Preferred Lies

As far as I know, the R & A does not make allowance for this rule. It is acknowledged in an appendix though and the rule is usually applied locally. This means that golf courses can apply it as they wish. On the better golf courses it's usually only applied in winter where players are allowed relief if the ball ends up on the fairway. The generally acceptable allowance is one scorecard length.

I've played at some golf courses where the rule is applied throughout the year and the allowance is usually a club length. This, in my opinion, is abuse and it's also testament to the poor conditioning of those courses.

I have to emphasise though that it is a local rule and it's applied differently at different courses. Don't always assume that you can just place the ball whenever you're on the fairway. Also, you MUST mark your ball before you lift it. So often you see guys just moving the ball freely with their golf club.

If you happen to land on the fairway, and after applying the local rules you're able to place your ball in the rough, then this is also allowed unless specifically prohibited in the local rule. Why would anyone want to place the ball in the rough I hear you asking. Well, for me anyway, I hit my 3 and 5 woods much better when the ball's sitting up a bit. This rule allows you to "place" the ball and sometimes the 1st cut acts like a short golf tee - so it can work to your advantage.

I may not be a great golfer just yet, but one of the appeals for me was the rules of golf and the discipline that's required. I therefore try to stay in tune with the rules and apply it as stringently as possible - often to the disapproval of my fellow golfers.

FORE!!!

The recent Formula One accident and the serious injuries sustained by Philippe Massa got me thinking about the golf ball. While accidents in F1 are commonplace, the drivers and manufacturers have spent millions on protecting themselves and making the vehicle as safe as possible. Nobody could have predicted a spring falling off one vehicle and hitting another driver on the head while travelling at 250km/h.

On the golf course however, the risk of being hit by a golf ball is rather high. We seem to take this for granted because the probability seems low and there are few reported incidents. Despite the fact that we don't have any protective wear, there's also a belief that most golfers can hit straight enough - even though we may now and again shank a ball 60 degrees.

The average speed of a golf ball, when it leaves the club head, is 150km/h. This is an average because we know that the size of the club head, speed of the swing and design of the golf ball all determine the velocity. On an average 250m drive the speed would have reduced to about 70km/h by the time it hits the fairway - significantly slower but it can still cause damage to our fragile bodies.

I absolutely abhor golfers who fail to shout "fore" when they see their ball travelling in the direction of other golfers. It's just one of the many courtesies that should be extended on the golf course - the only one, in fact, that can prevent injury. It sometimes also happens that a golfer playing an adjacent hole may find himself on your fairway - that does not necessarily give you the "right of way". I've also played with some guys who felt it to be their duty to rush the slower 4-ball ahead of them by firing a drive just after the 4-ball's moved on after playing their 2nd shots. That's just silly.

Let's be more aware on the golf course and treat the other golfers as all being part of the the Greater Fellowship of Golf.

King David Golf Course

I remember when I first started playing the game I was keen to get an official handicap. My mates then dragged me off to Bellville where we signed up by the Vodacom range. I can't recall everything that the package entailed but included was a "ghost" 2.5 day membership at King David. Good shot I thought - I'm now on my way to becoming official. The only privilege I shared with other members of King David was the free parking in the parking lot, otherwise the entire deal seemed like a money-making pyramid type scheme where the club made all the money. If I wanted to play the Saturday, I could only make a booking on or after the preceding Tuesday - really now.

But I got them back. Buggers. When I did manage to get a booking I would take my R899 all-inclusive -Pro-Voetsek Golf Set and give that course a bashing of note. Pretty much like today, I started out with the Moer-En-Soek philosophy - back then though I would only make contact with the ball 50% of the time. The rest of the time I was a Devout Divot Digger.

I really didn't appreciate the course much back then but admittedly, it was a bit of a poop hole. Not anymore, the course is now in excellent condition and I can honestly say that it's one of the better golf courses in Cape Town. Everything is maintained so well, fairways, greens, rough - alles. I'm sure you'll be able to find one niggle with your home club with regard to conditioning, but at King David there's nothing to moan about.

The last time I played there was in 2003 and I rather enjoyed reminiscing along the well kept fairways. The holes are still as challenging as they were back then and although the course is extremely long, you find yourself wanting to play an extra 9 afterwards.

The Par 3 12th is still one of the best Par 3's I've played and for the first time ever I managed to par the hole - granted though there was no wind at the time.

If you've overlooked King David in the past I seriously recommend that you make an effort to play there as soon as possible. What impresses me even more is the interactive Pro - James Loughnane. Unlike other pro's he doesn't take advantage of his captive market and wait for the opportunity to sell golf lessons and equipment, he really makes an effort to keep all members up to date and even has a very informative newsletter which he send out via e-mail every week. Check his website here: http://www.jamesloughnane.co.za/pro/Default.aspx

Parow Golf Course

I was invited by a good mate to play at Parow last week Thursday (R170 affiliated). I vaguely remembered playing this course a few years back and always thought of it as being an "easy" course. It's not.

