This semester, our Advanced Rules of Golf class is attempting a very ambitious project – simplifying the Rules of Golf. We are taking the Rules, as they are currently constituted, and are trying to “dumb them down” into layman’s terms. We’re calling the project Rules You Can Actually Use (RYCAU) The Rules were written in very precise and deliberate fashion by a group of lawyers. Fortunately or unfortunately, not all of us are lawyers, which is why the Rules read, sound, and feel so complex. But the Rules are undeniably confusing, which is why simplifying their verbiage seems like such a noble endeavor. The Rules should be written in Plain English and not legalese.
After establishing a template of sorts in class last week, today we began the tedious back-and-forth of going through the Rules line-by-line. This is just a sample of what we’re looking at beginning with the USGA description of the Rule:
Rule 3. Stroke Play
A stroke-play competition consists of competitors completing each hole of a stipulated round or rounds and, for each round, returning a score card on which there is a gross score for each hole. Each competitor is playing against every other competitor in the competition. The competitor who plays the stipulated round or rounds in the fewest strokes is the winner. In a handicap competition, the competitor with the lowest net score for the stipulated round or rounds is the winner.
Here’s what we boiled it down to. Translation – here’s what it means:
Rule 3-1. General; Winner
Stroke play is the number of times you hit the ball on each hole to get the ball into the hole.
For those of you scoring at home, that’s 80 words we slashed down to just 21. Obviously, we still have a long way to go. I think some of my classmates are still taking this process very personally and others are going as far as dropping the class altogether (whether or not this is because of the project, I can’t say). That’s not the point of this exercise, but I think we’ll really hit our stride as a class once we get a few of these rules under our belts and we all begin to feel the rhythm of which words are really needed and which words can be discarded. Here’s a look at two of the other subsets to Rule 3, Stroke Play:
Rule 3-2. Failure to Hole Out
(USGA) If a competitor fails to hole out at any hole and does not correct his mistake before he makes a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before he leaves the putting green, he is disqualified.
(RYCAU) The player must put the ball in the hole before playing the next hole. If a player does not put his ball in the hole, he does not have a score for the hole. Additional penalties may apply.
Rule 3-3. Doubt as to Procedure
(USGA) In stroke play, if a competitor is doubtful of his rights or the correct procedure during the play of a hole, he may, without penalty, complete the hole with two balls.
(RYCAU) If the player does not know what to do, he may finish the hole with two balls without penalty.
Again, we have a long way to go. But I think if we can come together as a class, we can do something truly positive for the game of golf – something that has never been done before
Blogger’s Note:
This semester, I’m teaching junior golf as part of a nationwide afterschool program called Right Start Golf. Today was my first day of teaching. I have a roster of just seven kids.
I wish I could say that today went smoothly. If you really want to try your patience, try teaching a bunch of 7-10 year-olds how to grip the golf club and chip the ball to a target. It’s far from easy. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn about translating the elements of the golf swing to juniors – and perhaps – even to adults! At one point, when I asked if everyone was having fun, one girl replied, “I’m bored. I want to quit!”
But I have to say, I’m not discouraged. I’m going to observe a more seasoned veteran of the program tomorrow afternoon before I get my second crack at teaching the grip at another school on Friday. We’re covering four topics over an eight-week period: chipping, pitching, putting, and finally, full swing. Challenge accepted.