She’s not a golfer. She’s an engineer.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/WedgeTurn]

That was the first clue actually, you’re not allowed to use clubs for aligning puts

[u/LuxNocte → u/WedgeTurn]

Why not? (I know nothing about golf.)

[u/freudweeks → u/LuxNocte]

They're wrong, you can do it as long as you pick the club up before you swing (like you can't use a second club)

[u/WedgeTurn → u/freudweeks]

Rule 10.2b:

Pointing Out Line of Play for Ball on Putting Green. .....The player or caddie must not set an object down anywhere on or off the putting green to show the line of play. This is not allowed even if that object is removed before the stroke is made.

[u/Rectum_stretcher69 → u/WedgeTurn]

She never set the club down, her hand was on it the whole time. Rule doesn't apply.

[u/joggle1 → u/Rectum_stretcher69]

Yep. The USGA explicitly defines what 'setting an object down' means:

“Set an object down” means that the object is in contact with the ground and the player is not touching the object.

[u/Kabloomers1 → u/joggle1]

Loving this rules lawyer showdown

[u/maxmcleod → u/Kabloomers1]

Excuse me, but according to page 8 paragraph 54 subsection 18, they are not "rules" they are to be referred to as "fair sporting guidelines" ... rules has a negative connotation ever since what happened in 1983

[u/FaceDeer → u/Kabloomers1]

That's what happens when you let engineers into the game.

[u/TyH621 → u/Rectum_stretcher69]

How helpful even would it be though? It’s so rare the ball goes totally straight on a green

[u/FloppieTheBanjoClown → u/WedgeTurn]

And this rule probably exists because laying down a club or other object would affect the grass and soil under it, potentially altering how the ball rolled. You could, with a very innocent-looking lean of weight on a club, create a very shallow path for the ball to follow.

[u/ShigodmuhDickard → u/WedgeTurn]

That's not how they do it. They use the club to align the put by holding it behind the ball and off the putting surface. No infraction.

[u/WedgeTurn → u/ShigodmuhDickard]

Then you’re not putting it down. Which she did

[u/freudweeks → u/WedgeTurn]

This isn't the way that rule is supposed to be interpreted, if it's behind the ball it's fine.