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Newsletter Beginnings: Some Rules

9/8/2024

The Blathering Duffer is Lady Links very own newfangled newsletter. This will be a fairly short discourse on golf topics that may be of interest to our members. Topics will include Rules, Etiquette, Equipment, game improvement strategies, course info, course strategy, golf statistics, scoring formats, fun games to play on the course and more. Pose a question to our fearless leader, Vicky, and she’ll pass on the query for us to answer. There will be a team of newsletter writers who will probe deep into the rabbit holes looking for the best answers we can provide. TBD will be available at Lady Links Venues, Facebook, by email (if requested) and website (https://www.sandiegoladylinks.com/).
Our first topic is Rule Changes since 2019. As this golfer recently returned to golfing, I was surprised to find out there had been a lot of rule changes. Most changes came in 2019, a few more in 2021 and again in 2023. Most of 2023 changes deal with accommodations for disabled golfers. Now I know a lot of us are just social golfers and don’t pay much never mind to rules, but as your game improves and the more you play the more you may want to know what is the actual rule for…. When your ball lands in an animal hole what do you do and is there a penalty? (Drop 1 club length from the nearest point of relief with NO Penalty) These rule changes even catch out the pros as Rory McElroy just took a penalty for not dropping properly for an unplayable lie at Pebble Beach due to rule change to in 2023. Some rule changes go towards speeding up the game. Remember to always play Ready Golf! I won’t go into huge detail in this issue, but below is a list of most of the more important rules that may come into play most often. In future issues, we may choose 1 rule to go into in more detail. You can download the App USGA Rules of Golf that has lots of helpful videos too.

Search time-Reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes
Ball moved during search-Replace NO Penalty
Embedded Ball-Free relief anywhere through the course (old was only in the fairway or green)
Measuring a drop-Use longest club not the putter. (NO Belly Putters for this!)
Dropping-Drop from knee height rather than shoulder
Taking stance on wrong green is not permitted (If you hit your ball to another green and need to hit back, you must drop off that green to hit back, see rule 13.1.f)
Ball Unintentionally hits player or equipment-No Penalty
Double hit-No Penalty, counts as 1 stroke only (more likely to happen in sand or deep rough)
Touching sand in bunker incidentally is permitted (e.g. getting in and out, still should not touch sand when taking stance or stroke)
Loose impediments can be removed anywhere including hazards and bunkers, just don’t let your ball move
Dropping ball out of bunker is allowed-2 stroke penalty (If bunker is unplayable due to conditions there is another rule) So if you suck at bunker play like me, you can move your ball out of and behind the bunker in line with the hole and just take a 2 stroke penalty. Then go get lessons to learn how to get out next time. ;-)
Water Hazards are now called Penalty Area. The term Hazard has been removed and Penalty Area is now used for both yellow and red marked areas. Slightly different rules for taking relief from red vs yellow Penalty Areas. Talk later on this!
Touching ground (grounding the club) in Penalty Area-No Penalty
Ball moves on Green after being marked-replace ball, No Penalty
Ball accidentally moved on Green-Replace, No Penalty (Applies to a practice swing accidentally hitting the ball)
All damage on Green can now be repaired. (Do not try to improve natural lie of the green!)
Positioning a club for alignment is not permitted
Caddie assisting with alignment is not permitted
Putting with flagstick in hole is Permitted
Ball wedged against flag stick and side of hole is deemed as holed
On the Tee-Ball is not deemed in play until stroke is made-accidental movement of ball does not count as a stroke, re-tee No Penalty.
Removing loose impediments on the green-you may now use a towel or glove to brush aside No Penalty.
Note: Sand on the Green is a loose impediment and may be brushed aside, but sand on the fringe is part of the lie of the course and may not be brushed aside.

