I learnt playing golf, as a youngster in the 70s, on “Sand Greens” or “Browns” as they were colloquially known. These were specially prepared areas with fine sand instead of grass and the hole in the centre.
The peculiar thing with them was that we could use a broom and sweep/brush clear the line of putt. This was particularly helpful when there was a thick layer of sand between the ball and the hole and we learnt, by practice, to make a nice neat path to make sure that the ball went in with one stroke.
Subsequently, the browns were given a liberal coating of oil, to prevent wind blowing the sand off, and came to be called the “Oil Browns”. This, obviously, kept the sand compacted and we didn’t have to sweep/brush the line of putt anymore.
Of course, in hindsight, we were all in breach of Rule 13-2 — Improving lie, area of intended stance or swing, or line of play.
In the 70s, there were a few “Uncles” who helped us out with the Rules, or whatever little they knew of them. Needless to say, knowledge of Rule 13-2 was not their forte!
Play the ball as it liesTraditional golfing wisdom says “Play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it.” The genesis of Rule 13 goes back to the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, who in 1744 had said: “You may lift your ball anywhere and allow your adversary a stroke for so doing” . This was done so as to restrict the right to lift the ball anywhere.
In 1773, the Society of Golfers, Edinburgh, stated: “Every golfer addressing himself to his ball shall not have liberty to put down earth, sand or anything else, nor in drawing his stroke take anything away from behind his ball except a stone or a bone.”
In 1815, the Aberdeen Golfers decreed: “In playing out of sand or loose ground, the player shall neither beat down nor draw away the sand or soil from the ball, nor shall the player through the green beat down or alter the ground near the ball before playing, under the penalty of one stroke.”
A plain reading of the modern Rule 13-2 says: “A player must not improve or allow to be improved... his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole...”
The import of this Rule is abundantly clear; especially on a Sand Brown, a player may not brush/sweep excess sand from his line of putt. An analogy can be drawn from Decision 13-2/35: Removal of dew or frost, wherein it is explained that deliberate removal of dew or frost from the line of play or putt is deemed to be a breach of the Rules.
So, for courses which do not have the comfort of Greens, the proper procedure would be to make sure that the Brown is swept clear of any footprints or indentations upon completion of the hole, much like you would do to a bunker after playing the shot, so that the next group is not inconvenienced.
While many golfers lament the length and complexity of the modern day Rules, one of the greatest features of this glorious game is that it tests the player’s ability to execute a variety of strokes under the most trying of circumstances. Golf, therefore, would cease to be a game of skill, should a player be permitted to get the better of natural conditions by simply eliminating them rather than by his own abilities. Hence, acceptance of the conditions, which the player finds on course, is integral to the game.
