Victoria Cup rekindled fond memories of the past

I grew up at a time when children used to spend long hours playing outdoors. We had different games for different seasons. We made and played with cars during the April holidays, which was the season for the Safari Rally. We drew lines on the roads and played “Shake” some of the time. However, the most common game among my mates and I was football. Whether the ball was one of those conventional footballs or one made from polythene bags tied together by sisal strings, we chased the ball for long periods of time.

There was one boy who I always wished to be in the same team no matter which game we played, Ronnie Swaka. It did not matter what game we played, Ronnie always excelled in it. He could run faster, dribble the ball better, dodge better in football or even sidestep opponents better in the game of shake. Ronnie was a natural in any game he took up. In our early teens, Ronnie and I were introduced to basketball. Ronnie went on to play for the country while I remained on the bleachers watching.

Watching our juniors playing at the Victoria Cup this past weekend, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the games we played as kids. The Kenyan junior duo of Agil Jamal (15) and Mutahi Kibugu (14) and the Ugandan trio of Joel Basalaine (16), Edrine Okong (15) and Dennis Asaba (16) provided some of the most entertaining moments of the tournament.

These youngsters wore their hearts on their sleeves as they battled it out for their countries and it was plain to see how happy the good strokes made them and the pain of missing a putt.

Their swings, which were not burdened by thoughts of mortgages or overdue rent, were just a pleasure to watch. The youngsters were genuinely having fun while competing for their countries.

For all the talent and determination displayed at the Victoria Cup, we still witnessed a few Rules infractions. The myths of the Rules of Golf were also not left behind.

Myth 1. Dropping a ball in the rough

In a foursome match, a player’s tee shot ended up in the short rough. In his line of play, was a low-hanging branch of a tree. The ball was however lying next to a sprinkler head. The player and his partner asked the opponents if they could get free relief.

The opponents agreed to the relief. After marking the nearest point of relief, the player proceeded to pick his ball and as he was about to drop the ball within one club length toward the fairway and away from the low-hanging branch, the opponents came back very furious that the player was about to break the Rules by avoiding the low-hanging branch.

He stated that the player was required to drop the ball in the rough where he would get a similar lie and still suffer from interference from the low hanging branch. The Rules of Golf do not require you to drop a ball in the rough if you get relief from an immovable obstruction that is in the rough.

The only places that you are not allowed to drop a ball when taking relief under this Rule is on the putting green or in a hazard. If the one club length gives you a favourable lie, then there is no problem in taking it.

Myth 2. Announcing when you change your ball.

In a four-ball match, a player announced to his opponents which ball he started the round with. A few holes later, he decided to change the brand of ball that he was playing without telling his opponents. On the hole where he changed his ball, he hit his ball to the rough. When he found his ball, his opponents claimed the hole stating that the player is required to inform them when he changes his ball.

The Rules of Golf recommend that a player put a mark on his ball. It is also good practice to show your opponents the ball you intend to play and also inform them when you change the ball. However, this is not a requirement. A player is the only one responsible for playing the proper ball and therefore when he positively identifies his ball, there is no penalty for not informing his opponents.

RULES INFRACTIONS

Touching the line of putt

There were two incidences that I witnessed where the players touched their lines of putt. As referees, we had agreed that we would not intervene on any infractions unless called upon. The opponents did not say a word and neither did I.

Scenario 1. On the 7th hole at Muthaiga, the resident Egyptian geese had just come from grazing on the green. The erstwhile smooth green had some rough patches caused by these birds. One player went ahead to repair these rough patches that were on his line of putt. The Rules of Golf only allow a player to repair old hole plugs or damage to the green caused by impact of the ball, whether or not the damage was caused by his ball. A player MUST not repair any other damage if it will help him on his next stroke.

Scenario 2. In reading his line of putt, one player was in the habit of walking along his line of putt, and practicing his putting stroke along the line. In practicing his practice stroke, the player kept grounding his putter. By touching his line of putt with his putter, the player should have lost the hole.

THE NEAREST POINT OF RELIEF

All golfers must have encountered a relief situation that requires them to identify the nearest point of relief. However, from my encounter at the Victoria Cup and other tournaments, most golfers do not know how to identify the nearest point of relief. A number of golfers look for the nicest most convenient point.

Others, when taking relief, do not take complete relief from the situation that required them to take relief. When I asked one player to take out a golf club to identify the nearest point of relief, he looked at me like I was an alien. The recommended procedure of identifying the nearest point of relief from an immovable obstruction or abnormal ground condition is by using the club the player would have used in the situation.

The win secured by our Kenyan players was by no means easy. They had to play their hearts out to win against the spirited Ugandan team. For me the boy of the match was Mutahi Kibugu. He did something that would sound very strange to a few Kenyan golfers.

In a match where he was playing for the pride and honour for his country, he called a penalty on himself for a breach which only he and God knew about. While removing a loose impediment, he caused his ball in play to move. This is the spirit of the game.

vincent wang’[email protected] Kenya Golf Union executive council member