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Handicaps

9/8/2024

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Great Expectations was a great novel, but it also can be an ego killer for all us golfers. So let’s talk just how bad or good a golfer are we. That is after all what blather means… to talk, have a chinwag, chitter-chatter… Once I came to find out what is Average for amateur women golfers I realized that I’m not so bad. That helped me to enjoy my round of golf a little more and then start the journey to improvement with a statistic driven plan. So let’s look at some stats! Down the Rabbit Hole!
The average score for an amateur female golfer is 107. However, this stat does not include the millions of golfers who do not have a Handicap (HCP). It’s is thought that including ALL female golfers raises the average score to 110-115. Do you feel a little better now? OK, let’s keep going. Let’s break down scores and see what percent of all (male and female) amateur golfers score in each sort of benchmark range. Par is generally 72.
Less than 70 = 0.0001%, these are elite amateurs
70-79 = 5%, very good, scratch or near scratch low HCP golfers
80-89 = 21%, mid HCP golfers
90-99 = 29%, mid going into high HCP golfers
100-109 = 24%, high HCP golfers
110-119 = 10%, high HCP golfers
120+ = 11%, very high HCP
45% of all golfers score over 100/round and are high HCPers. USGA puts the average woman’s HCP at 26.4 and over 70% of women golfers in the USA have a HCP over 21. These numbers are mirrored in the UK and Australia. So, you should be feeling pretty good now. If you are one of the high HCPers, give yourself a break as you’re in the average. If you are regularly scoring under 100, you’re a pretty good golfer and can really pat yourself on the back! (Note: Stats show we only play to our HCP 25% of the time and score an average of 3 strokes more than our HCP.) If you just play and don’t give a rat’s behind about HCP, you can look at the scoring percentages above and get an idea of where you’d fit. I’m guessing Average!
So now you’re wondering how your drive stacks up. Well first let’s be reasonable and think about our age. Stats show that we reach our longest drives in our 20’s and then every 10 yrs. there is a drop off. If we’ve been playing life long, even though we lose distance our accuracy increases with both drives and approach shots. (Nice tradeoff) But the most severe drop in distance occurs after the age of 60. However, with access to more fitness and flexibility programs the drop off may be lessened. The average female golfer hits the driver 168 yds.. Skew this down a bit for your age and know that distance drops as the HCP increases. I’m betting that an awful lot of us just found out that we are Average! And we should be pretty happy about that. Some of us just found out that we actually do smack that lil’ white ball a heck of a far distance and are tickled pink! So I think all of us should be feeling pretty good now.
Average is a good starting point. With a little better course management and learning how to think more about the course, we can start dropping shots without having done anything to improve our swing. Then combine that with a lesson and a little practice, you will see even more improvement. You’ll be tumbling into that mid HCPer region in no time. But this may not be a concern for you. You may not have time to go for lessons or go to the range and that’s OK. That was me for a very long time. I played once a month at best and never really improved. The trick then is to be happy no matter how you are playing. Enjoy the time out with friends and don’t worry about your score. Manage that expectation and you’ll have a fun day outside with the birds chirping, the rabbits hopping, turtles sunbathing, the foxes trotting and the coyotes crossing paths.
Etiquette Note for the Teeing Ground
Keep all carts, motorized and pull carts, off the teeing area. Grab your club, ball and tees and walk up to the teeing area. Determine who will tee off first: tee toss, rock-paper-scissors, flip a coin….. After that it is customary to let the lowest scorer of the previous hole tee first, “Have the Honor”. However, in Ready Golf, if that person is not ready, whomever is ready should announce they are ready and ask to go ahead. The Honor golfer should acknowledge them and say go ahead… or say if they are actually ready to go. But let’s not get our knickers in a twist over this. When a player is hitting, everyone should cease talking, pulling clubs, making noise in general. Additionally, we should watch each other’s ball in case it heads into trouble. More eyes on it can mean a ball is found quicker with less delay to play.
Rule Note for the Teeing Ground
You must Tee your ball up behind and between the tee markers. You may not move the tee marker, but you may stand outside the marker with your ball still between the markers. You may go as far back as 2 club lengths from the markers, but no farther. (Maybe the ground is torn up closer, or your club distance is better a little further back…) You do not have to use a tee, you may build the ground for the ball (Chop it up higher when not using a tee). You may not alter the ground anywhere else on the course, only in the tee box. (Personal Note: Use a tee, don’t hack up the ground. This is the one and only place you get to put your ball on a perfect lie, a reliable height for greater consistency. I’m just sayin’…..And the grounds keepers will thank you.)
References: USGA Handicap Research Team, PGA, LPGA, National Golf Foundation, Trackman, Arccos, Shot Scope, Golfing Focus, Every Shot Counts by Professor Mark Brody Columbia University Business School.

