Rog's Blog: Ball Unplayable

And another thing … Ball Unplayable

We continue with another manifestation of the Animal Farm syndrome as it applies to golf, namely: some hazards are more equal than others.

Rule 28 currently states:

Rule 28 – Ball unplayable

The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable.

'twas not ever thus!

The Rule Book of 1956 stated in Rule 29 …

 Then in 1968, Rule 29 became:

While the Castle Dwellers are not wont to provide any rationale for such changes, in this case the change was not even acknowledged, as the extract from the 1968 Principal Changes shows:

What is more, Rules historians themselves do not note the fact that this change was made (perhaps no-one noticed).**

So what could be the reason that the Dwellers of 1968 decided to change a perfectly reasonable provision, viz, that a player may declare his/her ball unplayable anywhere on the course? It is impossible (and unfruitful) to speculate about this or why the current crop of Dwellers does not, for consistency’s sake at least, simply change it back. If one were to be pushed to posit an explanation, however, it may be that this occurred in an attempt to appease the cousins who had had this provision for going-on two decades.

There is no apparent, nor articulated, reason why a player should not have the option of declaring his/her ball unplayable in a water hazard and dropping a ball within the hazard as is the case with its fellow-hazard; the bunker.

Again, such a change would:

·  Improve equity and consistency within the Rules;

·  Assist players in more readily understanding what the Rules require;

·  Lead to a much higher likelihood of compliance than hitherto;

·  Reduce player stress and aggravation with the Rules;

·  Lead to less confusion and fewer disputes;

·  Assist with speed of play; and

·  Eliminated one ‘except' and other words from the Rule Book.

** Wouldn’t it be nice if The Castle provided a brief rationale for their changes so that we, mere mortals, could gain some insight into what was in their collective mind. The Book is now large but a few well- chosen words to justify changes to the Rules would help us all to understand what is going on, and to be assured that Rule changes are not arbitrary or capricious.