No More Viewer Call ins!!!

sdandrea1 · 2017-12-11T14:02:50+00:00

More common sense prevailing on the tours........... http://www.globalgolfpost.com/now/2017/12/11/breaking-news-new-protocols-will-eliminate-viewer-call-ins

Par4QC

darpar What about the guys in the middle of the pack who never get any camera time?

Cheat like hell!! It's big money dammit.

Par4QC

Cameras are already placed everywhere around the course, not just what we are seeing on TV. Often they will show a player holing out from the fw and that player is well back in the pack. So I'm sure the official will be watching players throughout the field, regardless of position. Similar to the NFL, where we do not see a lot of things until there is a 'review', then there are several camera angles shown.

Weirfan

Par4QC

From a practicality standpoint there is no possible way for one or two assigned officials ( as they have stated) to watch every set up and shot played by a field of 144 golfers ,assuming an average score of 70 and at 30 seconds per shot per player ( which is being on the quick side of things) by my math thats 84 hours of video for each of the first 2 rounds and about half that for the 2nd and 3rd . 1-2 guys cant watch that much tape in a day.......unless they are going to allow an event to be changed a week after the fact and i dont see that happening.

The exact protocol has not been clearly stated in the articles but its more likely that they go witn the televised video feed for what they watch and review and possibly include review of other tape should an official with a group request it or a cameraman, video truck person or other staff involved with the tourney see something untoward. the fact remains that a rules infraction can occur with every shot, drop, mark , stance etc.....with millions of people watching we got a handful called in, with 1-2 officials watching , not sure how many will be spotted .

Par4QC

Weirfan After re-reading the article, it sounds like(reads like) they will only be watching what the public will see as they air the shots on TV.......
“What we’re trying to do is put golf as it’s played on television on the same level, from a scrutiny perspective, as if you and I were playing,”

They could look at random holes around the course, but that's not stated or a given.

ode

Placing more cameras around, having a mindless minion in a truck all day will only encourage more issues than simply changing the rule because it's 🏇 shit to begin with. These dill wads just simply don't get it, cameras as they relate to rules are overwhelmingly used to call penalties vs help in a rules situation, PERIOD. And the reason is because these tightwads have backed themselves in a corner with a world where the rules were written in a time where there were no HD cameras to now, where seemingly everyone and there mom has an HD phone to go along with the HD footage. It's really pretty simple. If the infraction isn't in by the end of the round and the responsible official able to discuss with the player by scorecard signed, than fuck you, no penalty. If it is so egregious where it can't be ignored, go to the player show them the footage and leave the option open for a WD or a DQ based on obvious cheating. The Lexi thing was so redicilous and anti sport it simply couldn't be ignored.

Spuzz

ode The Lexi thing

Why was the Tiger Rule (used at the Masters) not in play for Lexi?
Anybody know?

ode

Spuzz

I think it was the tw situation that led to the usga allowing for incorrect scorecards being signed and a rules infraction being reported after the fact.....it was simply another 2 shot penalty being added on top the penalty for the original infraction vs. a DQ, so it actually allowed her to continue vs. being dq,d.

Remember in tw situation the masters fucked it up, reviewed his drop and saw no infraction initially, but after he signed his card were made aware that it was a problem and after reviewing it again, realized they buggered it up. I'm not sure how they saved it and what ruling they used, but they did. IMO the contraversy comes in where folks think the master's lied and said they reviewed it initially, and they missed it, therefore making it stomachable to avoid dq.

I'm still a bit fuzzy as to whether tw,s situation would be penalized under the new rules? Assuming, only if caught by this minion person in the truck, but ??

BobA

customgolfcenter Amen...it was the dumbest 'rule' in sports.

sdandrea1

PA-PLAYA I'm curious to know how many viewer call-ins on Langer and McCarron influenced the USGA to change the viewer call-in rule?

Just read that Adam Scott is going back to the long putter, given the unenforcement and subsequent success of Langer and McCarron this past season. I mean - if they're not gonna enforce the rule on the Champions Tour -

USGA: "Langer & McCarron, you guys are anchoring, that's a rules violation"
Langer & McCarron: "no we're not - our hands are just touching our shirts"
USGA: "Ok"

🙄

Spuzz

sdandrea1 Adam Scott is going back to the long putter

It may save his career.
Is Kevin Stadler still using a long putter?
He's disappeared.

ode

Spuzz good question, have not seen it heard his name.in years.

