Michelle Wie - What are you thinking?

[MWM]

Just when all signs are pointing to her maturing and becoming more level-headed and just one of the girls, she goes and whines and whines and whines to the officials who obviously made the right ruling.

I'm rooting for Michelle in a big way. But she came across VERY badly in that back and forth with the rules officials. I thought she was never going to shut up.

[Sea Ray]

Just when all signs are pointing to her maturing and becoming more level-headed and just one of the girls, she goes and whines and whines and whines to the officials who obviously made the right ruling.

I'm rooting for Michelle in a big way. But she came across VERY badly in that back and forth with the rules officials. I thought she was never going to shut up.

I'm admittedly not much of a golf fan. What was her deal?

[bucksfan2]

Here is what happen.

Wie was in a water hazard and attempted to play out of it. If you don't know you are not allowed to ground the club when you are in a hazard. Wie hit the ball out of the water but the ball stayed inside of the water hazard boundary. After she hit the ball she allowed the club to come to rest on the ground. This is a penalty because she still has to play a shot from the hazard. After she was told there would be a 2 stroke penalty she spent time arguing with a rules official saying that she set her club down on the ground for balance, which was obvious a lie.

[Bumstead]

And yet she gained no advantage by grounding the club where she did...she basically set it on the ground after the shot; whether she was losing her balance or not is debatable but none of us were in her position at the time. I understand that is the rule, but to suggest she gained some advantage or that she attempted to cheat (she called the rules official over to begin with) would be less than accurate.

Bum

[bucksfan2]

And yet she gained no advantage by grounding the club where she did...she basically set it on the ground after the shot; whether she was losing her balance or not is debatable but none of us were in her position at the time. I understand that is the rule, but to suggest she gained some advantage or that she attempted to cheat (she called the rules official over to begin with) would be less than accurate.

Bum

Whether or not you agree with it, its still a rule. She broke the rule and then tried to say she was using the club for balance.

Any golfer should know that if you are in a bunker you need to be extra careful about grounding your club. It was a situation in which Wie's lack of focus caused her 2 strokes. Any golfer that has played competitively has had a stupid penalty called on them. It is just the nature of the game.

[Bumstead]

Just said she didn't gain an advantage by grounding the club and wanted to point out that she is the one that called the rules official over. Prior, this post had been made to look like she tried to get away with something when that really wasn't the case at all. As a rank amateur, I don't spend a lot of time worrying about these types of rules but I do understand that the rules exist and must be followed by the professionals.

Wie is still young and a little childish at times, but her talent is tremendous and I hope she realizes it as her career unfolds.

bum

[Sea Ray]

I play a little bit of golf but I still can't seem to grasp what "grounding the club" is.

[Bumstead]

I play a little bit of golf but I still can't seem to grasp what "grounding the club" is.

I believe it is putting the face of your club on the ground in the hazard before or after playing the shot.

[bucksfan2]

I believe it is putting the face of your club on the ground in the hazard before or after playing the shot.

Its placing your club on the ground while your ball is in the hazard. In the situation above if Wie's ball had traveled another yard or two and gotten out of the hazard this wouldn't have been an issue.

[MWM]

The worst part was that she would not let it go. She continued on and on and on with the officials. And she was doing it in a very whiny way. She came across as a spoiled brat who couldn't handle that she wasn't getting her way. She should have just expressed her opinion and then moved on.

[Bumstead]

The worst part was that she would not let it go. She continued on and on and on with the officials. And she was doing it in a very whiny way. She came across as a spoiled brat who couldn't handle that she wasn't getting her way. She should have just expressed her opinion and then moved on.

uh...she is a spoiled brat...who else gets carted around the world at age 14 to play golf? She's still young, there's still time for her to grow out of it.

[MWM]

uh...she is a spoiled brat...who else gets carted around the world at age 14 to play golf? She's still young, there's still time for her to grow out of it.

That's my point. It looked like she had almost completely grown out of the "center of the world" mentality. Interviews with her last year showed a mature young woman who had moved past some of the immature antics that would come from someone thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. She seemed to have finally "got it". I never blamed Michelle for what she had to deal with and for being the way she was as a teenager.

But I can't think of any other lady golfer who would have acted the way she did. I'm sure she'll be fine and this will be a learning experience. One of her earlier challenges was that she had alienated so many of her fellow LPGA golfers with her entitlement attitude. This incident will probably do more to alienate her from the other ladies.

But make no mistake, I'm a huge Michelle Wie fan. I watch the LPGA when she's on and I root like crazy for her. She's a unique talent who could break every record in the book if she can get things right upstairs.