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The Scorecard

9/8/2024

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The Score Card
THE Score Card can help save you strokes! Yup, just by taking a minute to read the score card to familiarize yourself with the “Local Rules” may save you from taking unnecessary penalties or attempting to hit a hero shot when blocked by a part of the course. The Score Card also tells you everything you need to know about the course. Take a look at it before starting your round!
(Note: HCP = Handicap)
USGA, Local Rules and Playing Guidelines
The rules and useful information are usually on the back of the card. Guidelines may include location of bathrooms on the course, distance marker descriptions, restrictions on carts, drop areas, tips for ready play golf etc.
Rules will indicate USGA rule applications for their course e.g. a canyon may be unmarked but is a lateral hazard or a fence may be Out of Bounds (OB) or a pond is a lateral hazard. “Local Rules” are a selection of approved USGA rules the course has selected to use. Think of them as approved exceptions to the regular USGA rules. For example, if your ball lands next to a tree ordinarily there is no relief without penalty, but the local rule may allow free relief from staked trees. Or if your ball is in a flower bed, take a free drop or if its OB, you don’t have to walk back to the tee to re-hit with penalty, but take a 2 shot penalty and hit it from the fairway (for faster play). Barrier Fences may also get a free drop, or a part of the course is unmarked ground under repair, take a free drop… You see how you might take a penalty drop if you didn’t read the card or if you didn’t know better you might try to take a ridiculous unnecessary shot out of a flower bed.
Tee Selection
We’re all familiar with the scoring side of the card to record score. But let’s take a look at it more closely. Yes, it has holes 1-18, Par for the hole is usually highlighted and tee colors and distances per hole as well as total course distance indicated. Let’s start there. Usually there are at least 3 Tee boxes, but there may be as many as 5 Tee boxes to choose from. The same colors are used by most courses, but not necessarily. So generally speaking, Black = Championship Tees or The Tips (Professionals), Blue = Back Tees (Big hitting amateur men and Professional women), White = Middle Tees (Average amateur men and long hitting, Low HCP women), Green = Mid Forward Tees (Senior men, some juniors and long hitting, Mid HCP women), Red = Forward Tees (most women, senior men and juniors). Sometimes there is a tee even further forward used for younger juniors. Who these tees is intended for as noted is a generalization. What determines which tee you should use is the total length of the course you are most comfortable with and how long you hit your driver. Tees do not have a gender only a distance. There are no men’s or women’s tees. (Tees are Non-Binary in todays parlance! Hahahaha.)
Follow the tee color across the card and you will see a total distance for holes 1-9 and again for 10-18, then the total distance. The shorter full courses forward tees may be about 4700yds. I’m comfortable with 5000-5400 yards and drive the ball on average 175yds. So I might move back a tee on a short course. If you hit your driver 150yds or less, you will be most comfortable with less than 5000yds. If you are a low HCP player and drive 225yds or more, you may want to hit from the white tees. Unless you are playing a tournament that dictates what tee everyone plays from, go to your comfort tee.
Course Difficulty: Rating and Slope
The Score Card tells you the course Rating and Slope, sometimes on the front, but may be on the back. The rating and slope changes depending on the Tees and whether you are a man or a woman. Rating = what a scratch golfer could be expected to score on the course on a good day. Slope = Difficulty of the course. Average Slope is 113. Slope takes into account hundreds of metrics e.g. hazards, length, contours, greens and bunkers, bogey ratings etc. All this is put into an algorithm that comes up with a numerical value of 55-155. These numbers tell you if its an easy or hard course. For example, A rating of 72.4 and slope of 110 is slightly easy and a rating of 76.5 and slope of 128 is a difficult course. As a new player or high HCP, you may not want to play the hard course quite yet, or you may love the challenge. If you have a HCP, the slope is used to determine your “Course Handicap” which tells you how many strokes you get on the course over Par. Slope/113 x HCP = Course HCP. For instance, my HCP is currently around 24. I just played a course with a slope of 120. My course HCP is 120/113 x 24 = 25.48. So on this par 72 course + 25 strokes = 97 Course HCP. I scored a 102 or was 5 strokes over my Course HCP. Not bad as hitting the HCP would be a very good day. We’ll save Handicap discussions for another day.
Up to this year, many executive courses did not have a slope. Last year the USGA pushed for executive courses to get Slopes. Many executive courses now have a slope rating, but there may still be a few that have not been rated yet. This is a long involved process as so many metrics have to be used.
Hole Difficulty: Stroke Index or Handicap
Stroke Index (SI) is listed below each hole. SI runs from 1-18 with 1 being the hardest hole and 18 the easiest hole. SI is also sometimes called Handicap on the score card. This is used to determine if someone gets a stroke on a hole based on their HCP vs another player. A 5 HCP gets a stroke on SI 1-5, but a 16 HCP gets a stroke on 1-16. The rest of us high HCPers get a stroke on every hole! Even if you don’t really pay attention to SI when playing, it at least tells you the difficulty of the hole. When reading the card, be careful not to confuse SI line with the Hole line or Par line. Some people like to highlight the hardest holes on the score card for extra attention and planning.
Course Map
Not every course puts a map on the score card, but it sure is nice to have. The map shows the layout of holes in relation to each other, location of sand traps, shape of the green, tree lines, water on course etc. Some may have the hole diagram above the hole number on the front. But this doesn’t show you where one hole is in relation to another.
Phone Number
If you encounter any problems on the course, medical emergency or harassment, call the pro shop. The number is listed on the card. I’ve seen enough of the old man fight videos on Youtube. If a group behind you starts hitting into you and you’ve tried to ask them nicely to stop, call the pro shop and ask for the Marshall to come out. Let him deal with the rude golfer. If a group in front of you is moving slowly and you can clearly see there is not another group in front of them, you can ask to play through them or call and ask for a Marshall. This is more likely to happen if they are a group of 4 and you are two. But you might just take the opportunity to hit extra golf balls while you wait….Patience is needed for all aspects of golf!

