Golf guru: whither advice?

golf

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate,” said American novelist, Thornton Wilder.

Advice is a veritable, semantic minefield that the golfer must pick his way through. This word implies any statement that could influence a player in making up his mind on how to tackle a hole or play a stroke.

Don’t you dare

452-year-old Montrose Golf Club had a rule in 1830 that read,

‘Parties are at liberty to ask advice for direction from their partner or caddies whileplaying, but not from onlookers, whose observations on the play are not to be listened to”.

The Royal Perth Golfing Society, in 1825, said, “No looker-on is entitled to make any observation whatsoever respecting the play” . Little wonder then that our forefathers were concerned with the sort of advice that could be taken and from whom!

Far from the case

In actuality, the modern day Rule 8 allows the golfer to ask anyone for information that is publicly available. For instance, a golfer may enquire the distance to the hole from the ball, how far the ditch or water hazard is or how much carry to get to the green, etc.

Many no-nos

There are many things a golfer must not do. He cannot ask or give advice on what club to play or how to swing it to make a shot. Advice does not necessarily have to be spoken; holding up fingers to indicate the number of the club played is also deemed advice. If you must know what club your fellow competitor hit, just wander across and peek into his bag as he returns his club to his caddie. Of course, if he sneakily drops his towel over his clubs to thwart your inquisitiveness, bad luck. Needless to say, if you remove the towel to take a look, penalties galore!

Today’s rules prohibit a player from asking for advice from a spectator, but does not stop a player from receiving unsolicited advice as he can't control such an act. The book also says that for advice asked inadvertently and retracted immediately, no penalty would apply, so long as no advice is given.

Bad etiquette

It is a universal fact that giving advice to your playing partners, while on the course, is extremely bad etiquette! 

I firmly believe that one must play his own game and leave others to theirs, as unsolicited advice will only serve to confound and confuse, and possibly add tension, ruining the day’s play.

Gamesmanship

As part of etiquette, it is not a good sign to mess with someone’s swing or to swing thoughts with some well-timed advice. We’ve had too many players, who were doing reasonably well till they were given a snippet of golden advice!

Dealing with it

If you are at the receiving end, have a quite word with the perpetrator. While the advice is appreciated, would he be so kind as to wait till the end of the round to complete his sermon?

New rule 35 anyone?

Unsolicited Advice as to Choice of Club or Method of Play

Any player who, as a result of unwillingly receiving and reluctantly acting upon an unasked-for tip, pointer, or suggestion from a fellow player, selects a club other than the one he intended to use, or changes his set-up, grip, stance, or swing, and then proceeds to hit a ball that falls far short of or carries well over his target, or that sharply hooks or slices, is entitled to replay that one shot without assessing a stroke or incurring any penalty, but he must at once cease applying the unsought advice to his game, and any additional strokes he makes shall be counted in his score unless they are the result of new and separate instances of gratuitously offered guidance.