Remember when people used to make fun of the way pro golfers dressed in the 1970s? The Sansabelt pants? The loud checks and floppy collars? The canary yellow cardigans?
What will they be saying about today’s pros in 40 years? Or even 10? Read more.
nytimes.com
SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday morning at the Olympic Club, the 14-year-old Andy Zhang joined a backup of golfers waiting to tee off on the par-3 third hole in a bottleneck that began rubbernecking.
Zhang, a native of China who lives in Florida, moved closer to study Y. E. Yang, whose victory over Tiger Woods at the 2009 P.G.A. Championship ignited interest in men’s golf in Yang’s homeland of South Korea.
A few feet away, Nicholas Thompson stood eyeballing Zhang, the male equivalent of Thompson’s sister, Lexi, who at 12 became the youngest golfer to play in the United States Women’s Open. “He’s a big kid,” he said.
Thompson’s father, Scott, who has shepherded the career of his golfing progeny, including his middle child, Curtis, who’s playing in college, said: “He’s 14? That’s awesome.” He added, “What’s his name?”
Zhang rocketed into the spotlight Monday night when he became the youngest competitor in the United States Open, according to the United States Golf Association. A second alternate at the start of the day, he was added to the 156-man field to replace Paul Casey, who withdrew with a bad shoulder after Brandt Snedeker scratched because of an injured rib. Read more.
nytimes.com
On a PGA Tour overrun by perfect swings and political correctness, Bubba Watson stands out like a cowboy on Wall Street.
He is outspoken, with an unconventional swing and an imagination with no out-of-bounds markers.
Watson describes himself as a “new-age redneck,” his awesomeness implied. As if to drive home the point, Watson earlier this year bought the original General Lee, the Dodge Charger that starred in the television series “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Read more.
Tiger Woods just won the Memorial after burying an amazing chip shot on the 16th hole.
He was down two strokes and staring at a potential bogey at the time. But then he played a beautiful flop shot that Jack Nicklaus called one of the best he has ever seen.
He added a birdie at the 18th for good measure, and won by two strokes after heading into the day down four.
On the Ridge’s Course hole #2, Par 3, a player hit his ball and it comes to rest on the cart path of the concrete bridge. The ball is located on the part of the bridge which is over the water hazard.
Question 1: May the player obtain free relief because the bridge is used as the cart path, an immovable obstruction?
Answer: No. He must 1) play as it lies or 2) proceed with Rule 26 relief from water hazard with a one stroke penalty.
It is correct that the bridge is an immovable obstruction and generally, a player may obtain relief from immovable obstruction such as cart paths or sprinkler heads. However, because the ball is located on the part of the bridge that?s inside the hazard, the player may not use the immovable obstruction rule.
Question 2 : May the player ground his club on the bridge?
Answer: Yes.
Generally, a player should not ground his club in a hazard, but a player may ground his club on the bridge.
Question 3: If this area was marked as a lateral water hazard (red stakes), what are his 5 options?
Answer:
a) Play the ball as it lies.
b) Take a 1 stroke penalty, and re-hit from the tee
c) Take a 1 stroke penalty and drop with in 2 club length from the margin where the ball last entered the water
d) Take a 1 stroke penalty and draw an imaginary line from the flag back to the point the ball last entered the margin and goes straight back and make a drop along that line
e) Take a 1 stroke penalty and drop within 2 club length on the other side of the water equal distance from the hole
Smart play advice if the player knows the rules: If the has to take a drop, the smart player will take option e) because he will drop on the other side of the water and taking the water out of play. To determine equal distance, a player may use his laser device for proper measurement.
Please see Rule 26-1(a), (b) and (c)
Question 4: If this area was marked as a water hazard (yellow stakes), what are his option?
Answer:
a) Play the ball as it lies.
b) Take a 1 stroke penalty, and re-hit from the tee
c) Take a 1 stroke penalty and draw an imaginary line from the flag back to the point the ball last entered the margin and goes straight back and make a drop along that line
Please see Rule 26-1(a) and (b)
Question 5: Where is the margin of the hazard?
Answer: Look for red stakes and/or lines. The margin of a water hazard extends downwards and upwards. Although the bridge is over the water hazard, the ball was found inside the water hazard since the margin for a water hazard extends upwards to the sky. (On the contrary, the margin of a bunker only extends downwards but not upwards).
USGA Decision 13-4/30: Grounding Club on Bridge in Water Hazard
Question: A player’s ball lies on a bridge over a water hazard within the margins of the hazard when extended upwards. May the player ground his club?
Answer: Yes. A bridge is an obstruction. In a hazard, the club may touch an obstruction at address or in the backward movement for the stroke – see Note under Rule 13-4. Touching the bridge prior to address is also permissible, since an obstruction in a water hazard is not “ground in the hazard.”
This applies even if the bridge has been declared an integral part of the course.
Click here to view a USGA video explaining water hazards.
Simon Nguyen
Rules Committee
Know your game to better your game with Nike Golf 360°.
By focusing on your GAME, SWING and BODY, NG360° gives you the tools, tips and motivation you need to make the most of every stroke. Learn more.
Spring, TX resident and University of Texas standout, Shannon Fish will be appearing on ‘Big Break Atlantis’, premiering May 14 on Golf Channel. Learn more.
nytimes.com
Before his second shot in the final round of the Players Championship, Kevin Na took his club back six times without hitting the ball and then backed away. Once he had regrouped, he performed two more waggles before striking the ball.
In the gallery, the fans counted each of Na’s waggles the way spectators usually keep track of strokes. One month after Bubba Watson steered golf outside the ropes of tradition with his freewheeling victory at the Masters, Na was poised to give the sport another quirky hero: the Unnatural. Read more.
nytimes.com
BANDON, Ore. — On Tuesday, more than 150 golfers lined up to plunk down $100 to play a 13-hole par-3 golf course called Bandon Preserve, at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the coast of southern Oregon.
Pay $100 for a par-3 course?
Not taken completely seriously, par-3 courses are a frequently overlooked part of the golf world. The holes are generally under 200 yards, and the greens can usually be reached by players of modest ability in one shot. Par-3 layouts are not usually sanctioned by the United States Golf Association and hence need not adhere to particular rules. Some courses might have 9 or 18 holes, though they are almost as likely to have 6-, 10- and 12-hole layouts.
Par-3 courses are often perceived as practice areas, an extension of the driving range, and somehow not quite “real golf.”
“If you were to review every par-3 course in America, most would fall into the ‘rudimentary’ category,” said Ron Whitten, Golf Digest’s architecture editor. “However, the same can be said for most regulation golf courses. Par-3s play an important role. They are the sandlots of golf, where people can go to build a passion for the game.” Read more.
Congrats to all the winners at Eagle Pointe. The course was in perfect condition and the weather was beautiful – the ‘EP curse’ is over! Xuan Lanh Nguyen took home the B-flight net trophy(62), but the highlight of his round was an ace! Welcome to the exclusive Ace Club, Anh Lanh!
View photos from Eagle Pointe.
All current members and their immediate families or a member and his/her guest are invited to HVGA’s 10th annual crawfish boil Sunday, April 29th, Crawfish will be provided along with games and a moonwalk for the kids. The event begins at noon.