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Golf Club Fitting

9/8/2024

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To Fit Or Not To Fit, That is the Question
Whether it is nobler to pay for professional advice and testing Or to buy blindly the most gleaming and alluring clubs off the rack. This is the question we must ask ourselves as we consider buying new clubs. My personal belief is that if you are starting off, start with anything…. Almost. If you have a friend that is thinking of getting into golf, why spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a set of clubs when they might not end up liking the game. So for the new comer, I would say buy used, or take the hand me downs. You don’t even need a full set of clubs to try the game out. But here’s the key to this. Women should avoid taking their Dad’s clubs out if possible, or using their brother’s set. The reason for this is the stiffness of the shafts. Men swing the club significantly harder/faster than the average woman. The “Kick Point” of the club will be different. No better way to sour on playing than if you can’t get the ball lifted into the air and you feel a shiver up your arms. In this case, it may be better to buy used women’s clubs OR for as little as $400 get a beginner women’s set. That’s exactly what I did to get started. I still have my Nancy Lopez starter set from 1995! I think I spent $250 at the time for P-Wedge to 3iron, Driver, 3 and 5 wood (metals). I filled it out with a used Sand Wedge and bought the cheapest putter at Sport Chalet I could find on sale. I quickly realized the driver and woods were crap and that Christmas bought on sale (at Balboa Golf Course Pro Shop) a used set of Callaway Women’s Driver, 3 and 5 woods that I absolutely loved for about $150. Vwhala, Fun times for several years as I played about once a month or less. If you have a friend who wants to test out the game and have their own clubs, Costco online has very decent clubs to get started. (Their balls aren’t bad either). However, they don’t have all their clubs in the warehouse. Go online to look for the beginner set and believe it or not, yes Nancy Lopez still offers an entry line set. Or take your friend to a used dealer and look for women’s clubs.
So why get a club fitting? Well, once you decide you like the game and are willing to sink a little more money into it, a proper fitting matches your swing and speed to the shaft and the club head, assesses the proper lie angle and loft angle for the club head and allows you to try different combinations with different manufacturers and models. It also helps you decide on the best combination of clubs. Better clubs and better ability to lift the ball into the air means better shots, consistency and FUN! The professional fitting should cost in the range of $250 for 1 hour. But if you buy your clubs through the same store, they often credit that to your clubs…. So free. But if you want to take the data elsewhere to buy clubs, you’ll pay for the fitting.
Any golf store now has the ability to do this in store with computer tracking. Technology does wonders. They’ll set up the gizmos behind and to your side and with laser accuracy and computer algorithms, you’ll see on the screen you hit the ball into a golf course with your animated ball flight soaring through the fairway or onto the green. Personally, I prefer this to be done at a real driving range so I can see the real flight, but the computers do a great job. You will feel the difference in your own hands of a Taylor Made vs Callaway vs Titleist vs Cobra vs Ping etc. You should be able to try at least 3 manufacturers. You might not try every range of club. Typically, you’ll hit a 9 iron and a 7 iron and just from those clubs they can fit the rest of the irons to you. Then comes the driver. Once they have the driver you now discuss what woods and hybrids you might want and this is based on the gapping and your swing speed. For instance, you probably don’t need a 3 iron if you are getting a 3 hybrid. And if you have a 3 hybrid, you may want a 3 wood, but not a 5 wood. These are decisions you make in discussion with the pro.
Go to the fitting prepared with questions and info for the fitter. They may want to know what you’ve been hitting, what you like and dislike about your clubs, what’s your distances and what’s your price range. Have you played a hybrid, do you hit your long irons well? You may need to decide between graphite or steel shafts. (Hint, graphite is sooo much lighter and easier to hit, but more $$) Do you want to only look at drivers, woods, hybrids or only irons or a complete set? Don’t get locked into only the big brands. Wilson has come out with a set of irons that are earning high praise and their driver is also quite nice. Be open to suggestions. Finally, ask what is the return policy.
Here’s a few places to check into for fittings: Golf Galaxy and Golf Mart both use the indoor tracking method. Stadium Golf is outside with their tracking system. Your local golf course may also offer fittings through their pro shops.
On Course Hint
You’ve just spent a lot of $$$ on new clubs, let’s not lose them on the course! If you take multiple clubs from the cart out to your ball to decide what’s the right club to hit, put the extra clubs directly between you and the cart you have to return to so you don’t forget them in your excitement about the awesome shot you just hit. You literally should have to walk over your clubs on your return to the cart. On the green, you may have taken a couple wedges as well as your putter with you. Once on the green, place your clubs partially lying on the green/fringe area directly in line with your walk back to the cart while you putt. (They won’t be lost in the taller grass.) If you remove the flag to putt, put the extra clubs next to the flag. Always look back at the green as you walk away and check for clubs, your’s and your playing partners!

