Rules Corner
The Broadmoor Golf Club is absolutely beautiful with Mt. Cheyenne as a backdrop, the Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun and wildlife abounding everywhere.
One of the discussions we have had while touring the golf course is in regard to the wildlife that call the East Course home. They leave all sorts of things behind, if you know what I mean. In fact, they leave trails with their hooves and paws as they walk around the course from which there is no relief for the player. This happens frequently in golf because the courses provide excellent natural habitat for them. It’s one of the reasons why the playing field for golf is unique. We have many areas under the Rules of Golf that covers incidences caused by wildlife. Possibly one of the most familiar decisions we have deals with nature: Dangerous Situation; Rattlesnake or Bees Interfere with Play - Decision 1-4/10. Don’t be surprised if we employ this decision should we come across a bear during play. Just so you know, the bear dung we found on the 11th hole this morning is considered a Loose Impediment under the Rules of Golf. Wendy Uzelac, Director of Regional Affairs, Midwest
Officiating At A USGA Open Championship The last of the USGA’s Open championships is upon us as the 2008 U.S. Senior Open kicks off at The Broadmoor’s East Course in Colorado Springs. Each of the three USGA’s Open championships is very unique with respect to how they are officiated. Each group will have a referee that will walk with the players. This referee is there to assist in all Rules related matters. There will also be what we call "Rules Rovers" on the course. The rovers are available to assist a referee should they need it. They are strategically positioned on the course in carts and will be responsible for covering a 2-4 hole zone each day. In the midst of a "sticky" ruling, the rover can seem like the cavalry riding in over the hill to save the day to a referee. The practice of having referees accompany groups in the USGA’s match play championships is an age-old tradition, but the first time this type of officiating arrangement was put into practice at our stroke play championships was at the 1991 U.S. Open. There are several benefits of a referee walking with each group; a Rules resource is immediately available to the players when they need one; referees alert the players if the group is potentially falling out of position with respect to their pace of play and in many instances the players are able to respond to this alert and avoid being formally monitored; if weather conditions warrant a suspension of play the referee is a direct communication link between the Committee and the players with respect to stoppage of play, course evacuation, etc. Who are theses referees? The USGA is a volunteer driven association. There are more than 1,250 volunteers that make up 55 USGA Committees. The majority of the referees serving on the Rules Committee for the U.S. Senior Open come from these committees. The USGA also invites representatives from allied associations across the country and around the world. Individuals representing the Champions Tour, PGA of America, college golf and the state and regional golf associations across our country will be on hand at The Broadmoor. Additionally, representatives from the Mexican Golf Federation, Japan Golf Association and the European Seniors Tour will be serving on the Rules Committee this week. All of these individuals are uniquely qualified to participate on the Rules Committee. Everyone has demonstrated officiating experience and has also passed a rigorous Rules exam to earn their place on the Committee. The U.S. Senior Open is an international golf championship. It will be followed across the world through television and the Internet. It’s also fair to say that the Rules Committee for the week reflects the international nature of the championship itself. If you have an interest in officiating in golf, please check this information on the USGA’s Web site. Jeff Hall, USGA Managing Director of Rules and Competitions The Rules staff at the U.S. Senior Open has been working to prepare everything for 1) the players and 2) the invited referees for the championship. We have marked the hazards, mapped out the possible hole locations for the week and now we are finalizing some of the paperwork. This would include our "Hole-By-Hole" notes, which we give each referee to help them. Essentially the hole-by-hole notes will list the items of rules interest on each hole. Here’s an example: Hole 5, Par 4 (433 yards)
As you can see we abbreviate many things: DZ = Dropping Zone We have notes for all 18 holes. There’s only one hole out there that (as of the writing of this post) has nothing out there. Hole 2, Par 4 (339 yards)
It’s my guess that could change by Thursday morning. Wendy Uzelac, Director of Regional Affairs, Midwest |