I found the course extremely challenging (Scored 93) and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. There are some real easy holes but then there are the correctly rated difficult ones - just the perfect combination for a social golfer. It kinda toys with the emotions a bit - I had a few good par's amongst a host of double-bogeys. Be warned though that you will hardly walk off the course with a smile on your face - the 9th is a stroke 2 and the 18th is a stroke 1 - I suppose you need a dose of reality before finishing off.






While on the Tee at the 15th, I could hardly imagine why the Par 5 was a Stroke 5, glancing down the scorecard I noticed that the 16th, a Par 3, was a stroke 9. Rather low strokes for holes which are generally easier to score on. It was only when I grabbed my Burner and addressed the ball did I feel the wind in my face. I suppose the south / south westerly wind has a lot to do with the low rating. I recon it would probably have been a stroke 14+ had the wind been behind us.

The following Par 3 16th has a rather long carry over water. Common sense dictated that the wind was blowing right to left and therefore I should aim further right. Luckily I had a knowledgeable caddy who pointed out that the latter part of the hole is sheltered by buildings (far away) and golfers are always making the mistake of aiming right. I then aimed straight at the flag and proceeded to duff my 5-iron and see my Srixon make a gentle "plop" in the water.

We naturally stayed for a few drinkies and had a rather jovial time on the wooden benches under the trees - a real pub like experience which I'm sure the members take advantage of.

This weekend I'm playing the course where I first started digging up the turf. I must have lost 1000 balls and broken 4 clubs there already. It's the mighty King David.

Female Golfers

Nothing warms the heart more than to see female golfers on the golf course. The "butch" stigma which was associated with female golfers is long gone and it's really great to be able to enjoy this sport with the fairer sex. In fact, it's one of the few sports where you can actually have males and females competing / socialising together.

I had the privilege of playing with a female golfer a few years back and the only minor irritation was having to use 2 tee boxes - not really an issue because it did put us on equal footing considering that she couldn't hit as far as the gents.

For most traditional golfers though the weekend game is a chance to play with the guys and "take a break" from the family life for a few hours. This, I suppose, will always be foremost on the mind but I think it's a selfish concept. Having said that though, I must admit that I am guilty as well. While my partner initially showed an interest in The Game, it just seems to have worked out well because now that I have renewed my passion for golf I also have 2 little toddlers that need to be looked after on a Saturday / Sunday morning. Selfish.






I should also salute the Cape golf clubs for doing their bit in enticing the female golfers. While both sexes may derive the same pleasure from the game, the joining and membership fees for females are discounted rather significantly.




To those of you reading this, how many females in your social circle actually play golf? Would you actually encourage them to? Let's all try to introduce just 1 female to the game and brighten up the courses in Cape Town. There has to be a condition attached though -golf weekends are still reserved for boys!

World Golf Tour....at your desk.

Those of you who enjoy stealing company time and straining bandwidth will enjoy the internet golf game by WGT ( http://www.wgt.com/). After the usual mundane registration process you're able to start playing absolutely free. The graphics are rather impressive with the golfer actually simulating an actual swing.

It can be frustrating if your internet is on the blink but otherwise it's a great way to spend a lunch hour. There is also a You Tube page that shows tutorial videos.(//http://www.youtube.com/user/WGTers )

Welcome

Over the past year I've spent close onto R12 000 on this wonderful sport called golf. This includes clubs, apparel, green fees and of course club membership.

I've been playing the game socially (whenever I was invited to play really) for nearly 10 years now so there was really no need to spend money on equipment. It's just the misguided intuition that your game will improve once you've changed your clubs. Absolute rubbish.

The annual Pro Shop sale and opening of The Golfers Club in Cape Town doesn't help either - I'd be silly not to buy something that's not on sale...even if it's a discontinued piece of equipment. Idiot.

Getting back to the blog. I decided to document my experiences and journey to a lower handicap. I am currently playing off a 24 handicap (18 allowance). That's right, "allowance" - not a freaking "lower handicap" like some of my esteemed golfing buddies often call it. My goal is of course to knock at least 4 shots off my handicap by the end of the year. That may sound like a lot but I play golf every week and sometimes even take a day's leave to compete in poorly organised golf days.

It's my aim to update this blog regularly with relevant articles and just general golf experiences in Cape Town. So welcome once again and here's wishing me success.

WARNING: This site WILL contain offensive language - it is a golf blog after all.