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Putting

9/8/2024

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The 1’s, 2’s and 3’s of Putting

The Myth: “Better scores come from making more Birdies!” Reality is scratch players average 1.9 more birdies per round than a 20 Handicap (HCP). That’s only 2 strokes better! Rather than tracking total putts/round, track number of 3 putts/round. Stats show reduction of 3 putts/round is more important. Scratch players 3 putt 1x/round. A 20 HCP golfer 3 putts 4.5x/round. The average golfer is 3 putting every 4 holes! Low HCP golfers may hit the approach shot a little closer than the higher HCP golfer, but the main issue in 3 putt avoidance is 1) Speed control and 2) Rolling the ball straight.

The Myth: “Never Up, Never In!” This is a guaranteed way to end up with 3 putts. If you hit the first putt 6 feet past the hole, you now have a 70% chance of 3 putting. Instead change your thinking to “Just get it close” and get the ball within 3 ft. The average golfer makes this about 85% of the time. Flip the script! It doesn’t matter if its short or long of the hole, as long as its within that 3 ft distance. You still want to take your time and get the line, but a good putt is close, even if its not up to the hole. A bad putt is more than 3ft from the hole. The average golfer 3 putts from a distance of 16ft. Scratch golfers 3 putts from a distance of 30ft. The average golfer makes 50% of putts from 5 ft, 20% from 10ft and 6% from 20ft. Good putting is 2 putts/hole. Use these stats to understand that good putting is getting it close with the first putt and tap in on the next putt. Don’t rip yourself up if you miss that 10ft putt, as long as you have a tap in next!

It doesn’t take a lot of practice or time investment to achieve this. Get to the course early and go to the practice green with 3-6 balls. Start in the middle of the green and hit them to the edge trying to get them to stop just at the edge. You are learning the speed of the green. How hard do you have to hit to get to the edge, but not go over?. Goal is to be within 6 inches of the edge. Do this twice. Now pick a hole that is 20-30ft away. Hit toward the hole using your speed knowledge, but now trying to get close to the hole. This is working on rolling straight as well as speed control. Goal is to be within 3ft of the hole either side. Cut putting distance for the next set of balls to 15ft, next 6ft, then 3ft. Now place the balls about 3ft apart going back on a line from the hole: 3ft, 6ft, 9ft, 12ft, 15ft (Ladder Drill). Hit the closest ball first and work back, away from the hole. Finish by playing around the world. Surround the hole with your balls in a 3ft circle. Work your way around the hole hitting each ball. Do this twice if you have time. The practice green will be similar to, but not exactly the same speed, as the greens on the course. You will be able to adjust quickly after doing this drill. This takes 20 mins. So get to the course early to allow time for your range balls and putting drills!

Challenge Game: You and your buddy pick a hole to putt to and place a club 3 ft behind the hole. Each player putts 3 balls. Putts within 3 ft of the hole, are worth 2 points. If a ball hits the club behind the hole, 1 point loss! Winner picks the distance of the next round. Move the backstop club closer for more challenge!

