GOLF IS YOUR GAME-- MAKE IT WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE: The Complex Rules

     I am going to start today by once again asking the question why do you play golf?  I know that we all would say that the game is a lot of fun and a challenge as well as providing an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors in a special way, but what are our motivations for playing?  What is it that we get out of playing golf?  Do we just play for fun, or is there something else that drives us to the game and playing such as the competition involved? What about the social aspect of interacting with other golfers?
     The game of golf has many level at which to play at and that is one of the great things about the game. You are free to choose what you want to do with the game and to where you want to go with it. Your motivations may be to just go out and knock the little white ball around.  In fact, you don't have to use a white ball as ball manufacturers have started making balls of different colors. Do you choose to be just a "weekend hacker" and just go out for the fun of it or are you a serious golfer who establishes a handicap and plays in tournaments at all levels of the game. All this is up to you. And then, there are the rules.
     I hear a lot of criticisms as to why people don't play golf is because of the complex rule book. Taken at face value, this is correct. There are a lot of complex rules in golf and it is impossible to know them all off the top of your head. Hey, wait a minute.  All sports have rules.  Have you ever tried to explain a ball or a strike to someone who has never seen a baseball game?  How about a first down in football? I watched rugby in the Olympics the other day and had no clue as to what was happening. It looked fun to watch, but I wouldn't play rugby, the pains of my football days are still there given my involvement in football. That was almost forty-five years ago. It seems as though you always learn the rules that go with the game you play especially when you play that game at it's highest levels, and you don't always learn them all at the same time. Sometimes you find out about a little known rule that causes you a problem such as a disqualification, but you will remember that rule. That is part of the game and golf is no different.
     I have played a lot of tournament golf in my golfing career. There are many rules that I learned because I was called on by my opponent and suffered the consequences of breaking that rule. I'm OK with that because that too is part of the game.  Here is what I am trying to get at.  Formal play in tournaments is different than just going out and playing eighteen or nine or whatever--remember, as I said yesterday its up to you--just to go out and have fun.  Do you have to stick to the letter of the law? Its your choice whether or not you do.  When I play, I try to stick to the rules because I don't want to get in the habit of not following the rules. That may effect me in my tournament play, and I want to keep and accurate handicap. I still have fun trying to play by all the rules, but I don't know them all.
     What about when you go out and just want to hit the ball around?  Do you have to play by the rules?  You are free to choose. You should stay within the guidelines of courtesy and not effect others on the course, but what the heck.  If you want to hit that mulligan and it doesn't slow play up, why not? If you want to kick that ball out of the trees and have a better shot at the green, why not? If the ball goes out of bounds do you have to take the penalty--not really.  How about not getting out of a bunker in four strokes?  Is it OK to throw the ball on the green after the fourth hit, why not? Please remember to rake the trap though. Is a "foot wedge" cheating?  In the strictest sense, I guess it is but if you are just out to have fun its not.  I don't do it, but that's just me.  Have fun, but please don't post this kind of round.  You are only hurting yourself.  You are free to choose the way you have fun.
     If you just follow a couple of general rules, it will be OK.  First, be courteous at all times and remember that you are not the only golfers on the course.  Keep up with the group in front of you. Respect the course, and don't damage it.  Try to follow as many rules as you can, but its OK to adjust or sometimes bend the rules. Don't worry, its your game. If you are just playing to have fun and not achieve a certain score, have fun. This is between yourself and yourself, so don't worry and have fun. Please remember that you are not the only one on the course and others are at a different place than you are. Be courteous to others and respect the course.  Most of all, enjoy the game and have fun.

Have fun and enjoy the game.