What is it about golf rules that get us so hot under the collar? Tree-gate, as it’s now being called, divided opinion among commentators and spectators as Patrick Reed’s every movement was analysed and criticised at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Steve Carroll, who has passed the R&A’s top rules exam, is joined by Tom Irwin and the pair break down events in the palm tree during the third round of the DP World Tour event.
Steve thinks he might have found something in how a ball is identified that can offer some further insight into how the decision was reached.
We chat generally about golf’s moral code and why we get so wound up when rulings come under the microscope, both in the pro game and at our own clubs.
After Steve set tongues wagging with his ‘solution’ to some of the World Handicap System’s perceived ills, he doubles down on his reasoning for making every score count, while Tom thinks some our WHS complaints are not going to be settled in the short term.
Tom describes it as an “insightful discussion”. But we’ll let you be the judge! Happy listening…
The Slam: Is this the best Rory McIlroy we’ve ever had? + Clutch Pro Tour founder on why LIV has been good for mini tour pros
From the Clubhouse: Is the World Handicap System really working?
The Slam: Breaking down another week of LIV Golf-PGA Tour-DP World Tour hysterics
From the Clubhouse: Are there too many Stableford competitions these days?
The Slam: LIV Golf vs OWGR vs the Ryder Cup – things are about to get heated!
The Slam: The all-important questions about the Dunhill Links + Is Charley Hull Britain’s next big thing? - with special guest Sophie Walker
From the Clubhouse: Is this the future of men and women playing together in golf club competitions?
The Slam: Breaking down one of the most bizarre Rules of Golf incidents we’ve seen in a long time + Piano man Sam Harrop on his rise to Twitter stardom
The Slam: Predicting Europe’s Ryder Cup squad + Squabbling about LIV Golf
From the Clubhouse: Do visitors get a raw deal at golf clubs?
The Slam: Recapping an extraordinary BMW PGA Championship + All the LIV Golf beef
The Slam: Pure chaos! (Whisper it, but is it OK to like LIV Golf now?)
The Slam: Who is winning the PGA Tour vs LIV Golf war?
The Slam: What went down at Tiger’s meeting? + Is the FedEx Cup meaningless?
From the Clubhouse: We ask England Golf if the sport is heading for a cost-of-living crisis + WHS is finally going global!
The Slam: Falling out about Cam Smith’s controversial rules incident, saving women’s golf, and reigniting the Great Shorts Debate
The Slam: What we can learn from the Women’s Open champion overcoming her mental demons - with sports psychologist Duncan McCarthy
From the Clubhouse: Iona Stephen and James Taylor on the physical and mental benefits of golf
The Slam: The curious case of Muirfield hosting the Women’s Open + Should Rory McIlroy have been Ryder Cup captain?
The Slam: Why it’s time to stop criticising players for moving to LIV Golf for the money
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