The old "continuous putting rule"

mikeintopeka

Do any of our senior statesmen remember this old rule that required you continuously putt until holed? There are a couple of exceptions listed but would this speed up the game? The article doesn't explain why the rule was revoked after only a couple of years. Anyway, I found it interesting.

"Continuous putting was introduced to the Rules as an optional Local Rule in 1966, became a Rule in 1968, and was rescinded from the Rules in 1970. It applied to single stroke play only, and essentially provided that once a player has begun putting on a hole, they must continue putting until the ball is holed. There was consideration for the fact that this could mean a player would be standing on a fellow competitor’s putting line. A fellow competitor could request to have the player’s ball lifted and thus interrupt their continuous putting.

Included within this Rule was a clause that only allowed a ball on the putting green to be lifted and cleaned prior to the first putt. After striking the first putt, the ball could not be lifted until it was holed (except as described in the exception above). This prohibition on lifting and cleaning applied to all forms of play, not just stroke play."

http://www.usga.org/articles/2016/12/rules-throwback--don-t-mark-it--putt-it.html

kchacker

mikeintopeka There are a couple of exceptions listed but would this speed up the game?

Perhaps, perhaps not...and even if so, likely at the expense of more strokes incurred for minimal time savings. When someone is putting, I'm reading my putt. When that person is finished, whether due to them holing out or marking their ball, I'm ready to putt. If I run my 40' putt eight feet past, I'm going to look at that putt as well. There's no point in someone waiting for me when they're ready to go. If I put it to 18", I'll walk up and knock it in if it won't interfere with someone else.

I don't know that there is anything faster than ready golf + courteous golf.

brsmith

Remember when Vijay called out PM for wearing long spikes and dragging his feet, tracking up the greens. Vijay asking him if he wanted to settle it in the parking lot.

Imagine the fights that could ensue messing up a guy's line, or a foot print, etc.

I just don't see it doing anything but pi$$ing people off, and since this is all about $, if a player thinks he is being compromised, the poo would hit the fan. We would see if it is a "gentleman's game" for sure.

PA-PLAYA

It was back before my time, but I am familiar with the concept.

In fact - we have a "shootout" in the member-member event each summer where this rule is instituted. The winners from each flight qualify for the shootout after the conclusion of the 2-day event, and the shootout format is combined strokes per team for each hole. Starting on hole 1 - the four flight winners (8 players) each tee off and continue playing their own ball until the ball is holed. It is all net, which means handicaps apply. The two-man team that has the highest net score on the opening hole is eliminated from the shootout, then they move onto the second hole, same deal, etc. until a winning team is determined.

The kicker is that every putt that rolls to within 3 feet has to be finished, no marking allowed. With so many players playing in the shootout playoff - you can understand why they don't permit marking and cleaning once the ball gets within 3 feet of the hole... otherwise it would take forever. Invariably someone is stepping in someone else's line, but that's just the rules of the playoff.

That's the only time I've personally seen even a variation of the continuous putting rule instituted in tournament play.

Rickochet

I think banning alignment lines on the balls would greatly increase the pace of play. Too many hackers take far too much time aligning that mark on every stinkin' putt. Mark the ball and align, mark the ball and align, ad nauseum...

Release

One thing I really dislike on the golf course is seeing others step on my intended putting line. Very bad for the head....
If we have a $2 Nassau on the line, no one better step on my putting line... or I'll be all over their lines , by accident of course.

rsvman

I agree that ready golf is likely faster, but I do think they should make a rule that you can only mark, lift, and clean the ball ONCE on the green. That would speed things up on the tour, if nowhere else. I don't understand why a person would roll a 30-foot putt to 10 inches, and then want to mark the ball, pick it up, place it back down, align the mark, go through the routine again including practice strokes, and then finally put the ball in the hole.

Walk up there and just tap the damn thing in, for crying out loud!

