 9. Just saying. 🙂

[Dale McMath]

Rick, that is why I expressed my uncertainty regarding this new rule use. I guess it really depends on which side of the rule you fall. Feel the same way about the local OB use. Great if it benefits you. Not so great otherwise. Probably all works out in the long run. 9’s are normally nothing I ever have to worry about, but I posted an 11 last year on Aberdeen – the 9th hole with a big pond in front. Felt like that hole would never come to an end.

[Bill Hambrick]

Well a couple of years ago I watched a player take 22 strokes to get out of the sand en route to a 33 on a hole. So this should only impact the higher handicap flights. In the lower handicap flights anyone taking a 9 on a hole is probably not going to finish in the top 5.

[Rick Murgittroyd]

Been there Dale. I had a friend take a 23 on a par 5….he still finished in about the middle because he had three decent rounds. Without that 23 he would have been top 12, I think that’s what we figured.

At any rate, this will help and I’m for that!

[Wayne Rhodes]

I find this thread enlightening and am happy to see an agreement and consensus seems to have emerged. I’d like to add two thoughts:

(1) I can see that the new local OB/lost ball rule is not intended for tournaments and I support this. However, I just recently played in a member-guest with my brother where it WAS in effect. I learned that when you play a provisional ball, you LOSE the ability to use the new two-stroke relief rule (when the rule is in effect). Yes, the new rule could or should speed play in casual play by avoiding the “walk of shame” back to the tee in the old stroke-and-distance penalty, but most everybody should know by now that hitting a provisional ball is the smartest thing to do when a ball may be OB or lost.

(2) I love the 9-stroke max rule, which the World Am folks have been using for a year or two now in their other tournaments like the Calabash Cup, Kickoff Classic and Fall Classic. In our casual “friends and family” play for many years we have used this and call it the “Nolo Nine” (as in nolo contendere). It definitely speeds play and tends to take pressure off ALL players, not just the high handicappers. The rule will obviously be invoked more often by higher handicappers, but we are placed in flights based on handicaps in the WA, so the rule shouldn’t be unfair. Another benefit for WA players is that one hole is now less likely to sour your experience in this four-day event. It’s much more likely a player can better recover from a nine (or two) than from one or more 12 or 20. A player can keep on grinding, hoping and having FUN.

[david tiano]

Here are my thoughts:
I will play any rules the WA puts out for the event.

But…..
Any max stroke rule has no place in a STROKE play tournament.

[Dale McMath]

David- I agree!

[Jeffrey Barbas]

I don’t really know what planet you guys are playing on, but, I’ve seen and heard and had holes myself that ended up higher than 9 and I play in the 5 to 7 handicap flights every year. When the penalty shots start adding up quickly after your 3rd or 4th ball off the tee and your hitting 5 or 7 it makes it pretty hard to make a 9 sometimes. You get a hole that has OB left and right or an unmarked deep wooded area that your possibility of finding the ball is slim and none and you won’t be able to find it to hit it or have any drop that would help within the rules it’s going to be a big number. I’ve seen pro’s at Firestone end up with a 9 on the card back when they played here. Amazing part was he still had a 9 hole score in the 30’s on the side. So I guess I have to side with David T. on this one. Taking a 9 vs. earning a 9 is whole lot different in tournament play.

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