Dave S,
John Morrisett, one of the top rules officials at the USGA, says that the USGA doesn't regulate ball orientation, and you're saying they do but that he doesn't realize it?
You misunderstood my comparison with the mud-tee and replacing your ball on the green. I said nothing about how often the cheater line is used. I'm comparing how often the orientation of the ball is or would be restricted.
With the mud-tee, the orientation of the ball is restricted only if the mud-tee is already on the ball when it is lifted in a case where no cleaning of the ball is permitted.
How often does that restriction happen? Once for each player's lifetime (I've never seen it)?
If the cheater line is banned, then the orientation of the ball will be restricted every time a player replaces his ball on the green.
How often does that restriction happen? 20-30 times per player per round?
You're asking the USGA to expand the number of times that the orientation of the ball is restricted from almost never to 20-30 times per player per round. That is something that they might give them some serious pause.
Thank you. And thank you for seeing the light and converting.
The reason that I have been able to keep an open mind throughout this entire discussion is that I truly don't care whether the "cheater line" is allowed or not. I don't use it, I don't care when people use it, and so I don't have a hard-and-fast position to hold on to.
I've mostly been interested in
why the USGA hasn't banned the practice. I've given you my suspicions about it and hopefully will receive an answer from the USGA about it.
I guess the one hard-and-fast position I do hold on to is that I don't care for the term "cheater line". You're not a cheater if you follow the rules...period. I'm also against telling a player that anything he does is against the spirit of the rules either.