In 2005 as we started Ruff Fairway I was named Øwre Marshal, The Marshal or just Marshal. I didn’t know anything about golf, the golf rules, the codes of behavior on a golf course (some might say I still miss out on this) or how to play this beautiful but frustrating game. But that will change now. Why? Read on and you will be enlightened.
All our members have nicknames. Some of them are obvious, and some are rather weird. My brother for instance is called ‘Snippen’ because Shortswings father used to call him Johan på Snippen when he was a kid. Shortswing is of course the guy with a short swing, and Mulligan is an over average social and friendly and by far the best golfer among our bunch of golfers.
I got my nick from Shortswing because I possess or give the impression that I have some kind of leader skills, or at least I tried to be a leader among the more or less anarchic bunch that went around with a rough approach to golf. I also did manage the first implementation of our web site, so I guess Shortswing meant that I was the one to make sure that our golfers obeyed out bylaws and that I was the one they should talk to if things went a little bit too far on the “ruff “side.
And we all agree that this was a choice as wise as the faded slice on HebbeLilles drives.
Soo what to do? We definitively need someone with some kind of control among this wild bunch. Someone who can stop things to get completely out of hand, someone who knows the rules of the game.
But there is a small but here: The R&A just did a major revision of the golf rules. Nothing is as it used to be. Soo nobody actually knows the rules good enough, at least the average leisure golfer that is.
A lot of revisions, some minor but quite interesting changes and of course all that old stuff that nobody actually focuses on when they are playing a round of golf with some friends is up for analysis.
The first step in becoming a golf referee is to attend a rules seminar. So I did. It was an all-day event where approximately 30 golfers showed up, and I have to admit that was a bit biased when I entered the conference room at Quality Tønsberg 0820 on a Saturday morning.
The first thing that struck me is that old people play golf. Or at least old people are interested in golf rules. I’m 48 and I was the youngest by far. Well, the instructors were two of the senior referees in NGF (The Norwegian Golf Association), and they have been among those who has translated the original rules to Norwegian.
The day was divided into sections and gave me an overview of the rules on a level that probably all golfers should have. Not just only to play by the rules, but also because you can actually use the rules to improve parts of your play.
The final of the day was a test you had to take to advance to the next level. I’m not sure how it went, but if I managed to have 60% correct, I will be able to do the second stage of mu goal to become a golf rules referee. I guess I made it, and if not then I know that I will never be known as The Judge, just The Marshal.
I guess I live up to my nickname anyway.
