Greetings Golfers,

“As soon as laws are necessary for men, they are no longer fit for freedom.” That was said 2500 years ago by Pythagorus – the Ancient Greek of mathematical fame.

The less of a need for rules and laws, the purer the game or a society. Golf is fundamentally a game of hitting a ball where it lies – from the tee to the cup … that’s about as pure as a game can get. Obviously the ball can’t be moving … the object is to hit it from where it lies.

As you all know, last week at the U.S. Open, Phil Mickleson hit a putt while it was still moving. On Wednesday, Phil apologized via a text to some sports writers. Damage control – or a real apology? After the incident on Saturday, Phil tried to explain that he knew the rule he was violating, and thought it was smart to violate the rule and take the penalty.

There’s the Letter of the Law … and the Spirit of the Law. You can learn a lot about someone by which they prefer. The Spirit of the Law is about doing the right thing for the right reason. The Letter of the Law is about what you can get away with … or use as a weapon.

If Mickleson really was remorseful about what he did, he would have withdrawn after his round. On Sunday, he tried to make it into a joke as played the hole that he disrespected the day before.

Mickleson also tried to spin his way out of it by saying it was an act of rebellion against the USGA for their unfair set-up of the golf course. Did the USGA screw-up with their set-up of Shinnecock? Yes. Was Phil’s antic a valid way to make a point? Of course not. He only proved that he thinks he’s above the rules. Not just the USGA Rules … but the Spirit of the Game.

Cheers,

Tom Abts

GM and Head Golf Professional

tabts@deerrungolf.com