Green Etiquette-Sacred Ground!
Golf Gods favor those who care for the course! Fix your divots on the green. Use a long tee or divot tool, pull the edges of the divot toward the middle of the divot and smooth with your putter or foot. DO NOT use the tool as a lever to lift the middle of the divot. This creates a scar on the green as the roots hit the air pocket created and die. It takes 3 weeks longer for scars to heal. Fix your divot and one more for the best Karma!

MARK YOUR BALL. Don’t wait to be asked, just mark it to give a clear view for your fellow players. This also allows you to clean your ball. Dirt will effect your roll. There is also a risk to the player putting as they incur a 2 shot penalty if they hit a ball laying on the green. (No penalty if a player is chipping or pitching up to the green and hits a ball on the green)

Do Not Stand in the line of the golfer putting. This line extends from behind the player putting to beyond the hole. If you are trying to gauge the line for your own putt, you must stand aside of that line, out of their view. After they’ve made contact you may move to see their ball’s movement. It is a 2 stroke penalty for standing on the line, whether in front of or behind the player. If a player asks you to move, please just step a little further away from their view as movement in the peripheral vision can be an annoyance.

Do Not Walk the Line! Take note of where your playing partners balls or markers are and avoid stepping on the line between their mark and the hole. Footprints and spike marks may effect their putt. You may need to walk around or behind markers to get to your ball or straddle a line. You may unknowingly walk on a line, just apologize and try to be more aware of where everyone is (it happens with all of us at some time). You might have to ask where someone’s mark is if you don’t see it readily.

Shadows! Especially a problem late in the day. Stand where your shadow does not cross your opponents putting line.

Avoid damage to the green when you put equipment down. You may have a wedge or two with you if you chipped up. Place them gently around the green/fringe area. Don’t drop the club heads from height. Place the club head on the surface and gently drop the handle. (I’ve made this mistake myself and then had to use the divot tool to fix the dent from the club head!) If you pull the flag stick, don’t drag the end across the green. Lift and place it gently out of the way. Use caution lifting and replacing it in the cup so as not to damage the edge of the cup. If holding the flag, grab it so it doesn’t flutter and make noise.

Silence is Golden…. Once a player begins their putting routine, please stop talking and allow them to concentrate on their putt.

We’ve all messed up on these at some time and may again, but we strive for being better, kinder, gentler golfers on the green.

