I received the February e-newsletter today from Bandon Crossings Golf Club in Bandon, Oregon. Down two-point-five courses to its famous neighbor, Bandon Dunes, it is safe to say that the Crossings won’t eclipse it anytime soon. My guess is they don’t need to. When you have a world-renowned resort up a street or two, what the area needs is a fine track for the locals. Bandon Crossings, from every review, provides just that. The owner worked on the crew of the first Bandon Dunes course, so he knew a thing or two about building a course when he laid out and sculpted his course.

The point of my blog is the following block of text from the BC newsletter:

To go along with our golf tip of the month, we are going to host a rules night on Friday, February 27th. It will be held next door at A Home on The Range. We will set-up a golf hole indoors, and go over hypothetical rules situations. We can go over any questions that each of you may have regarding the Rules and Ethics of Golf. Don’t be shy because I know each and every one of you has questions. The cost will be $10/person which includes dinner ($7), a 2009 Rules of Golf book ($3), and a wealth of Rules knowledge (Priceless).

Between us, I can’t imagine a finer idea for a night out with the local golfers. Knowing the rules of golf speeds up play. An awareness of the importance, function, and penalty of hazards forces any stick to play away from them, or to decide quicker the proper resolution/penalty when a stroke is lost. In addition, one can help her/his partners come to a similarly-resolute decision (as long as the partners are not arrogant, selfish, know-it-all golfers!)

I’ve long lobbied for golfers to learn to use a pronged instrument other than a fork. How difficult is it to fix three ball marks per green? I’m hoping that Bandon Crossings will include an interlude on the importance of ball mark repair. For $7 for dinner (What!!!???) every guest should listen.

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