Common sense should prevail
It’s about time both tours started penalising players for unnecessary rulings which hold up play. If a pro doesn’t know the procedure for taking relief from a sprinkler head or how to take a penalty drop, then quite frankly they shouldn’t be on the tour in the first place. The relentless pursuit of officials to oversee minor rulings is of course driven by player paranoia – and the huge amounts of money that a mistake can cost. Quite what penalties could be imposed I am not sure, maybe half an hour detention or lines? Just simply reminding them that they are “a professional sportsman and should start acting like one” might do. Talking of rulings, Newton discovered gravity over 300 years ago but golf’s governing bodies still believe that if you drop a ball on a 45-degree bank next to a water hazard, it might be possible to reverse the laws of physics. My question to the R&A is whether taking multiple drops on a slope next to a water hazard is really necessary? If it’s as plain as the nose on your face what is going to happen, why ask for the procedure to be executed in the first place? And we wonder why slow play is such a big issue…
TONY FARROW, NORTHAMPTON