7 GOLF RULES WE WOULD CHANGE TOMORROW!

Almost every golfer has an opinion on The Rules of Golf, particularly the rules that they would want to change... It can seem harsh that you don’t get free relief when your perfect drive finishes in a divot, or when you have to hit three off the tee after you find your ball a yard out of bounds. In this video, Joel Tadman and Dan Parker take a lighthearted look at the 7 rules they would change in order to make the sport fairer, more fun and introduce a greater level of skill back into the game.

► Skip to your favourite section:
Intro 0:00-0:16
Relief from divots 0:17
Number of clubs 2:15
Out of bounds 4:18
Signing your scorecard 6:03
Putter alignment 7:07
Teeing area 9:07
Use of tees 11:38

► Do you agree with our choices and which rule would you want to change? Let us know in the comments below! 💬

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[jacobmccain]

An addition to the divot rules: If some a-hole doesnt rake their bunker and you're in their footprint, then you drop in the bunker. I have that MUCH more often than landing in a divot.

[joegonz]

There's no need to change it to 10 clubs. If you want to carry 10 clubs, just carry 10 clubs. There's no rule that says you have to have 14.

[markkinnane]

One of the more pointless videos Golf Monthly have made. Absolutely clutching at straws. I kept watching to see how ridiculous they could get. 10 clubs instead of 14? Go for it, no one is stopping you. Out bounds rule? Seriously? Signing scorecard penalty? Just sign it. Alignment aids on balls? Seriously? You think that’s a change that is actually required? Bring skill back into it? What does that even mean when lining up the ball? Teeing area penalty; so you’d change the penalty by one whole shot. Wow! Revolutionary! The logic here was baffling. Ban tees? You don’t even believe that. Embarrassing. Do better!

[lanced]

What I'm hearing is "lets change the rules to make a hard game, harder." 🤔

[topgunbass]

Glad you guys are not part if the rules committee. Sounds like you are trying to make the game harder than easier.

[iannicolle]

How long do you think a tee area would last if you banned tee's? there wouldn't be any grass left after a busy weekend!

[barrymurton]

Why change the number of clubs, you don’t have to have 14, it’s not mandatory- Just have ten it’s your choice!

[markmark]

The teeing area is already plenty big enough, and you want a couple more inches? You also want to protect players who "accidentally" tee up in front of the line? You can NOT be serious! It's an easy rule to adhere to, so those who don't, deserve the full penalty.

[wadesworld]

I don't understand the desire to change about 4 rules dramatically "to bring skill back to the game, " but then argue for relief from divots. Extracting oneself from a divot is a skill and you're absolutely correct about the impossibility of defining what is a divot.

As for OB, the local rule option already gives you a drop option, and not just near where it went out. In most situations, you can drop on the edge of the fairway for a 2-stroke penalty. But why is the penalty harsh for OB? Because OB protects property and people who are not part of the golf course. The penalty is severe to STRONGLY encourage you to avoid it. Having it be "drop where it went out for 1-stroke" wouldn't have the same effect. Plenty of golfers are willing to rip one at a penalty area and take the one-stroke if the risk fails.

Your issue with the teeing ground is exactly why they have to set a standard and stick to it, even though it can make for silly scenarios sometimes. If you move it 12-inches so teeing just in front of the markers is not penalized, then people will start moving up 11.9 inches and complain they're being unfairly penalized when they're only an inch over the line.

[horns]

In snooker you use the line of the timber grain as an alignment aid, that is why good cues have the grain flowing towards the cue tip on top

[paulaskey]

On the “internal out of bounds” be careful, an example I could quote, a 473 yard par five, if however you play to the next fairway on the left it becomes a 325 yard par 4 ! The club had to make it out of bounds as everyone was just cutting the corner with the inherent risk of hitting players on the other fairway. I would also perhaps go a step further than 10 a tee of club, a long club, a mid club, a short club and a sand wedge plus putter. Just look at the achievements of Old Tom Morris and his contemporaries with a Mashie and a Niblick ! Why are 3 or 5 club challenges always so much fun ?

[ronmullard]

Disagree with removing alignment from putter/ball ...you still have to be able to read the green then get the pace right....all the alignments do is allow you to align ball on the line you want to start the ball on....the game is difficult enough as it is ....while you're at it why don't you ban range finders and gps devices too...and make everyone happy....

[ACMRisk]

Never had an issue with fairway divots as all courses i have played have a 30cm placing rule no closer to the pin

[peedee-zoyq]

I wonder if a reduced/maximum length of tee peg has been looked at. Inability to launch IBM's off ankle high pegs might have served to cutting back on drive lengths without the need for ball redesign? I suppose a maximum ball height on the tee could be brought in - dual coloured pegs for easy visual of any breach?

[KenKoziej]

FAIRWAY Divots... someone alters the condition of the course, and you're stuck with their hole!

[quenchize]

There is a local rule for taking a drop from OB: E-5 Alternative to Stroke and Distance for Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds.

[VetteWayFast]

Interesting thoughts! Completely agree with no re-teeing an OB ball. Under no circumstances should one slow down play going all the way back to the tee box. Drop with stroke penalty is fine.

10 clubs may be a little much, perhaps 12 would be more ideal in my opinion.

The no tee on tee box I would disagree with. Those tee boxes would get torn up more than they already are. Plus one of the most satisfying moments in golf is ripping a good drive with the driver I just spent a ton of money on 😊

[McHenMike]

He wants a clubs “cause it’s a nice round number”.
14 is a round number

[ChristopherJones]

Couldn't agree more with Joel on the divots rule. The issue on divots relates more to clowns that don't at least attempt to put them back when they are hacking the golf course up. If everybody repaired a divot and a pitch mark, we would never see them!

[IamPapaShaw]

YES! I’ve always maintained that the OB rule is the stupidest rule in golf. Logically, it should be treated as a lateral hazard, with a drop and 1 shot penalty. Whether a water hazard or out of bounds parallels a fairway, if you hit into either of those areas you have hit similar bad shots. In practice, no one outside of tournament golf walks back to the tee to hit another ball. If you are playing an unfamiliar course, you may not realize that you have hit it out of bounds and do not think to play a provisional. To be as fair as I judge possible without returning to the tee, I take the drop and assess myself TWO strokes.