#Rules October 9
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In many aspects of our lives there are RULES that are in place to cover the unexpected. Sometimes people don’t know what they don’t know. When that happens it can be funny or tragic.
Sometimes RULES can seem a little crazy and absurd and may make you wonder why that RULE is there in the first place. Well to quote Farmers Insurance it probably is because someone “knows a thing or two because they have seen a thing or two”.
In the world of golf the USGA produces a RULE book to help understand things we may not know.
Inside that RULE Book there exist Rule 9- Ball Played as It Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved. In all the years I have been playing golf I have never seen an animal run or fly off with a golf ball. If that were to occur than RULE 9:6 covers that.
Well on Saturday October 3rd walking 18 holes with good friends Knocky Thorndyke and Carey Read I became like Farmers. The reason was I saw a thing happen twice in the same day and now I know a RULE.
On #8 at Pinecrest Country Club both Carey and Knocky drives found the edge of tree line on the right side of the fairway. As we marched down this par 5 in search of those two errant drives Carey pointed out there was a rather large bird on the ground.
We all immediately identified the bird as a hawk. I am pretty sure it was the hawk I wrote about on September 17.
Knocky pointed out that hawks only get on the ground when they have prey. We saw the hawk flap its wings and take off and land in tree. Carey pointed out the hawk had something in its right talon. He was speculating it might be a mouse with white belly.
Knocky was the closest to the hawk and walked towards the tree. His surveillance quickly determined it was a golf ball in that right talon. Carey and I were both laughing uncontrollable because Knocky was sure it was his golf ball.
Well it wasn’t Knocky’s ball because unknown to us his ball had hit a tree and bounced to the middle of the fairway. At the precise moment I informed Knocky his ball was in the fairway the hawk took off towards #11 and perched high in a tree.
On hole #11 far away from us the hawk began to peck at what he thought would be breakfast but realized it the Titleist 44 that belonged to Carey was not appetizing. The hawk dropped the ball and now it was Knocky turn to begin laughing and I joined him.
Carey immediately knew RULE 9:6 and dropped a ball and we played on. For the record Carey parred the hole.
On #11 we decided to pick up Carey’s ball and that is when I had to apply RULE 9:6. My second shot on the par 5 11th was about 25 yards off the right front of the green. As my ball was rolling the hawk came dive bombing after it. He played with it and attempted to take flight with it but gave up. Now I was applying RULE 9:6 to my golf ball as the hawk was perched on a stump critiquing my chip shot and lamenting the lack of a prey.
To top it all off Knocky had a flashback of a 1963 episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. That episode involved Leo Durocher and golf. When I got home I had to find it on YouTube and watch it.
Jethro and Jed’s take on golf was comical because they didn’t know what they didn’t know.
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