Say It Again, SAM

Broken Joe
Jun 20, 2022
3 min read

We had some players not understanding how things work at Mill Valley but it seemed to be better at Airway. But let’s just have a little refresher course before our 2nd Major, the Father & Uncles Invitational.

Mark your ball with a 1, 2, and 3 and put them in your pocket. The 3 balls that are in your cart should all be Ball 1s. I don’t care how you mark it, you can use a number, you can use dots, circles, or squares. Plus you must have a way to determine the ball is yours, like having your initials on it or your “mark”. When you come out of the woods with a ball, we need to know that it is your ball.

a. Ball number 1 is always the ball used off the tee box, ALWAYS.

b. If you lose ball number 1 or need to play a provisional ball, you would now be using ball number 2.

c. Once you finish the hole, you would start the next hole with a new Ball number 1. Not ball 4, 5, or 6, etc until your day is finished.

True Stories - A golfer comes out of the woods holding two golf balls “Ball 3 is my first ball, Ball 1 is my second ball…” Really? One golfer looks on the green and sees that another golfer has marked his ball with a number 4. Did you really lose 3 balls on that hole?

Penalty for playing the wrong ball – 2 Strokes, each time.

Reminder: Any provisional ball that is hit TWICE becomes the ball in play.

After you sink your putt, call your score. Don’t leave the green until you've told the group, out loud, what your score is.

Play by the rules all of the time. If you go left and your riding partner goes right, this does not mean that you both get to hit from the lady's tee box. Play your ball where you are supposed to.

When your ball goes deep into a penalty area or the woods, THE DROP is from where it ENTERED that area, NOT where it landed. Dog legs can be tricky because if you try to cut the corner and don’t make it you will waste time by going all the way back to where the ball first entered the woods. If you are unsure, hit the provisional. Ask your playing partners to help with the drop location.

You need to know the BJG rules and some USGA rules to give yourself the best chance of getting the lowest score possible, even if you are in the worst circumstance.

A ball that sails over the green and into the woods is one of the worst things that can happen because you cannot move closer to the hole. In this scenario, I think that hitting a provisional is the smart thing to do because it’s only one stroke. If you decide to go looking for the ball that skied the green, and went into the woods, be prepared for a tough go.

ANY BALL, AT ANY TIME, can be declared unplayable, and you can move the ball 2 club lengths. Please don’t use your wedge because it is one of the shortest clubs in your bag. Use your driver. If your name isn’t Rey, you shouldn’t even be looking deeply in the woods. Play it smart and hit the provisional.

Cell Phones – What is with all of the cell phone use? You're outside playing golf and enjoying the day. Do yourself (and us) a favor and put the cell phones away, enjoy the next 4 hours, and experience the social part of golf Plus, I might need help finding my ball….

Scorecards – At the end of the round, and before you come into the clubhouse, each of the golfers in the group will count their scores. Once the whole group has counted their scores, go to the clubhouse, and give the card to the Commissioner for a final count. Even with the extra counting, scorecards are not official until they go into the BJG World HQ computer.

Ruling while on the Golf Course – If you need a ruling, have a quick conversation with your group. If you can’t agree, mark the scorecard with a star and bring it up to Cody AFTER the round and AFTER he has gotten a beer at the clubhouse.

The rules are for everyone in order to make the game as fair as possible. No one wants to lose because they followed the rules and someone else didn't.