Round Reflections: Rules Rule

After a little golf and blog hiatus for a fun trip to NYC (recap coming soon!), I was back at it today. Hot and sticky but not unbearable, it was nice to enjoy a morning outdoors. I learned they gave me a 12 handicap based on my first three scores. Not too thrilled to be in double digits, but the plus side is that I made the cut for the A Flight, so at least now all I have to do is whittle down my handicap and not worry about climbing flights. They're recalculated monthly. 

The higher handicap would be advantageous today, however, as this rusty swing put me all over God's green earth, as well as in some bodies of water.  But it wasn't the worst day yet, and I scored 13-over. So the net will work out for me and I'm anxious to get the score report. 

My group today was very fun and friendly. They were definitely the youngest I've been paired with even though I'm still quite in a different stage of my life, so to speak. I'm not quite young enough to be their daughter, but I could have been their daughter's baby sitter. It's been a strange dynamic most weeks but this week it didn't seem to be so awkward.

What is awkward, however, is the weird local rules for this league. For the most part I understand some of the modifications from a practicality standpoint. For instance, one hole has a tricky tee shot that often puts players OB on the left (I was there today, in fact), and for pace of play purposes they allow a drop two club lengths from the stake line, like you would a hazard (normally in an OB situation you play your next shot from the same place as your last with a one stroke penalty). My gripe is that because the local  rules are not applied universally, I feel that every time we need to discuss a ruling, whomever in the group who is the most veteran in the league seems to just make rules up on the fly. Or, as was another case today, the veteran member seemed to make up her own definition of hazard areas in an area of tall natural grass that wasn't marked in any way as a hazard,  and incorrectly advised the other player how she should drop. Every week I have played with at least one novice player and it irks me to think they are learning the rules wrong. I debate myself with how much of a stickler I want to be, especially since I am new to the local rules of this particular league. Today we weren't even to the second green and this was already an issue, so I decided I just needed to let it go today and have a good time. And once I relaxed, I did! Can't wait to be out there again in two weeks.

I would love to hear some golf rule horror stories if anyone has them.

How I Prep for a Four-Club Challenge

This week's league play challenge is to use only four clubs for the whole round. I love these types of challenges. I sometimes had my team do this, and it was always very interesting while providing fun variety. 

Having only four (including putter!) really forces one to learn to trust their decisions. You can't be between clubs if you only have one club to choose! You also learn to get creative with the clubs you bring. There is a popular belief in the artistic world that placing constraints can actually unlock creative potential.  If you've ever watched a pro golfer who seems to play like an artist (I'm thinking about that recovery shot Bubba Watson made at Augusta in 2012 from behind the trees that boomeranged all the way around to the green - magic), they learned over years and years of experimenting with these types of constraints. It's great for growth as a player. And since it's more than just one club, you get to be a little more practical than Kevin Costner. 

Choosing the four clubs takes some thought. You definitely don't want to just wing it, and you can just go back home to get the rest of your bag if you regret your choices. 

I first think about the type of course I'm playing. Is it short? Long? Narrow? Open? The course I play each Friday is an executive course so all par threes. Makes it easy to eliminate woods and driver. On days it plays long I sometimes reach for a 7-wood on a few holes, but I am actually more accurate with irons even if I don't reach the green, and I should actually play that way more often anyway. So I won't fret about not having my long clubs. I'll select an iron for tee shots that will reach some of the holes but leave me short on the longer ones. 

Since it's a par 3 course, two-thirds of my score should be putts following the rules of GIR. So putter is staying in the bag. I also love sometimes chipping with the putter and so it can serve a little more than just on the green. 

Next I think about the types of lies I've experienced in normal play around the green. Usually they are pretty tight, and there are lots of little hills around some of the greens. So I'm going to keep my 60-degree wedge for all pitches and lobs to the hole. 

The fourth club I'm still debating with myself. I've taken full swings from the tee with my pitching wedge so I might use that, but since I can also use an 8- or 9-iron around the green I might use the opportunity to round out my bag with something that can fill some awkward distances I might encounter depending on where they put the tees. This is the only one I'll let my gut decide come morning. 

So my four are: 6-iron, 60-degree, putter, and either 8-iron or PW. 

Otherwise, a sunny day is predicted after almost two straight weeks of chilly rain. I'm very much looking forward to that. I'll be back after the round to reflect on the experience!