ImTheCaptain
I disagree with you
don't know why you'd do it in a non-team situation
Backstopping is only "illegal" if the player not marking their ball and the player receiving the "help" are in agreement to do so.
Not sure why there isn't more discussion about the other side of the argument, but I assume it's because most media folks don't play serious golf tournaments that often. The real issue is that the odds of hitting a golf ball on a green in such a way that it helps you are extremely small. The odds that you piss someone off as they prepare to hit a shot and you interrupt them by going out to mark your ball is massively more likely than you actually helping them by leaving it there. Etiquette-wise, when it's your shot it's like your time, nobody is supposed to fuck with you, and it's really frowned upon when you do. I've seen a near fist-fight because a guy was about to chip and a younger player ran up and marked his ball just before his backswing.
So yeah, if your ball is in a particularly helpful spot and you have enough time not to interrupt your opponent, you *should* mark. But you don't have to. Hell if you're on the green and another player is hurrying to putt you're not supposed to move to mark your ball. Happens all the time. I don't really see it as protecting the field to any significant degree because there are so many situations where a player can't mark or doesn't have time to.
Just to add my two cents to this debate, I am someone who has played their fair share of junior golf, never was that great, but played in a few state am's and such. I never would have even considered not marking my ball in that scenario. The goal in any tournament is to beat anyone else in the field, I find it crazy that Walker would be trying to help other players out, even if they are friends. I'd have no problem tossing players out if they were caught blatantly doing that moving forward.
Yeah, we aren't talking about a kid running up to mark a ball in the middle of someone's swing. We are talking about pro golfers purposefully leaving the ball in a helpful position to another player. We are also talking about when a pro golfer asks the other golfer if he should leave the ball. We are also talking about making sure to mark your ball when you don't like the other golfer you may be assisting. The debate has been going on, but Jimmy Walker's tweets really set it off. Not sure you saw it. I don't think someone "fucking with you" is really high on the discussion list here.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ji...dmission-sparks-heated-debate-on-golf-twitter
except in this case it wasn't just "helping the flow" it was "i do it specifically to help other players"
I don't really get this argument, primarily because it simply doesn't matter. If my ball is in a bunker near my opponent's ball, maybe I mark it. Did I mark it so he wouldn't be distracted? So I could replace the ball before my shot? So his shot wouldn't potentially throw more sand on my ball? Who cares, the rule is I can mark it.
It can be gamesmanship to interrupt a quick player by slowly wandering on the green and marking a ball with almost no chance of getting hit. Another thing I see is slow players making other players request that you mark your ball on longer shots where it wouldn't help but could hurt. In this case Walker's admitting he's being a nice guy, but the act is the same. All of it is within the rules so it makes no difference what the intent is.
Secondly, why are people surprised players would help some guys and not others? You think if Spieth and Thomas are playing together they're not looking extra hard for any lost balls, helping each other with questions about the course, giving the other guy time to watch a putt if it's on the same line? No doubt they are. You think Ben Crane and Billy Horschel would do each other any such favors? Hell no. That's just how golf works.
Of course if someone has an 8 foot chip they're trying to make and there's a ball 2 inches from the cup, that's bullshit. But it basically never happens 99.9% of the time it's attempted it makes no difference. The fact that they have to use the Finau shot as the ultimate example is plenty telling.
If they're going to start messing with rules on the greens regarding marking, how about some standards for the actual marks. Can't stand people using these giant frisbees and poker chips and other huge nonsense that have to be moved farther and more often for putts...
you're just pointing out that it's hard to prove, which is true but seems silly in this case because he actually admitted to doing it to benefit other players (not to mention other players do it at their whim to benefit players)
again, i think this is a thing that the mid-low tier regulars do for each other because they know they're not winning but want those made-cuts/paycheck
I don't really get this argument, primarily because it simply doesn't matter. If my ball is in a bunker near my opponent's ball, maybe I mark it. Did I mark it so he wouldn't be distracted? So I could replace the ball before my shot? So his shot wouldn't potentially throw more sand on my ball? Who cares, the rule is I can mark it.
It can be gamesmanship to interrupt a quick player by slowly wandering on the green and marking a ball with almost no chance of getting hit. Another thing I see is slow players making other players request that you mark your ball on longer shots where it wouldn't help but could hurt. In this case Walker's admitting he's being a nice guy, but the act is the same. All of it is within the rules so it makes no difference what the intent is.
Secondly, why are people surprised players would help some guys and not others? You think if Spieth and Thomas are playing together they're not looking extra hard for any lost balls, helping each other with questions about the course, giving the other guy time to watch a putt if it's on the same line? No doubt they are. You think Ben Crane and Billy Horschel would do each other any such favors? Hell no. That's just how golf works.
Of course if someone has an 8 foot chip they're trying to make and there's a ball 2 inches from the cup, that's bullshit. But it basically never happens 99.9% of the time it's attempted it makes no difference. The fact that they have to use the Finau shot as the ultimate example is plenty telling.
If they're going to start messing with rules on the greens regarding marking, how about some standards for the actual marks. Can't stand people using these giant frisbees and poker chips and other huge nonsense that have to be moved farther and more often for putts...
I think there's some misunderstanding here. There's nothing illegal about Jimmy Walker not marking his ball on the green even if he announces to the entire world that it's to help the other player.
there's no a rule in the book about helping other players?
there's no a rule in the book about helping other players?