Rickochet

Spuzz Is Kevin Stadler still using a long putter?
He's disappeared.

Spuzz

Here's why:
https://www.pgatour.com/players/player.26679.kevin-stadler.html

Long putter still in play.
then.
Wikipedia says he"s been practicing putting left handed for his return this year on a med exemption.

PA-PLAYA

(channeling my Homer Simpson voice...)

Joe: "Uh, hi... this is Joe from Minneapolis, calling in on the PGA Tour rules hotline.... I'd like to report a rules violation on Jeff Overton. Uh, yeah - his ball moved when he grounded his club in the rough."

PGA Tour Hotline: "That's interesting, Joe. I don't think Jeff Overton hasn't been on television for years. Was this last week? A special exemption maybe?"

Joe: "Uh, yeah. I was watching the Ryder Cup highlights Sunday around 2 p.m. on Golf Channel last Sunday and I saw him move his ball. I'm sure he didn't mean to, but, well, you know - rules are rules. By the way - this is like the 9th time I've called in this year... do you guys have like a frequent caller reward, for say like some free golf tickets somewhere out this way next season, or maybe a free tee shirt? A hat? Something? Would I be overstepping my bounds by asking for 4 practice round badges for Augusta next year?

PGA Tour Hotline: "Uh, Joe - hate to break this to you, but the last Ryder Cup Jeff Overton played in was back in 2010 at Celtic Manor, in Wales."

Joe: "Uh, yeah, well, uh, that sounds right. Remember the "boom baby" shot when he holed out from the fairway, on like the 8th hole or something? I think he was playing with Bubba Watson at the time. Well, uh, it was right after that, happened on the next hole."

PGA Tour Hotline: "Joe, that tournament is finished. And it wouldn't matter anyway, since Hunter Mahan duffed that simple chip shot on the last hole on Sunday and ended up losing it for the US, 14-1/2 to 13-1/2. We've not heard much from Hunter since. So if you do happen to see him on a live telecast somewhere - please be sure to call us then and let us know. He probably snuck in uninvited, since he is no longer exempt to play on tour."

Joe: "Uh, okay will-do. But back to that rules violation. I would really appreciate it if you guys would correct the score, for historical accuracy.... not to mention - it would mean a lot to me. Like I said earlier - I've called you guys like 9 times this year and you've not changed the outcome of any of those tournaments. I've got three other buddies who have called in this year and two of them have ended up being right on a couple of their hotline viewer call-ins. I'm still O-fer-ton. Get it - Overton=O-fer-ton? LOL...."

PGA Tour Hotline: "We're sorry, Joe, but that tournament ended over 7 years ago. There's no way we can go back and change the score. Furthermore, you might want to tell your buddies that we're no longer taking viewer call-ins for rules violations, so don't bother with calling us back again regarding rules violations. New policy, effective immediately."

Joe: "Wait, you mean to tell me that you guys no longer care if the guys on tv don't play by the rules? Hey, not for nothing, but this is the primary reason I even watch televised golf to begin with! And now you're telling me I can't call in and tell you that one of your players broke a rule?"

PGA Tour Hotline: "That's what I'm telling you, Joe. We're no longer taking viewer call-ins, but instead will have one of our tour rules officials watching the same live coverage during each televised tournament round that you watch on tv, just to make sure that all televised players are playing by the rules."

Joe: "Dammit! You cannot be serious! You've taken away my sole enjoyment of watching golf on tv! What else am I going to do on the weekends now?"

PGA Tour Hotline: "Well, Joe... might I suggest that you actually get out and play golf on the weekends, enjoy the game, make it your goal to educate those you play with about the rules of the game at your club?"

Joe: "Well, that ain't happening. You see, I, uh, well... let's just say I quit playing the game several years ago, because of this asshole opponent in our club championship who called me out for tapping down a stupid spike mark between my ball and the hole on a measly 10 footer, and the spike mark wasn't even on my intended putting line. Now my ball did roll over the tapped down spike mark, but I still missed the putt. I was in the 5th flight finals, my one big chance to cash-in. The nerve of him... Anyway, I haven't played in years, the game has gotten much too hard for me."

