Pat -
Rangefinders are against the rules.
Using different kinds of balls during a round is within the rules.
Just when I thought you couldn't make any more dumb remarks and attempts at diversion, you rise to the occassion.
Pat -
Let's say you are playing a $5000 Nassau. On the first hole your opponent reaches into his bag and whips out his Rangefinder. Wouldn't you say "Hey, that's cheating, I don't play with cheaters, and there's going to be a big problem if you push the button on that thing." ?
He puts it back. On the second tee he whips out a new ball of a different make and model. What could you possibly say to him to stop him from putting that ball in play?
"During a stipulated round, the balls a player plays must be of the same brand and type as detailed by a single entry on the current list of Conforming Golf Balls."
You can rest assured that for a $ 5,000 nassau, everything relating to the round would have been ironed out on the first tee, including the one ball rule.[/color]
Your sanctimonious lecture on "the sprit of the game" suffers when it is larded with a whopper such as claiming that the USGA banned something when it did not.
How many USGA events have you played in where the one ball rule was not in effect ?
You understood what I meant by the spirit of the game, and it's not GPS systems, multiple balls or cheater lines, you just wanted to be a wise guy and a schmuck and you succeeded royally, as usual.[/color]
Q. May a Committee, by Local Rule, permit the use of distance-measuring devices?
A. Yes. A Committee may establish a Local
RULE allowing players to use devices that measure distance only. However, the use of devices that gauge or measure other conditions that might affect a player’s play (e.g., wind or gradient) is not permitted. In the absence of such a Local Rule, the use of a distance-measuring device would be contrary to Rule 14-3. (New)
If the Committee elects to adopt a Local Rule permitting the use of distance-measuring devices, the following text is recommended:
Distance-Measuring Devices: [Specify as appropriate, e.g., "In this competition," or "For all play at this course," etc.], a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. However, if, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., gradient, wind-speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional functions are actually used.
A Local Rule allowing the use of distance-measuring devices that are capable of gauging or measuring other conditions is not authorized.
If the Committee has adopted a Local Rule permitting the use of distance-measuring devices, these devices may be shared by players (see analogous Decision 5-1/5 regarding the sharing of equipment other than clubs).
Additionally, please refer to Decision 8-1/2 which clarifies that the distance between objects is a matter of public information and therefore not advice.