The Spirit (of the penalties) Of The Game

[Wade Whitehead]

Yesterday at Merion there were at least twenty spotters/marshals along the fourth fairway.  There were probably more than that, but we could see about twenty.

Every time a player hit a shot into the rough, marshals scurried to find it.  Almost every time, by the time the player arrived, the ball was found and marked.

Part of the challenge of hitting a ball into deep rough is finding it within a five-minute window.  Probability dictates that a ball just isn't found every now and then.  It's rub of the green.

Marshals locating balls so quickly virtually eliminates that a player will lose a ball.  In addition, their search time doesn't count against the player.  I think the marshals' search time SHOULD count.

I found myself thinking that the tournament would be much more interesting if players (and their caddies) had to find balls hit in to the rough within five minutes.

I'm not interested in discussion of the logistics or in the pace of play argument.  I'm just wondering if the severity of the penalty associated with a wayward shot is diminishing when so losing the ball is practically impossible.

WW

[Pete_Pittock]

WW,
Imagine how many provisional balls would need to be hit if the marshals weren't there.  The five hour rounds would be six hours and it woulodl be a five day tournament,

[Ed Brzezowski]

And I would have to pay or a ticket, we will have none of that nonsense.
Numerous courses dictate the use of a forecaddy, should this be done away with?

[Bill Vogeney]

Wade, playing the US Open is unlike golf played by virtually anyone else on the planet, save for the members who play Oakmont every day.  It really requires its own set of rules and circumstances. Johnny Miller just said it took Colsaerts 5-10 minutes to plan out a shot he wound up hitting 3 feet out of the trees. That should be a slow play penalty. They'd be playing 7 hour rounds if there were not marshals spotting balls in the deep rough and fescue.

[Tim_Weiman]

Wade,

Golf in America is really bad when someone argues they don't want to hear a pace of play argument.

Have a couple beers and re-think that one.

[Tim Gavrich]

Wade--

An interesting take, but I would venture to say that the USGA would not include the serious risk of a lost ball as one of the key features of the rough at the U.S. Open. If the marshals weren't there, then the gallery would ultimately act as marshal and point out the positions of the players' golf balls. That scenario would seem to be even less equitable, given the difference between the size of the gallery following the leaders and that following, say, the Nick Thompson/Kevin Phelan/Matt Weibring group (all due respect to them).

[Patrick_Mucci]

Wade,

Tell me that someone else planted this thread in your head

You'd never finish the tournament.

After searching for 5 minutes players would have to return to the tee/previous spot and replay.

That process would be almost systemic.

The tournament would grind to a halt

This is one of the most moronic suggestions I've ever heard on GCA.com and I'm trying to be polite,  per Ran's request