PGA Tour Hotline: "Oh, I see... so you didn't believe in playing by the rules yourself, but couldn't wait to call out the guys on tv for something that you thought was illegal?"

Joe: "Uh, well - I'm not making 20 million a year like those guys are. Duh. They should be held to a higher standard."

PGA Tour Hotline: "Not if you're playing by the rules, Joe. Now if you don't mind, we're kinda busy here...."

Joe: "Uh, wait. Can I, uh, still get a couple of tournament passes? Or a tee shirt at least? I've invested a huge part of my weekends these past seven years and, uh"

CLICK–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Good riddance to Joe.

sdandrea1

PA-PLAYA

Scott - that is hilarious, but you may have a bit too much time on your hands. 😉

PA-PLAYA

sdandrea1

Guilty. But don't have the hotline number. lol

sdandrea1

PA-PLAYA Guilty. But don't have the hotline number. lol

I'm calling in.......

fatshot

PA-PLAYA
At the very least the "signing an incorrect scorecard" penalty should NOT have been applied in Lexi's case. She signed a card that was correct (to the best of her knowledge)
at the time. It was only rendered "incorrect" by the ruling
that came the next day. An impossibly stupid ruling.....

Weirfan

fatshot

But that was the penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard at the time so while unfortunate, the right assessment. Which was better than the penalty for signing an incorrect card prior to that which was a DQ. Rules change some for the better some for the worse. With this penalty we have moved in the right direction DQ > 2 stroke penalty> current ruling.

Note the 2 stroke penalty is still in effect for signing an incorrect card but not in cases where the player didnt know they committed a violation.

ode

fatshot unfortunately they had to based on the footage and the rule at the time...but no mas,"reasonable judgement" takes care of the game of gotcha for replacing a ball a quarter inch off, and the new rule will not allow for a 2 stroke penalty as noted above by weirfan. We wouldn't even get to step two in Lexi's situation if it happened today.

PA-PLAYA

Weirfan

Exactly. Some think it was a travesty, but quite frankly - those who came before her, who would've done the same thing back in the day, would've been DQ'd and not even allowed to continue playing the next day. To say that she was wronged would be to exempt herself from any blame whatsoever...

And it wasn't like she had to move her ball mark because of her mark being in the intended path of a playing competitor putting behind her on a similar path... this was a fairly routine situation, put down the coin directly behind the ball, lift the ball, replace the ball back directly in front of the coin. Not a ball to the left of the coin or to the right, but directly in front of the coin, just like she lifted it.

She was either simply negligent/sloppy in her routine, or she was intentionally trying to avoid some sort of imperfection on the green that might influence the path of her putt. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt in assuming that she was just sloppy with replacing her ball, I can't claim that she intentionally replaced it wrongly.

But that doesn't mean she didn't break a rule. I mean, we are talking about replacing the ball behind a ball marker or coin. This really isn't that complicated.

But I also think that doing away with the viewer call-ins helps in these type situations. And, I might also add, puts the onus on the fellow playing competitors and rules officials to assume their own responsibilities to protect the field as well.

Phil Mickelson said a few days later that he thought it was horrible what happened, but also noted than on numerous occasions over the years that he himself witnessed the same degree of "sloppiness" of fellow competitors doing the same thing with regard to replacing their balls on the green. Well, I love you Phil, but you're not protecting the field when you see stuff like this happening and (at the very least) not saying something about it to your fellow playing competitors. I know it puts you in a tough position, having to play the role of "that guy"... but you're competing for a bit more than a $2 nassau with your buddies on the weekend, where stuff like this could be more understandably tolerated.

ode

PA-PLAYA IMO the reasonable judgement aspect of this now does away with the game of gotcha in golf....and that is huge.....doesn't matter what you or I think about what Lexi did, whether it was sloppy as you put it or even downright negligent in allegedly trying to avoid a pitch mark or imperfections in the surface. The minion in the truck can inquire with her but they would have no basis for a penalty. In fact we likely would never even hear about it...one can only hope!

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