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Putting

9/8/2024

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The 1’s, 2’s and 3’s of Putting
The Myth: “Better scores come from making more Birdies!” Reality is scratch players average 1.9 more birdies per round than a 20 Handicap (HCP). That’s only 2 strokes better! Rather than tracking total putts/round, track number of 3 putts/round. Stats show reduction of 3 putts/round is more important. Scratch players 3 putt 1x/round. A 20 HCP golfer 3 putts 4.5x/round. The average golfer is 3 putting every 4 holes! Low HCP golfers may hit the approach shot a little closer than the higher HCP golfer, but the main issue in 3 putt avoidance is 1) Speed control and 2) Rolling the ball straight.
The Myth: “Never Up, Never In!” This is a guaranteed way to end up with 3 putts. If you hit the first putt 6 feet past the hole, you now have a 70% chance of 3 putting. Instead change your thinking to “Just get it close” and get the ball within 3 ft. The average golfer makes this about 85% of the time. Flip the script! It doesn’t matter if its short or long of the hole, as long as its within that 3 ft distance. You still want to take your time and get the line, but a good putt is close, even if its not up to the hole. A bad putt is more than 3ft from the hole. The average golfer 3 putts from a distance of 16ft. Scratch golfers 3 putts from a distance of 30ft. The average golfer makes 50% of putts from 5 ft, 20% from 10ft and 6% from 20ft. Good putting is 2 putts/hole. Use these stats to understand that good putting is getting it close with the first putt and tap in on the next putt. Don’t rip yourself up if you miss that 10ft putt, as long as you have a tap in next!
It doesn’t take a lot of practice or time investment to achieve this. Get to the course early and go to the practice green with 3-6 balls. Start in the middle of the green and hit them to the edge trying to get them to stop just at the edge. You are learning the speed of the green. How hard do you have to hit to get to the edge, but not go over?. Goal is to be within 6 inches of the edge. Do this twice. Now pick a hole that is 20-30ft away. Hit toward the hole using your speed knowledge, but now trying to get close to the hole. This is working on rolling straight as well as speed control. Goal is to be within 3ft of the hole either side. Cut putting distance for the next set of balls to 15ft, next 6ft, then 3ft. Now place the balls about 3ft apart going back on a line from the hole: 3ft, 6ft, 9ft, 12ft, 15ft (Ladder Drill). Hit the closest ball first and work back, away from the hole. Finish by playing around the world. Surround the hole with your balls in a 3ft circle. Work your way around the hole hitting each ball. Do this twice if you have time. The practice green will be similar to, but not exactly the same speed, as the greens on the course. You will be able to adjust quickly after doing this drill. This takes 20 mins. So get to the course early to allow time for your range balls and putting drills!
Challenge Game: You and your buddy pick a hole to putt to and place a club 3 ft behind the hole. Each player putts 3 balls. Putts within 3 ft of the hole, are worth 2 points. If a ball hits the club behind the hole, 1 point loss! Winner picks the distance of the next round. Move the backstop club closer for more challenge!
Green Etiquette-Sacred Ground!
Golf Gods favor those who care for the course! Fix your divots on the green. Use a long tee or divot tool, pull the edges of the divot toward the middle of the divot and smooth with your putter or foot. DO NOT use the tool as a lever to lift the middle of the divot. This creates a scar on the green as the roots hit the air pocket created and die. It takes 3 weeks longer for scars to heal. Fix your divot and one more for the best Karma!
MARK YOUR BALL. Don’t wait to be asked, just mark it to give a clear view for your fellow players. This also allows you to clean your ball. Dirt will effect your roll. There is also a risk to the player putting as they incur a 2 shot penalty if they hit a ball laying on the green. (No penalty if a player is chipping or pitching up to the green and hits a ball on the green)
Do Not Stand in the line of the golfer putting. This line extends from behind the player putting to beyond the hole. If you are trying to gauge the line for your own putt, you must stand aside of that line, out of their view. After they’ve made contact you may move to see their ball’s movement. It is a 2 stroke penalty for standing on the line, whether in front of or behind the player. If a player asks you to move, please just step a little further away from their view as movement in the peripheral vision can be an annoyance.
Do Not Walk the Line! Take note of where your playing partners balls or markers are and avoid stepping on the line between their mark and the hole. Footprints and spike marks may effect their putt. You may need to walk around or behind markers to get to your ball or straddle a line. You may unknowingly walk on a line, just apologize and try to be more aware of where everyone is (it happens with all of us at some time). You might have to ask where someone’s mark is if you don’t see it readily.
Shadows! Especially a problem late in the day. Stand where your shadow does not cross your opponents putting line.
Avoid damage to the green when you put equipment down. You may have a wedge or two with you if you chipped up. Place them gently around the green/fringe area. Don’t drop the club heads from height. Place the club head on the surface and gently drop the handle. (I’ve made this mistake myself and then had to use the divot tool to fix the dent from the club head!) If you pull the flag stick, don’t drag the end across the green. Lift and place it gently out of the way. Use caution lifting and replacing it in the cup so as not to damage the edge of the cup. If holding the flag, grab it so it doesn’t flutter and make noise.
Silence is Golden…. Once a player begins their putting routine, please stop talking and allow them to concentrate on their putt.
We’ve all messed up on these at some time and may again, but we strive for being better, kinder, gentler golfers on the green.

