The Wonderful Rules Of Golf
Would like to get everyone’s most interesting or extraordinary rules decision they witnessed or heard about. The first rule in question is; 23/2 Loose Impediments. The Definition of ”Loose Impediments” states that a stone is a loose impediment, if it is not “Solidly Embedded”.
When is a stone solidly embedded? “If a stone is partially embedded and maybe picked up with ease, it is a loose impediment. When there is doubt as to whether a stone is solidly embedded or not, it should not be removed”.
Am sure that you have already figured out the situation that made loose inpediments the talk of the town! Tiger Woods, at the Phoenix Open, hit his ball behind a boulder that easily weighed 800 pounds. The rules official gave him the “Loose Impediment” ruling. Tiger then asked the gallery to assist him in moving the boulder. They moved the boulder, while TV announcer, Ken Venturi, was going crazy in the booth. Doing his best John Madden impression, drawing on the screen showing where there boulder was embedded, Venturi insisted that the boulder was “fixed” and therefore Tiger should not have free relief. Was this a good ruling? Did Tiger get ruling because he was Tiger? Or did Tiger know the Rules and use that to his advantage?