[GIDP]

I forgive her

[Deepred05]

Here is what happen.

Wie was in a water hazard and attempted to play out of it. If you don't know you are not allowed to ground the club when you are in a hazard. Wie hit the ball out of the water but the ball stayed inside of the water hazard boundary. After she hit the ball she allowed the club to come to rest on the ground. This is a penalty because she still has to play a shot from the hazard. After she was told there would be a 2 stroke penalty she spent time arguing with a rules official saying that she set her club down on the ground for balance, which was obvious a lie.

Does that penalty pertain to hazards only or is it a stroke if you let the club hit anywhere on the course?

[Deepred05]

uh...she is a spoiled brat...who else gets carted around the world at age 14 to play golf? She's still young, there's still time for her to grow out of it.

I don't know about that brother. I met her on a local course here a couple of months ago and she seemed like a nice kid. At least she was that day, treating the staff and us yokels with respect.

[bucksfan2]

Does that penalty pertain to hazards only or is it a stroke if you let the club hit anywhere on the course?

It only pertains to hazards.

Hazards are supposed to be exactly that a hazard. Especially when you are in a bunker if you are able to take a practice swing or two to judge the quality of sand it gives you an advantage. There are certain situations in which if you ground your club you are not assessed a penalty. If you lose your balance and are falling using your club to stabilize yourself is ok. If in the situation Wie had been falling backward or forward and used her club for balance she wouldn't have been given a 2 stroke penalty. The issue I have with that is golf has always been considered a "gentleman's game." If players break the rule routinely penalize themselves. In Wie's case she obviously broke the rule and then complained about it for a considerable amount of time. In golf cheating is the ultimate sin and when Wie tries to use the whole "balance" claim when it is apparent she wasn't in need of balance, to me its a form of cheating.

[TeamSelig]

Sounds like Wie is worse than Tiger Woods, as far as morals go.

[Deepred05]

Ive only been golfing for a year so I don't know much about the rules, so this looks like the place to ask a question. On a sand shot, is it okay to "drag the sand" on your backswing before striking the ball? I saw a video from an LPGA player who said it was what she did, but my friends say that it is illegal. The video may have been saying it was a good way to practice but I don't remember. I know it sure helps my sand shots a lot.

[bucksfan2]

Ive only been golfing for a year so I don't know much about the rules, so this looks like the place to ask a question. On a sand shot, is it okay to "drag the sand" on your backswing before striking the ball? I saw a video from an LPGA player who said it was what she did, but my friends say that it is illegal. The video may have been saying it was a good way to practice but I don't remember. I know it sure helps my sand shots a lot.

No. Do not touch the sand with you club while the ball is in the bunker. If you are practicing and want to work on form that is one thing. But when the ball is in a bunker you are not allowed to ground your club.

The thing about grounding your club is you aren't penalized unless your club touches the actual ground. If you are in a water hazard (outside the water itself) or in a lateral hazard that has high weeds you are able to take a practice swing and clip the grass, you just are unable to touch the ground.

[Deepred05]

Thx buck. Sidenote, I shot 89 yesterday, the first time I broke 90. Starting to love the game......

[Bumstead]

In Wie's case she obviously broke the rule and then complained about it for a considerable amount of time. In golf cheating is the ultimate sin and when Wie tries to use the whole "balance" claim when it is apparent she wasn't in need of balance, to me its a form of cheating.

You continue to ignore that she brought it to the officials attention. They didn't track her down and say, "hey, you grounded your club in a hazard 2 holes back; did you penalize yourself?" Nah, she brought it to their attention and stated her case and went a bit over the top with that. She's used to getting her way of course. Since you weren't standing in the water/mud, I do wonder how you know she wasn't losing her balance? I know there wasn't any violent movement to suggest it, but I have stood in mud and lost my balance without making a large movement one way or the other. It's easy to criticize and say she's lying when you are not there I guess. Either way, she still tied for 6th and is doing quite well.

[bucksfan2]

Thx buck. Sidenote, I shot 89 yesterday, the first time I broke 90. Starting to love the game......

:thumbup: It gets addicting when you start to play well.

[Bumstead]

:thumbup: It gets addicting when you start to play well.

Hell...I get addicted just showing up at the course...playing well is a bonus! :beerme:

[GIDP]

Thx buck. Sidenote, I shot 89 yesterday, the first time I broke 90. Starting to love the game......

was that 9 or 18 holes :p

[TeamSelig]

:thumbup: It gets addicting when you start to play well.

I wouldn't know.....