Did you move that ball?

I tend to notice things; patterns mostly. Also anomalies. I know you folks do too. For instance, I play golf with a group of old codgers. And cheats. I use that last epithet in a fond way but it's true. There are rules to golf and these rules are self enforced. Which means it's pretty easy to cheat. Only the tour pros really avoid it. I think that's because the TV cameras are always on them and people at home have been known to call in about an infraction.

But here in Paradise, there are no TV cameras and very few people are watching. And we blatantly violate the cardinal rule of golf; play the ball as it lies. We allow ourselves to "roll the ball in the fairway." In other words, we allow our players to improve the lie of the ball. If it's sitting in an old divot, or there's a weedy patch that might interfere with the club face, we can roll the ball a little bit until it's clear of these things. That's how it started. Now, people "adjust" the lie until it is as near to perfect as possible as a matter of course. And that, of course, has led to something we call "fluff in the rough." The point of the rough is to penalize the player for not hitting the ball into the fairway. We have pretty much negated that penalty.


I can see that one day we may just tee the ball up regardless of where the ball is.


I try to refrain from these clear violations myself. I try to be an honest man but it is tempting. It clearly gives my opponents an unfair advantage.


It's a slippery slope, folks. Next thing you know we'll be cheating on our income taxes.