Boo Hoo - it's too windy !!

Just been on The Open site and saw a Q&A with the R&A guy about when play should be suspended - complaints about the ball moving on the greens. I can't believe they would even consider it. Nothing gets on my nerves more than the pros moaning about it being too windy, too difficult etc. Just get on with it. I'm sure its nice following the sun around the world all year round, and playing tournaments in benign conditions. This is the world's greatest golf tournament for goodness sake. Suck it up and prove you are the best by dealing with the conditions and going out and winning the tournament. Personally, I have much more respect for a guy who wins a tournament with a winning score of +5 instead of -20. RANT OVER.

Come on, I know they lead a very comfortable professional career, but you wouldn't hit a putt if the ball was moving would you?? If you did, and you missed the hole, you'd blame the wind for moving the ball right?

Plus, these guys are playing for the honour of becoming a major winning player (and for the huge wad of cash of course!!).  If the one time they hit the ball on the move on the putting green and missed they hole, then subsenquently lost the championship by 1 shot, they'd have a right to complain, no?

It's a proper test of golf, that's all.  A bit like watching a golfshake comp admitedlly, shots spraying around all over the shop.  Interesting that Normans old head can cope better than most with the conditions and a lot of the young Turks (mostly on the US tour) are struggling.  I find it strange that a lot of them haven't started playing the conditions and are still trying to muscle their way around.   Hope the conditions are just as bad tomorrow...

At first sight I agreed with what you wrote Jon. 

However having reflected on it a little I can see a problem.  On the green you have marked your ball and it is usually fairly easy to replace it on the same spot and on an identical lie. 

In a bunker you have not marked it and it is still in play.  If it moved due to wind or gravity it would need to be replaced in an unmarked spot probably on a steep lie where it would be difficult to get it to rest or replicate the lie.  If you made a rule that the ball did not have to be replaced you would have a certain amount of gamesmanship going on as players waited to see if their lie would improve and a certain amount of heavy footedness (is that a word) in approaching the ball.

So on further thought I think there is a distinction between the two situations and hence the different rules.

 I agree JT, it's a contradiction and petty anyway. What difference does it make if the ball moves a centimetere? As long as you've not moved it. Furthermore I will always move stones out of the way of my club in a bunker if I'm not in a competition. Why should I wreck my clubs for greeenkeepers shoddy shortcomings?