To be clear, it is against the rules to improve the area you are about to drop (ie Pebble Beach/Sawgrass), improve the area a ball is rolling back (Pinehurst) and pat down the area behind your ball / cause it to move (Bay Hill). The issue is to enforce those rules, the officials have to prove intent. All someone like Wyndham has to do is deny.

Fair enough. For a first or second questionable offense, I don't care at all. But when it starts to happen consistently (four times within a half year), the pattern emerges and denial of intent becomes less believable.

If you want to call it good strategy to consistently push the rules into judgment territory and deny wrongdoing when questioned, to each their own.

LCE said:

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GoAgs92 said:

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Golf as an olympic sport is dumb anyhow.

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Break Dancing, 3X3 basketball, Sport climbing, skateboarding , surfing and Kiteboarding can be added to the "dumb" list.

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Amen.

Ahhh, thats different than i initially thought. The way you 1st described it I thought a rules official was present...didn't know it was reviewed after the fact

And I did not know that you couldn't repair ground/area while ball was in motion if that area could be where the ball ends up....that's new to me. I'd like to read that section to see how it's worded.

As far as me personally, I wish they would be required to play the ball down more with little to no relief but with how the rules are written there are lots of gray areas that allow relief and lies to be improved without breaking the rules

Aggie369 said:

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And I did not know that you couldn't repair ground/area while ball was in motion if that area could be where the ball ends up....that's new to me. I'd like to read that section to see how it's worded.

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Yeah, where you seem to see that possibility occur most often is in the Open Championship or other links courses with bunkers with high sodded faces. You can't hit a ball and then quickly smooth your divot or footprints in case you don't get the ball out and it comes rolling back. No different than smoothing out or stepping on the grass where you just hit from.

Clark has to know this rule. Maybe he just blanked on it. Or, maybe he did it despite knowing the rule. I know that I know the rule.

11.3 Deliberately Removing Objects or Altering Conditions to Affect Ball in Motion.

You can't lift or remove a loose impediment, movable obstruction and can't do anything in 8.1a while ball is in motion which includes altering the surface of the ground.

8.1a has a pretty comprehensive list of things you can't do to alter the conditions affecting the stroke.

a. Actions That Are Not Allowed
Except in the limited ways allowed in Rules 8.1b, c and d, a player must not take any of these actions if they improve the conditions affecting the stroke:

(1) Move, bend or break any:
Growing or attached natural object,
Immovable obstruction, integral object or boundary object, or
Tee-marker for the teeing area when playing a ball from that teeing area.

(2) Move a loose impediment or movable obstruction into position (such as to build a stance or to improve the line of play).

(3) Alter the surface of the ground, including by:
Replacing divots in a divot hole,
Removing or pressing down divots that have already been replaced or other cut turf that is already in place, or
Creating or eliminating holes, indentations or uneven surfaces.

(4) Remove or press down sand or loose soil.

(5) Remove dew, frost or water.

Really the only things you can move or alter when the ball is on the move is the flagstick that is not in the hole, another players equipment or a ball at rest on the putting green (unless both balls were at rest on the putting green before the stroke, then hitting the ball is the general penalty.)

Knew about bunkers

Never thought of it in fairway/rough when ur greenside on severe slope