Being the Rule Nazi?

[TalbotTrojan]

I guess I will jump in this discussion. We as a community need to figure out what type of game we are going to be.

Let me explain with some examples:

1. The America's Cup (for those that do not know, it is a International Yatch race - Sailboats) - For most of the 160 years of this race, each team used identical boats. There were rules about how heavy, how wide, how long, how many sails, etc. The idea was to make it a competition about the skill of the sailors not the boats. Same can be said about Nascar.

2. Basketball - Now I know I am going to be beat-up about this one but here it goes. Basketball has rules also, but not all of them are called. If a guy ran with the ball from mid-court without dribbling, the foul would be called. But how many three second rules are called? I see guys in the box for 5 - 6 seconds and it is never called.

3. Ball Golf - For the majority of ball golfers, you are not playing with the world watching on TV. And for the most part, you could be 20 - 30 yards apart from your playing partner after your drive. It would be pretty easy to cheat, move your ball alittle to get a better lie. But you don't because it is a 'Gentleman's Game' and if you get caught cheating, you are called out on it and no-one will play with you.

So what kind of sport are we?
Do we adhere to the strick rules like the America's Cup and Nascar?
Do we only call flagrant fouls like in Basketball?
Or do we self-police like ball golf?

Good post. :clap:

Here is the problem. Disc Golf as a sport is so similar to ball golf in the way it is played that it is hard to fit into either of the two categories stated that are not golf. On the other hand, the crowd that disc golf generally attracts are the people who do not fit into the typical golf crowd. I am not saying everyone, but I am saying that people are less inclined in disc golf to follow the rules, usually because they do not care to even know the rules. In general, this attitude will drive a wedge between the serious disc golfer and the casual disc golfer. You will see more pay to play courses put up in an attempt to create a place for serious disc golfers only, leaving the free less well planned free courses for everyone else. It will happen, just you wait and see.

 

[Griffin]

or a fade away jumper to throw a thumber to get over a bush

 

[Griffin]

so if u can only jump fwd, can u jump strait up

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

can you do a jump putt to the side? or a diving side ways jump putt as long as u release before u leave the ground?

Fixed, so Yes. Even inside the circle, assuming you establish balance before moving forward. You must be touching the ground in line with your mark when you release (fadeaway, diving sideways putt, jumping straight up is all fine inside the circle, jumping forward is allowed outside of 10m)

 

[TalbotTrojan]

In a tournament, it is your obligation to know and follow the rules of the game. If you dont want to play by the rules then dont enter a tournament!

In general I agree with this, but I have also seen the first time tournament player who interpreted the rules he read from the PDGA the same way his buddies who never cared to learn the rules interpreted them. Usually these are not the people that get bent out of shapre when you kindly mention to them that they may be breaking the rules. At the same time I played a tournament round with a guy who picked up another guys disc because it was parked, not allowing him to putt it in and got upset because I said he had to putt it in, which the guy who threw the shot knew and then did putt out. That was an awkward rest of the round considering that happened on the first hole. Other than that, the guy followed the rules so it wasn't so bad.

 

[Pwingles]

I like the jump putt from behind your marker idea. I would like it more if step thru putting were also still legal.

 

[Jay Dub]

or a fade away jumper to throw a thumber to get over a bush

so if u can only jump fwd, can u jump strait up

Have you read the rule book? The answers are there.

 

[Sir Puttsalot]

Whenever I bring up jump putting some act like it's old news and there's nothing wrong with it.
Jump putting will be eliminated by allowing the players to do it, even releasing the disc while in the air. The difference is they must land behind their marker after releasing the disc.
IMO, it's more important that players release their disc from behind the marker than having a supporting point on the ground.
If they would make this a rule I would give 10-1 odds the jump putters would stop jumping. Because it is also my opinion that the people who jump putt do it to get around the current rules and give them self an advantage.

For discussion, would the player still have to hit their mark? (30cm behind their marker, in line with the pin)

I honestly can imagine some players either not hitting their mark, or suggesting having to do so would be a hazard on their ankles/knees.

 

[Jay Dub]

For discussion, would the player still have to hit their mark? (30cm behind their marker, in line with the pin)

I honestly can imagine some players either not hitting their mark, or suggesting having to do so would be a hazard on their ankles/knees.

