I. Facts — Rain Issues “If it’s not raining, it’s fixin’to” goes the saying, and unfortunately golfers have seen a lot of rain this summer in the mountains. In addition to general soggy conditions and cart path restrictions, golfers seem to deal time and again with the same questions concerning play: 1. The Horn The gathering of dark clouds on the horizon, accompanied by a rumble, is followed often by the horn, signifying a lightning alert and…
I. Facts -A Bonding Experience With a fabulous July 4th holiday weekend now in the rearview mirror, Foremost has had a moment to reflect on the many traditions of the celebratory occasion that bring families together….fellowship, cookouts, fireworks, swimming, a hike or two …even, perhaps, a golf round with friends or family. F used this latter activity as an opportunity to bond with his teenage grand-daughter LGR, a promising young competitive golfer, who was clearly surprised and, yes,…
I. Embedded Ball Review F was delighted to hear directly from a few Readers re his embedded ball Ruling. Even the experts were in some disagreement. Following are some of the comments: 1) If the ball was in the Red Penalty Area, R17 rather than R7 would apply. Applicable language: R7.3 to identify, must first mark, and cleaning allowed only to the extent needed to identify R14.3 dropping a ball and taking relief (I.e., under R 17 from RPA), may…
1. Facts: A Short Memory Despite the gracious and restrained Ruling issued recently by Foremost in favor of opponent AN (an opinion , by the way, for which F was widely criticized), AN showed no such mercy for Foremost who was the principal in a somewhat confusing ball identification incident. (See, CM comment re F’s prior Ruling): F hit a high, slicing drive which clearly landed right of the cart path on the Par 5 17th Hole at HCC. It…
As the dinner line starts inching its way around the corner at the Ugly Dog, Foremost knows that prime golf season in the mountains is at hand, as the length of the dinner line generally foreshadows a rise in Rules grumblings from the area golf courses. These grumblings are, of course, pleasant at first, as the serious club competitions are only just beginning. A Reader may or may not be surprised to hear that F was a party to, or…
For some reason the words sounded familiar. In a four-ball match play competition at BMCC, Foremost could only listen as opponent JB was conducting a long-winded Hakeem Jefferies-type soliloquy to a small audience on the first hole. My partner (BC) and I “have been taken advantage of for many years”, he began, “resulting in a massive transfer of wealth” from our pockets to greedy, undeserving opponents who “have grown rich at our expense”, all the while playing with the sole…
Facts Perhaps to no one’s surprise, Foremost found himself in the middle of a minor rules brouhaha recently on the very first hole at BMCC, a difficult Par 5 played into an elevated green. In a Four-Ball competition, F’s approach had nestled at the front of the green some 30-40 feet from a back-center pin placement. Opponent PC had then hit a marvelous approach to about 8 feet below the hole, directly in F’s putting line. F arrived at the…
Facts As tensions rise and nerves fray due to a heated election season and the staggering unpredictability of college football, Foremost regrettably has to report that he has witnessed similar mistrust, anxiety, and combativeness on a golf course … of all places! Such was the case recently at BMCC. In a spirited four-ball Match Play competition the teams were tied heading into the Par 4 9th Hole. Opponent BF had reached the green side bunker in two, and quite uncharacteristically,…
Foremost was advised years ago that he needed to be careful about his political observations…that some Readers were offended by his commentary, and that they wished he would stick to the ROG (some adding that the ROG were another subject of which F knew little about). F took this sage advice to heart, and is now careful to avoid offensive political commentary. When motivated to address a hot-button political issue, F resists the urge and responds simply, “I grew up…
Foremost apologizes for being somewhat remiss lately in his Rules reports. College Football is upon us and F has been preoccupied lately with his surprising Commodores who have started the season 2-0! This week the Dores play in Atlanta and are 10 point favorites over Georgia! Man, it would be nice to finally kick some Georgia fannies . (Oh, I see it’s Georgia State…). Anyway, The scoring format in the OEI Men’s Game competition this lovely mountain day was Stroke…