Happy Holidays Everyone.
"Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to." – John Payne in the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street”.
A phrase that applies to the Rules of Golf as much as it applies to Kris Kringle.
And speaking of Miracles, we have one of our own to celebrate this month as Pete Scholz, the former co-author of the Rule of the Month article, is generously making a celebrity appearance by helping with this month’s article. And by generous, I mean it only took a Santa-sized bag filled with small unmarked bills, a promise to give him three additional strokes in any match we play against each other next year, a free lunch and a free handicap for the coming year to entice Pete back this month.
Yes, once again we have reached that special time of year. Frantic shopping days, year-end projections and budgets due, excited children home from school, and cold and wet weather. Indeed, it is the most wonderful time of the year. And the most wonderful time of the year to spend more time on the Rules as you while away the dark early winter nights. “A Book of Rules underneath the Bough, A Jug of Wine, A Loaf of Bread—and Thou”. With apologies to Omar Khayyam.
Now for the bright side. We all enjoy the lights and decorations that adorn our homes and neighborhoods. The joy of giving, singing and sharing steal away the stress and cares of life and fill our hearts with thanksgiving and gladness. And let’s not forget that wonderful search for the perfect Christmas tree. And should we be blessed with a white Christmas, the world slows down and the peacefulness it brings is cherished. Stay inside and watch with wonder.
As is our custom, we break from the normal Q and A format for a light-hearted look at a few rules with the help from a few of our favorite Christmas characters.
Santa arrives one minute late for his tee-time and there were no extenuating circumstances that would warrant waiving the penalty. Nothing like receiving a two-stroke penalty before you even start your round. You would think that a guy that visits billions of homes around the world in one night could be on-time for the start of his round.
Hermey, one of Santa’s elves, was studying to become a dentist. He now has a standing tee-time every Friday. While preparing to make a stroke on the putting green, his caddie, a.k.a. “the Bumble” sneezes so hard that he blows his dentures out and they hit and move Hermey’s ball. Unsure of how to proceed, Hermey called over Rudolph, a Rules official for help. With his nose shining oh so bright, Rudolph explained to Hermey that since the accidental movement of the ball happened on the putting green, there is no penalty and all Hermey had to do was replace the ball in its original position. And in a grand gesture of holiday spirit, he also returned the dentures to their original position as well.
And now a word from our sponsor. When “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” first aired on December 6, 1964, the original sponsor was General Electric. GE also sponsored another program, “College Bowl”, where two teams of four students answered questions for scholarships and prestige.
With that in mind, Burl Ives will forever be fondly remembered as the shuffling and singing snowman in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” What is the first name of this enduring snowman? If anyone comes up with this answer without looking it up, we tip our top hats to you. Now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.
During the Winter Wonderland Classic Golf Tournament, it begins to snow while a group is finishing the fourth hole. They briefly contemplate stopping play due to the weather but the Committee has ordered play to continue. At the first pace of play checkpoint, they are two minutes late and receive a warning. After completing the first nine holes, they are late for the second checkpoint and receive a one-stroke penalty. What do you expect from a group consisting of the Bumble, the Winter Warlock, Charlie-in-the-Box and a snowman that shuffles everywhere he goes while singing, playing a banjo and narrating every shot? Yes, its Sam the Snowman. Shuffle faster Sam. After all, who wants to still be on the golf course on a midnight clear?
In closing, we salute the grade school teacher of the Peanuts gang. She spoke the same language as what the Rules of Golf are seemingly written in. “Mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa.”
Just remember, while some rules seem difficult to understand, or even why they exist at all, they are in place to protect the entire field from any golfer gaining a potential advantage. As golfers, we don’t have to understand all of them them, just play by them. The Rules are an irreplaceable holiday gift, handed down from generation to generation. Keep their spirit alive throughout the year.
May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season. And to all who celebrate it, a Merry Christmas. Happy New Year everyone.
