It Pays to Know the Rules!

It Pays to Know the Rules!

As exciting as college football was this past weekend with the App State Hail Mary or, perhaps, Vandy’s stirring come-back victory over NIU, the PGA Fortinet Tournament finish had to steal the stage for drama. Foremost has never seen anything like this at this level. In case you missed it. Danny Willet 3-putt from a relatively flat-looking 3’7” to hand a golf tournament to Max Homa. He missed first for the win, and then missed the 5 foot come-backer for…

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Meet Mr. Hindsight!

Meet Mr. Hindsight!

Perhaps this would be day that Foremost could simply concentrate on his golf game? Not a chance! Unfortunately, circumstances dictated otherwise. Hole # 1 Facts F split the fairway with a towering opening drive on Par 5 Hole #1 at BMCC. His partner, Reader PT, had pushed his initial drive into the rough right, and then seemingly pulled his opening hole mulligan drive into the trees left. F who was, of course, driving the golf cart, quickly identified his own…

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Foremost Gets A Rules Spanking

Foremost Gets A Rules Spanking

If Foremost was asked to nominate the single hole at BMCC hosting the most frequent Rules infractions, he would easily select the short Par 3 Hole #6. The hole from the forward gentlemen’s tees generally plays only 130 to 150 yards based on tee and pin placement, but is situated where misfires often bring disastrous results whether short, left, or right. (The short miss, though tragic, leaves the ball in a creek bed, which rarely presents rules problems as it…

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Testing Foremost!

Testing Foremost!

What a week! Biden forgives student loan debt! He’s now got Foremost’s mid-term vote if he will just cancel these pesky Country Club dues. This item has to be next on the Democratic buy-a-vote agenda! (What an easy sale! As most members on this Board will attest, there isn’t that much difference between a College experience and a Country Club experience anyway!) Also, Hawaii saw the most offensive destruction on its shores since Pearl Harbor, as the Commodores routed the…

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Sandwich Steals a Partner!

Sandwich Steals a Partner!

I. Facts In four-ball competition at BMCC, Foremost was a little slow out of the gate, but his partner RMcN had held off opponents Sandwich and SH with a bogey/par start. “Ok, we are one up”, said F to RMcN as the players proceeded to the third hole teeing area. “Oh no”, said Sandwich. “RMcN is my partner and you and SH are two down.” Well, F was flabbergasted with this announcement, as he distinctly remembered he had tossed the…

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Right Down the Middle

Right Down the Middle

I. Facts Foremost was deeply touched when playing partner, JD, noted that he had missed F’s rules blog. F explained that, due to circumstances beyond his control, it had been an unusual and infrequent golf season for F, and that he had, indeed, dropped the ball in his solemn quest and duty to uphold, defend, and explain the Rules of Golf, a failing perhaps even more significant as the very foundations of golf are being rocked by the emergence of…

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Drop Relief – When the Ball Doesn’t Get Wet

Drop Relief – When the Ball Doesn’t Get Wet

Veteran Readers CM and JB recently approached Foremost with questions relating to drop relief from a Penalty Area. CM asked whether he was “required” in a certain scenario to take a penalty stroke after playing a drop. JB asked if he had the “option” to take a drop and a penalty stroke without playing the shot. In neither case, was a ball actually in the Penalty Area. I. Facts On the 11th hole at HCC, Reader CM watched his drive…

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“Mind If I Play Along?”

“Mind If I Play Along?”

Facts In a tense 4-Ball competition at BMCC, opponent Sandwich hit a lovely 30-yard pitch shot from the fairway to within 5 feet on the 12th hole. He approached his ball on the green, and announced that he had played the wrong ball (Foremost’s), at which point he correctly observed he was disqualified for the hole. He then walked deliberately back into the fairway and adjacent rough, and after locating and confirming the identity of his ball, proceeded to play…

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An Embedded Ball? (R’s 7.4; 9.4; 14.2; 1.3c(4))

An Embedded Ball? (R’s 7.4; 9.4; 14.2; 1.3c(4))

Foremost received an urgent call as a debate raged in the BMCC locker room. Facts In a Match Play competition at BMCC, opponents BC and JB found themselves All-Square on the long and difficult 18th Hole. BC had pushed his drive into the healthy right rough and, in fact, had made a couple of passes in his cart just trying to find it. “There it is”, said JB, who was also BC’s cart mate. This alert came too late, however,…

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Foremost Springs to the Rescue! (R1.2a)

Foremost Springs to the Rescue! (R1.2a)

Lunch Suddenly, without any warning, Reader JS’s eyes bulged and closed, his tongue fell out, his head dropped and drooped forward. F nimbly caught him as he was rolling helplessly out of his chair … all during a quiet and friendly post-round lunch in the BMCC Mens’ Grill. Fortunately, this frightening incident was not of a medical nature. JS had simply fallen asleep. At the time, Sandwich was 6-7 minutes into a fascinating story, he claimed, involving Billy Graham and…

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