Joe Public Will Have No Say

The Kilted Caddie expresses his opinion about the significant changes concerning the Rules of Golf and the Handicap System…

Now to say that I am monumentally suspicious of her motives here is a preposterous and gross understatement. Look at what happened over the marking of this 2-foot putt. Firstly, she stands in a very awkward position to mark her ball, in fact almost at right angles to the ball-hole line. Why? Then she places the ball at a skewed position in relation to this line, lifts the ball and replaces it.

Interestingly, when challenged next day she said, ‘I just put it right in front’, which indeed may well be true, and I do in fact accept that bit is true. But sorry Lexi, you sure didn’t mark it right behind! We ain’t living in some quantum universe here my dear. That inch didn’t just pop out of some wandering and errant black hole.

Anyway, whatever one thinks, we now have a rather wonderful exception rule to forestall retrospective penalties, and indeed, the introduction of video analysis to the game. But, unfortunately, no longer for eagle-eyed dudes hanging out on sofas in Wisconsin I’m afraid. Joe Public will have no say.

And oh, by the by, a new rule allows you to repair spike marks on the green! It wouldn’t have helped Lexi anyway because she said there weren’t any spike marks on those greens. Hmm.

Ok, I realise that the stakes are very high in sport nowadays and particularly so in professional golf. But we are and have always been an honourable, untainted and noble sport. Let’s try and keep it that way. For we don’t want to go the way of FIFA with its shenanigans and that game’s pathetic professional foul nonsense. Nor indeed the dreaded doping claim fiascos of athletics and cycling. And now, of course, the ball-tampering of cricket. Yes, cricket.

For goodness sake! The Australian captain, the second most esteemed bloke in the country, the best player in the world. Admits to cheating.

It’s enough to make you start greeting.

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