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The Scorecard

9/8/2024

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The Blathering Duffer 24.5
The Score Card
THE Score Card can help save you strokes! Yup, just by taking a minute to read the score card to familiarize yourself with the “Local Rules” may save you from taking unnecessary penalties or attempting to hit a hero shot when blocked by a part of the course. The Score Card also tells you everything you need to know about the course. Take a look at it before starting your round!
(Note: HCP = Handicap)
USGA, Local Rules and Playing Guidelines
The rules and useful information are usually on the back of the card. Guidelines may include location of bathrooms on the course, distance marker descriptions, restrictions on carts, drop areas, tips for ready play golf etc.
Rules will indicate USGA rule applications for their course e.g. a canyon may be unmarked but is a lateral hazard or a fence may be Out of Bounds (OB) or a pond is a lateral hazard. “Local Rules” are a selection of approved USGA rules the course has selected to use. Think of them as approved exceptions to the regular USGA rules. For example, if your ball lands next to a tree ordinarily there is no relief without penalty, but the local rule may allow free relief from staked trees. Or if your ball is in a flower bed, take a free drop or if its OB, you don’t have to walk back to the tee to re-hit with penalty, but take a 2 shot penalty and hit it from the fairway (for faster play). Barrier Fences may also get a free drop, or a part of the course is unmarked ground under repair, take a free drop… You see how you might take a penalty drop if you didn’t read the card or if you didn’t know better you might try to take a ridiculous unnecessary shot out of a flower bed.
Tee Selection
We’re all familiar with the scoring side of the card to record score. But let’s take a look at it more closely. Yes, it has holes 1-18, Par for the hole is usually highlighted and tee colors and distances per hole as well as total course distance indicated. Let’s start there. Usually there are at least 3 Tee boxes, but there may be as many as 5 Tee boxes to choose from. The same colors are used by most courses, but not necessarily. So generally speaking, Black = Championship Tees or The Tips (Professionals), Blue = Back Tees (Big hitting amateur men and Professional women), White = Middle Tees (Average amateur men and long hitting, Low HCP women), Green = Mid Forward Tees (Senior men, some juniors and long hitting, Mid HCP women), Red = Forward Tees (most women, senior men and juniors). Sometimes there is a tee even further forward used for younger juniors. Who these tees is intended for as noted is a generalization. What determines which tee you should use is the total length of the course you are most comfortable with and how long you hit your driver. Tees do not have a gender only a distance. There are no men’s or women’s tees. (Tees are Non-Binary in todays parlance! Hahahaha.)
Follow the tee color across the card and you will see a total distance for holes 1-9 and again for 10-18, then the total distance. The shorter full courses forward tees may be about 4700yds. I’m comfortable with 5000-5400 yards and drive the ball on average 175yds. So I might move back a tee on a short course. If you hit your driver 150yds or less, you will be most comfortable with less than 5000yds. If you are a low HCP player and drive 225yds or more, you may want to hit from the white tees. Unless you are playing a tournament that dictates what tee everyone plays from, go to your comfort tee.
Course Difficulty: Rating and Slope
The Score Card tells you the course Rating and Slope, sometimes on the front, but may be on the back. The rating and slope changes depending on the Tees and whether you are a man or a woman. Rating = what a scratch golfer could be expected to score on the course on a good day. Slope = Difficulty of the course. Average Slope is 113. Slope takes into account hundreds of metrics e.g. hazards, length, contours, greens and bunkers, bogey ratings etc. All this is put into an algorithm that comes up with a numerical value of 55-155. These numbers tell you if its an easy or hard course. For example, A rating of 72.4 and slope of 110 is slightly easy and a rating of 76.5 and slope of 128 is a difficult course. As a new player or high HCP, you may not want to play the hard course quite yet, or you may love the challenge. If you have a HCP, the slope is used to determine your “Course Handicap” which tells you how many strokes you get on the course over Par. Slope/113 x HCP = Course HCP. For instance, my HCP is currently around 24. I just played a course with a slope of 120. My course HCP is 120/113 x 24 = 25.48. So on this par 72 course + 25 strokes = 97 Course HCP. I scored a 102 or was 5 strokes over my Course HCP. Not bad as hitting the HCP would be a very good day. We’ll save Handicap discussions for another day.
Up to this year, many executive courses did not have a slope. Last year the USGA pushed for executive courses to get Slopes. Many executive courses now have a slope rating, but there may still be a few that have not been rated yet. This is a long involved process as so many metrics have to be used.
Hole Difficulty: Stroke Index or Handicap
Stroke Index (SI) is listed below each hole. SI runs from 1-18 with 1 being the hardest hole and 18 the easiest hole. SI is also sometimes called Handicap on the score card. This is used to determine if someone gets a stroke on a hole based on their HCP vs another player. A 5 HCP gets a stroke on SI 1-5, but a 16 HCP gets a stroke on 1-16. The rest of us high HCPers get a stroke on every hole! Even if you don’t really pay attention to SI when playing, it at least tells you the difficulty of the hole. When reading the card, be careful not to confuse SI line with the Hole line or Par line. Some people like to highlight the hardest holes on the score card for extra attention and planning.
Course Map
Not every course puts a map on the score card, but it sure is nice to have. The map shows the layout of holes in relation to each other, location of sand traps, shape of the green, tree lines, water on course etc. Some may have the hole diagram above the hole number on the front. But this doesn’t show you where one hole is in relation to another.
Phone Number
If you encounter any problems on the course, medical emergency or harassment, call the pro shop. The number is listed on the card. I’ve seen enough of the old man fight videos on Youtube. If a group behind you starts hitting into you and you’ve tried to ask them nicely to stop, call the pro shop and ask for the Marshall to come out. Let him deal with the rude golfer. If a group in front of you is moving slowly and you can clearly see there is not another group in front of them, you can ask to play through them or call and ask for a Marshall. This is more likely to happen if they are a group of 4 and you are two. But you might just take the opportunity to hit extra golf balls while you wait….Patience is needed for all aspects of golf!

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