Monday, March 7th, 2011 Due to the yearly aeration, we will be closed all day on Monday, March 7th. We will be open Tuesday, March 8th, barring weather of course. Call for tee times regarding Tuesday, March 8th. Within the Rules By Hal Maulden Well we are slowly crawling out from under a blanket of snow. The Weather Channel said this winter may hold the record for the most extended days below average. Tell me about it! The bowl games are over and Pro football is winding down, slowly, but winding down. Professional Golf on the other hand is now in full swing. I don’t know about you but just watching the Hawaiian swing starts to give me spring fever. It did not take long for a Rules controversy to erupt in the new season. Camilo Villegas was the upfront and center opening day at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Villegas was short of a green that was on an uphill rise. His chip shot did not make the green and began rolling back toward him. In disgust he flipped a divot with his wedge as the ball was rolling back down the hill. He finished his round and was DQ’d for signing an incorrect score card. The DQ was the result of a fan calling into the Golf Channel broadcasting to report the error. Was this a legitimate disqualification? I think there are two issues at hand. First, was there a rule broken during this action? Yes. Rule 23-1 clearly states that a loose impediment, that may have an outcome on the ball, cannot be removed while the ball is in motion. This rule is very subjective when trying to determine whether or not the divot would have impacted the roll of the ball. Never the less it was rules infraction that carries a two stroke penalty. By not assessing himself the penalty and therefore signing an incorrect scorecard Camilo was DQ’d. Second issue is whether or not this type of judgment is fair. This type issue where a viewer is reporting a rules infraction is becoming more and more popular. I don’t know about you but I am not aware of a 1-800-youbrokearule phone line. Where does a person go to in order to do this? And more importantly why would you do it? No one playing with Camilo or the announcers picked this up. Football would not uphold someone calling and saying they saw someone holding and it was not called. Some would say that it is akin to the pictures taken at a traffic signal for violators passing through a Red light. That you are guilty whether or not you are caught. Camilo in an interview stated that he would have called the penalty on himself if he had realized he had broken the rules. Commissioner Finchem, tag you are it. You need to address this action and address it soon. divot the error. Was this a legitimate disqualification? I think there are two issues at hand. First, was there a rule broken during this action? Yes. Rule 23-1 clearly states that a loose impediment, that may have an outcome on the ball, cannot be removed while the ball is in motion. This rule is very subjective when trying to determine whether or not the divot would have impacted the roll of the ball. Never the less it was rules infraction that carries a two stroke penalty. By not assessing himself the penalty and therefore signing an incorrect scorecard Camilo was DQ’d. Second issue is whether or not this type of judgment is fair. This type issue where a viewer is reporting a rules infraction is becoming more and more popular. I don’t know about you but I am not aware of a 1-800-youbrokearule phone line. Where does a person go to in order to do this? And more importantly why would you do it? No one playing with Camilo or the announcers picked this up. Football would not uphold someone calling and saying they saw someone holding and it was not called. Some would say that it is akin to the pictures taken at a traffic signal for violators passing through a Red light. That you are guilty whether or not you are caught. Camilo in an interview stated that he would have called the penalty on himself if he had realized he had broken the rules. Commissioner Finchem, tag you are it. You need to address this action and address it soon. $100 Included $13 Senior - Couple $500 $140 Included $13 Corporate $2,500 $90 a month per player Included $13 Included $13