Our Readers Write

Travel group needs

tour director

The Ramona Rambler Senior Travel Group has been in business for 38 years. They are a part of the Pacific Educational Facilities that runs the Ramona Senior Center.

They need a new tour director. I am sure there is someone out there who would do a good job. It is not hard, but does take up some time dealing with trip information, transportation, making fliers (with dates, times and when money is due), and sign-up sheets, also a list of trips at each meeting. Putting articles in the paper, also.

Assistant Tour Director Nancy Walker is really very helpful in collecting monies and answering any questions a person might have.

If you are interested, please contact Nancy at the Senior Center, 760-789-0440.

Elizabeth “Liz” Prafke

Ramona

Editor’s note: Liz Prafke has been the group’s tour director for the past 10 years.

Dissent is patriotic

Last week’s guest commentary contained, yet again, a reference to Indivisible members’ behavior at last spring’s Duncan Hunter town hall in Ramona. Why are citizens who shouted demands to hear their Congressman’s views on health care categorized as those with “abhorrent behavior?”

Let’s set the record straight. On that particular day, the Congressman was asked to explain his views on health care. He refused. Instead, he offered up a sacrificial lamb, a purported expert on health care. Initial crowd response began with respectful requests to hear, instead, from the Congressman. When it became clear that Duncan Hunter was not going to step up and respond to his constituents, the purported expert was forced to speak amidst the louder and louder demands to hear from the Congressman.

Blame Duncan Hunter; don’t blame Indivisible. The Congressman could have immediately ameliorated the situation by speaking to those individuals he represents in Congress. Instead, he took the coward’s way out. We deserve better. Whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent, 50th Congressional District voters need to seriously consider who represents us in Congress.

These days, it seems that dissent is categorized as unpatriotic and less than supportive of democratic ideals. No doubt, a fine line often exists between dissent and those who advocate disrespect or even violence in our country. Something to think about: if dissenters who carried signs of “Blood and Sand” and “Death to Jews” in Charlottesville can be described as good people by our President, why is it that citizens simply demanding to hear from our Congressional representative are labeled as abhorrent?

Bobbie Plough

Ramona

Golf course etiquette

People have commented on my article on “pace” of play in golf. Some said, “Golf is not a track meet.” True, it is not.

My son and grandson drive 100 miles to play golf with me. After a round of golf, a snack and beverage – it’s been a blessing to be together. The only issue is the time spent on the course waiting for the inconsiderate players in front to move on. Thirty minutes spent on the aggregate for 18 holes of golf waiting for people in front to clear the green is an eternity, particularly for the “A” type personality. Slow play not only discourages people to come to the course but it also takes the “fun” out of the game for many golfers.

With one exception, the Rules of Golf published by the U.S. Golf Association doesn’t specify a time limit in which a golfer must play a shot. The rules make it clear, however, that slow play is discouraged. They permit individual tournament committees to set more specific regulations to encourage a reasonable rate of play. Rule 6-7 states that a golfer must play a shot “without undue delay.” The same rule applies to players who’ve just completed a hole (other than the 18th), stating that they must proceed to the next tee to continue their round and not “unduly delay play.”

Rule 6-7 also allows a tournament committee to set its own standards to discourage slow play. Pursuant to Note 2 to Rule 6-7, a committee’s regulations may limit the time in which a golfer must complete a round, a hole or a stroke. The penalty for violating Rule 6-7 is the loss of the hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.

Near-Miss Putts: Under Rule 16-2, if any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the golfer is given “enough time to reach the hole,” then must play the ball within 10 seconds. Should the ball fall into the hole after the 10-second period, the player is assessed a 1-stroke penalty. If the ball remains on the edge of the cup without dropping into the hole, there is no penalty, even if the player waits more than 10 seconds to take his shot.

Other Delays: Even accidental delays in playing a shot may incur a penalty. Under USGA Decision 6-7/1, if a player preparing to putt discovers that he left his putter at the tee area, then returns to retrieve the putter, that player will be penalized for undue delay. Likewise, according to Decision 6-7/2, a player is penalized for undue delay if he searches for a lost ball for more than the 5 minutes permitted under Rule 27-1 (will change to 3 minutes in 2019. Other rules will also change in 2019 in an attempt to reduce delays).

Pace of play also dictates the number of golfers who have an opportunity to play during “peak” tee times. Those who are laid back and take their time should be granted tee times that impact least on pace of play.

There are obviously cultural reasons for the rapidly reducing number of people playing and enjoying the game of golf, but slow pace of play ranks at the top.

John Rajcic

Ramona