The phone rang early on Monday morning, December 5th. Foremost picked up his phone from his bedside table and a quick glance showed the caller was Sandwich.

“What the hell does he want this early?”, thought F, slowly gathering his senses. He answered the call.

“F”, said Sandwich in a business-like tone. “I’ve decided to place my name in the golf partner portal.”

F was stunned by this announcement as Sandwich had been his starting partner for many years.

“Why would you do that?”, asked F. “I recruited you, effectively gave you a scholarship, and let you on my team when no one else really wanted you. Sure, we’ve lost a few matches, but think of the great times we’ve had!”

“That’s the problem”, said Sandwich. “Other than our 2nd place finish in the 6th Flight of the Livingston a few years ago, we really haven’t been any good.” (He went on to remind F how F had cost them an early match one year by self-reporting 15 clubs in his bag on the 4th hole , a report which had erased a two-hole lead).

“You still mad about that?”, said F (who remembered in turn an ugly, loud, vehement protest from Sandwich, one which was accompanied by an unseemly club-throwing incident…all when told by the Committee that the penalty for too many clubs in a bag also applied to the partner in Four-Ball under R 23.8a.) Anyway….

“Ok, let’s talk business”, said F, who was beginning to wake up.

“Well” said Sandwich, “I think my skills and NIL market value are at the point now where I will be a coveted partner on many teams.”

“You are indeed pretty good”, said F, “but if we are going to be honest about this, you come with a little baggage…it takes you about 5 minutes to line up a putt, and your handicap has gone from a 16 to a 12. No one wants you as a partner at a 12. And good luck on marketing your name, image, or likeness.”

A silence ensued. “Well you aren’t any good either”, said Sandwich finally – a point F had to concede. “We will see what happens in the portal”, said Sandwich, who seemed to be softening somewhat as he perhaps reconsidered his market value in the golf partner portal market.

F breathed a sigh of relief, and even allowed himself a little smile. He knew well that under the Rules, a team didn’t have to take back a player who had declared for the Portal.

Facts

Reader CSor reports a multitude of issues he faced recently on the 5th hole at BMCC. His approach shot had come to rest short of the green just behind and to the side of a sand filled divot. His clear play option was to putt his ball onto the green, but a bit of sand from the side of the divot was next to his ball and in his putting line. Upon further examination, he noted as he approached the green that a loose divot clod was, also, in his putting line. Then, as he pondered whether he could sweep away the sand and remove the loose divot, another player in the competition hit an approach which created a small indenture, also in his line, on the fringe of the green. Finally, he noted another deposit of sand on the green clearly left by a shot from a nearby green side bunker.

It was his turn to play, and CS couldn’t pull the trigger as he mulled his gardening options.

Issues

-Is sand a loose impediment?
-Is a divot clod a loose impediment?
-May a player step on or repair an upraised divot which is in his line or which interferes with his shot? -May a bump or indenture in the fringe be repaired?
-Does a player’s ball have to be at rest on a green before he can remove sand from the green, or can he sweep sand off the green when playing from off the green?

Rulings

One of the central principles in the game of golf is to “play the course as you find it”. This rule generally applies to lie, stance, area of intended swing, the line of play, and the relief area. R8. Accordingly, most players know they are required to play their ball out of a divot, and that they can’t step on or manicure a divot hole that interferes with their swing or line of play in the general area.

An exception to playing the course as you find exists for “Loose Impediments” which aren’t considered part of the challenge of playing the course. Accordingly, LI’s May be removed anywhere on the course, by any means, so long as you don’t move your ball, which is a penalty. R15.1a. Of course, by definition, “sand and loose soil” are not LI’s.

This intro answers a couple of the questions posed. No, a player cannot remove sand from the general area, even if it was left as a result of a sloppy divot repair job. Nor can the player step on the sides of a divot hole which impedes his swing or which lies in his intended line. In other words, a player who walks up to inspect a green better be careful about pressing down indentations on the surface of the general area as he works his way back to his ball.

F is, also, fairly sure that a loose divot clod can be removed (a clod is compacted soil rather than loose soil). The trick here is to be sure that the divot clod is no longer attached in any way to the ground.

Furthermore, although sand and loose soil are not LI’s as defined, they may be removed on the putting green (R13.1c(1)), and this removal is allowed whether the player’s ball is on or off the putting green. R13.1c. But players should be careful here as well, lest they inadvertently sweep sand from the fringe (which is not allowed), or they inadvertently sweep sand onto the fringe, which in some cases might change a condition of play and also give rise to a penalty.

Normally, a player can’t fix a divot hole which is in his line and lies in the fringe. A player is, however, to repair an entire divot (or entire shoe print, for example) if any part of the damage touches the green. R8.1b/7. And finally, a player is entitled to repair damage (or restore conditions) worsened after his ball came to rest. R8.1d. So CSor could fix the divot in the fringe that was created as he looked over his shot options.

More on Portal

The highlight of the portal season so far is , of course, new Colorado coach, Deion Sanders, meeting his new team for the first time and telling them he wished they would all enter the portal…ok, they say he was just trying to make a point.

This will be so much fun! Best wishes to all in the portal silly season! As to the golf partner portal – Sandwich, we may just be stuck with each other.

As usual, all comments or corrections are welcome!

Respectfully submitted,
F