That’s Wet! a Golf blog in West Palm Beach Florida

The rules of Golf don’t have to be a tired, incomprehensible, worn out bore. Do they? Photo Credit: idiot king (click on the photo to see more of idiot king’s photos on Flickr)

In an effort, once and for all, to understand the rules of the game, I’m launching a new feature called, That’s my ruling. The point here is for me to learn the rules by writing on them, hopefully with a few twists of irony, humor, and real world Golf thrown in. If you just so happen to learn something as well, we’ll call it even.

I’ve decided to launch this column with a rule that I’ve broken so many times I couldn’t ever possibly add up all the two stroke penalties.

Rule: Asking for advice on club selection

You’re on the tee and you know that there’s no chance you’re actually going to make contact with the ball. Rather than worry about this you concern yourself with what exact club, with some divine intervention, might actually reach the green if you were to actually hit the ball solidly. After all, this could be the one time during your round where you do! You adjust your cap, remove the wedgie from your pants that the Golf cart so rudely bestowed upon you on the previous hole, and turn to your Golf partner. “What are you hitting?”you ask them. “5 iron,” they reply proudly.

The rule simply explained: Rule 8-1. Don’t ask your playing partners for advice on what club to hit. If you do - you’ll be penalized two strokes in stroke play and in match play you’ll lose the hole.

That’s my Ruling: Ouch! Really, why do we ask this? How often does the player we ask have anything in common with your game? Have you ever found yourself asking this question of a six-foot-four, 5 handicapper, because naturally, your 6 foot, 20 handicap swing will produce the same yardage? Brilliant! You are allowed to ask about public information that if you weren’t such an unobservant lazy bugger, you would go get yourself, like the yardage from the sprinkler head. You are allowed to ask your caddy, or four ball partner without penalty. If you have a caddy, you’re probably rich and know better than most that rules aren’t meant for you any more than cleaning your own house mansion. If you have a four ball partner, you better hope they know the rules better than you do. In either event, stop this inane chit chat, close your yapper, and think about something more productive, like sex.

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