Dave, In Golf Digest, I believe, David Fey, USGA Executive Director, said that HE wouldn't go back to the tee and hit another ball if he couldn't find his ball and there was another group already on the tee. He was concerned about pace of play. (Common sense prevails, but is not deemed legal).
Interestingly enough I was reading some of Harry Vardon's writing last night and he spoke of the 1902 Open at Hoylake. Hoylake had provided to be a severe test of golf. One of the chief reasons for this is the large number of holes on which it is possible to put the ball out of bounds. It was possibly on account of this that, although St. Andrews had at this period made a rule of stroke and distance as a penalty for out of bounds, at Hoylake the penalty was loss of distance only. So it is good that there is a common and recognized set of rules, and not a different set for each course (though there are local rules :-) I also agree with your assessment of the USGA. I dropped out at virtually the same time you did. I had many of the same issues you did, plus at the time they were making a BOATLOAD of money and in my view were not reinvesting it in the promotion of the sport of golf. /Ed Dave Tutelman wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: D William Ggle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 3:34 PM > <snip> > Where I live, there is golf and there is "league golf". Almost all > competitive golfers around here, save the members of private clubs, play in > various leagues on public or daily-fee courses. Every league I know has a > rule to play OB -- and even lost balls -- as a lateral hazard. It is > downright annoying to EVERYBODY on the course to enforce the rules of golf > as written on these courses; that is the reason for those league-golf rules. > There is no loss of integrity when everybody agrees that those are the > rules. > > But wait! The USGA does not allow that as a local rule. Not many people know > this (I didn't until I started reading from "The Decisions"), but there are > lots of things you CANNOT make a local rule. This very reasonable (IMHO) > modification for busy courses is not allowed as a local rule. Can you say > "ostrich"? I knew you could. <snip>
