In This Issue

Teeing Off:
Not in Kansas Anymore

View from Chateau:
Aspirations and Perspiration

The Gallery:
This week's can't-miss photos

The Scoring Tent:
Previous week's results

News From the Fringe:

GOLFSTAT Online
College Bound Student Members can now benefit from the new online Prep Report.

Creamer and Minahan Go Global
Paula Creamer and James Minahan will represent the United States at the British Junior Open.

By the Book
How well do you know the rules of golf? Not as good as Gus Montano, the AJGA director of education. He'll test you here.

Picture of the Week
Guaranteed to say at least a thousand words

THE AJGA LINK HOME

Rules by Gus Montano, AJGA director of education

Welcome to Rules 101! This page will give you a chance to test your Rules knowledge and bone-up on the need-to-know Rules of Golf.

Rule 13: Ball Played as it Lies

I was playing last week with Intern Team 1 at Cimarron Golf Club near Palm Springs. I fanned a drive into a desert area and I had to take an unplayable. Before I took my drop, I asked the interns:

Q: "Through the green, may I remove or brush away sand or loose soil from the area in which I am preparing to drop the ball?"

Never brush away sand or loose soil to improve your lie or area of intended swing, unless you're on the putting green.

The interns were unsure, as you may be. So I explained to them how to proceed.

A: "No, I may not remove or brush away the sand and loose soil by where I intend to drop. Under Rule 13-2, I am prohibited from improving the area in which a ball is to be dropped by removing sand or loose soil. They are only considered 'loose impediments' on the putting surface."

Because the AJGA plays a number of "desert courses," it is important that everyone understands where a player can remove loose sand and soil.

In a desert setting, there are many sandy areas mixed with rocks. Therefore, let's review how to proceed when you are in one of these areas.

In the USGA Rules of Golf book, "loose impediments" are defined as, "natural objects such as stones, leaves, twigs, branches and the like, dung, worms and insects and casts or heaps made by them, provided they are not fixed or growing, are not solidly embedded and do not adhere to the ball. "

In our case, the most important line comes right after the defintion. It says, "Sand and loose soil are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere."

So remember, if you find yourself in a sandy area not on the green, remove those loose impediments one by one, not with a brushing motion. Brushing the sand or loose soil away will land you a two-stroke penalty.

If loose impediments are still unclear, or you have any other Rules questions, consult your USGA Rules book, or email Gus Montano, AJGA director of education, at gmontano@ajga.org.