Rickochet

rsvman I agree that ready golf is likely faster, but I do think they should make a rule that you can only mark, lift, and clean the ball ONCE on the green. That would speed things up on the tour, if nowhere else. I don't understand why a person would roll a 30-foot putt to 10 inches, and then want to mark the ball, pick it up, place it back down, align the mark, go through the routine again including practice strokes, and then finally put the ball in the hole.

Walk up there and just tap the damn thing in, for crying out loud!

+1 Had this happen recently. 4 hacks three putting most greens and all of them marking lifting and taking forever to align the mark on the ball. We cut around them after the second hole. 🤐

Release

I used to wonder why are the amateurs mimicking the professional to take so much time preparing their golf shot where in actuality would not make that much a difference as a result.

Now I know there is not just the result but the mental aspect of going through the motion could be part of their golfing experience.

ode

I remember watching footage of Bobby Jones being stymied and busting out the niblick a d chipping it over opponents ball and into the hole.....gotta love it....never heard of the continuous putt rule, maybe to prevent the stymie?

PA-PLAYA

We can't completely discount the abused gimme aspect. See it all the time at my club, guys raking back 2 and 3 footers when playing with their buddies. So when a tournament comes up and they're suddenly required to have to putt-out, they just lose their ever-loving minds. We're talking marking 1-footers, because the hole prior they yipped a tap-in and ended up three or four putting. The get nervous and become paralyzed. And then they make things infinitely worse by analyzing everything on a simple uphill, straight-in 2-foot putt.

Don't get me wrong - I've both taken and given putts in friendly matches that had something riding on them that were undoubtedly well outside of the can't-miss range. A lot of that is determined by the spirit and friendliness of those I'm competing against. If a guy gives me a 2-footer on the opening hole for a halve, I'm gonna return the favor on the next hole if needed. They're friendly matches... we don't get too uptight about winning or losing, because the wager isn't anything worth losing sleep over. And if we've got people waiting on us in the fairway, do I really need to see if a guy similar to my playing level can hole a 2-footer, especially if it's for a halve? No, to me I don't need to see that in exchange for keeping the group behind us waiting.

And there are other times too, playing two-man best ball. If I'm already in for par and my partner has a 5-footer for par (people playing behind us), I'm gonna tell him he has the option of putting it or he can take it, either way. It's not influencing our score for the hole or the match in general and although I'm sure (technically) he should putt-out if he's posting a score to maintain an accurate handicap - I personally feel that not holding people up playing behind us gets the top priority. Keep things moving. It's the way matchplay is supposed to work anyway.

I spent 2 years in London, where EVERYTHING gets putted out in most of the circles I played in. I didn't have an issue with it whatsoever. My handicap when I left the states didn't change after a couple of months having established a handicap over there. The friendly matches didn't take that much longer really, but when the monthly medal came around and you had 25-30 handicappers having to play by the rules and putt everything out - it sometimes took over 5-and-a-half hours to finish. I played in one such event, played alongside a 24 handicap and a 30 handicap in a 3-ball, and it took us 5 hours and 15 minutes.

Trust that that was the last time I ever played in the monthly medal competition over there. It was brutal.

sdandrea1

Do not recall. I got into the game as a teenager, but not seriously until about the late 70's.

azgreg

Unless I run it by a mile I always finish out.

candukid

azgreg Unless I run it by a mile I always finish out.

Ditto. I will always hole out. We are not on the tour for cripes sake!!!

rsvman

PA-PLAYA is right that many hackers haven't even attempted a 3-foot putt in years. They take 'em all as gimmies.

azgreg

rsvman
I like to hole out even of the putt is given to me.

mikeintopeka

I was playing high school golf in 70-71-72 and I honestly can't recall 'continuous putting' during the timeframe the article states was the timeframe. I think I would have remembered the rule change too. But then, this was before the Internet and message boards so we were in the dark ages.

fnufan

From the 1888 R&A Rules

SPECIAL RULES FOR MEDAL PLAY

All balls must be holed out, and when on the putting-green, the flag must be removed, and the player whose ball is nearest the hole has the option of holing out first.

darpar

If it's under 2-3' I'll usually finish,unless I'd be stepping on some else's line.