Yes they would have to hit their mark. That mark can be expanded back farther with this rule. Make it 30 inches instead of 30cm.

If they complain it's a safety/health issue then they shouldn't be doing it now. It would be no different.

 

[Okie-J]

Make it 30 inches. Yes

 

[Pwingles]

Make it 30 inches. Yes

Thats what she said

 

[JC17393]

In general I agree with this, but I have also seen the first time tournament player who interpreted the rules he read from the PDGA the same way his buddies who never cared to learn the rules interpreted them. Usually these are not the people that get bent out of shapre when you kindly mention to them that they may be breaking the rules. At the same time I played a tournament round with a guy who picked up another guys disc because it was parked, not allowing him to putt it in and got upset because I said he had to putt it in, which the guy who threw the shot knew and then did putt out. That was an awkward rest of the round considering that happened on the first hole. Other than that, the guy followed the rules so it wasn't so bad.

I think the problem with players like your first example isn't that he interpreted or misinterpreted the rules he read, it's that he didn't read the rules at all. Griffin right here in this thread fits the category too. People aren't reading the rules, they're operating with rules "knowledge" given to them verbally by other players who also probably didn't read the rules either. It's a recipe for misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and mis-application of the rules. It's like a giant game of telephone sometimes.

It's the people that have read the rules that tend not to be the ones that fly off the handle when called because if they've read the rules, they have a healthy enough respect for them to accept a valid call for what it is, and not as an attempt to "screw" them over.

 

[Scoot_er]

Just to be clear.....did the PDGA change the "jump-putt rule"?

 

[Jay Dub]

Just to be clear.....did the PDGA change the "jump-putt rule"?

I don't think so. We are just discussing a change, hypothetically.

At least I am but I wish it would change.

 

[Scoot_er]

I don't think so. We are just discussing a change, hypothetically.

At least I am but I wish it would change.

I don't.....then again I will call someone out if they are breaking the rules by leaving the ground before they let go of the disc.

Anyway...carry on

 

[Sir Puttsalot]

Yes they would have to hit their mark. That mark can be expanded back farther with this rule. Make it 30 inches instead of 30cm.

If they complain it's a safety/health issue then they shouldn't be doing it now. It would be no different.

I think there was a discussion about expanding the line into an area. 30cm²? Or just extending it to 1m? I think that was to address foot faults on run ups.

Times like these, I kinda wish there was a strict(er) stand/deliver rule. We already have one at 10m, but apparently we can no further since measuring <10m is impractical.

Some would say furthering the stand/deliver rule as synonymous with calling a person's goto putter being illegally stiff. I digress.

An aside, can anyone say when the last time a PDGA official called a foot fault on a top pro? Just curious.

 

[JC17393]

Just to be clear.....did the PDGA change the "jump-putt rule"?

There's a "jump-putt rule"?

Quick word search of rule book...........no mention of "jump putt" at all.

Oh, stance rules...yeah, NOTHING about them has changed in a long long long time. And I doubt anything will be changing about them any time soon.

 

[JC17393]

An aside, can anyone say when the last time a PDGA official called a foot fault on a top pro? Just curious.

An official calling it? Not that I know of. In fact, I know of one event where each card had a follow-along official/scorekeeper and these official/scorekeeper people were directly instructed to not make calls, but to only intervene if the players requested a ruling. So when one of the so-called "top pros" did foot fault on a throw, and the official was the only one to see it, he got away with it. Bothered the official something fierce to be handcuffed like that.

But I have been witness to plenty of top pros calling each other on foot faults. Some contentious, some not. Seemed to depend on the players' personal relationships with other. Buddies stayed buddies. Guys who weren't what you call "tight" didn't get any closer to each other.

 

[Scoot_er]

There's a "jump-putt rule"?

Quick word search of rule book...........no mention of "jump putt" at all.

Oh, stance rules...yeah, NOTHING about them has changed in a long long long time. And I doubt anything will be changing about them any time soon.

Good.. I will just call out the few people i know that jump-putt incorrectly.

 

[Jay Dub]

I wasn't specific enough. If you had read the rule book you would know there's no rule for jump putt and the words are not in the rule book.

I was wrong in assuming people on this site know the rules, my bad.