On episode #118 of The Real Life Caddie Podcast:
• Big G and Mike Zabbo do something they have never done before on the podcast…….they welcome a female guest!
• Yes, you read that correctly! The lads welcome Marcela Smith.
• Marcela is a keen golfer who has taken her passion for the game to the next level.
• She teaches in-person seminars and online classes to men and women and focuses heavily on the rules of golf.
• Typically a boring subject, Marcela brings humor along with a number of stories from her experiences around the world and at home playing the game she loves!
• The boys have a great laugh with Marcela and this is a must listen for all listeners!
The Real Life Caddie Podcast is sponsored by Big Game Golf (https://biggamegolf.com/) . Download the App (https://biggamegolf.com/) today and join the biggest and best scoring, gaming and networking app for golfers!
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On this episode of the real life carry podcast we break fresh ground and do something we’ve never done before Zabo and I welcome our first ever female guest yes after 118 episodes we welcome a lady onto the show on this episode Our Guest is Marcel Smith from Southern
California Marcel is a keen golfer who’s taken her passion for the game to the next level for several years she’s been running in-person seminars and online classes to help introduce both men and women to the game of golf and more specifically the rules of golf rules are
Not golf for strong point but Marcela makes it fun for us all by integrating stories from her golf experiences abroad along with the ladies matches with friends at home I’m very happy to say that we had a really great laugh with Marcel and I would encourage everyone to
Check out her website after listening to this episode if you have any feedback or questions please email us podcast at glorified donkey.com or contact us on social media please also check out our podcast sponsor big game golf you can download the app free today and start enjoying your golf matches more thanks
For listening and we hope that you enjoy this Episode welcome to another episode of the real life carry podcast now before before we introduce Our Guest we have to go through a couple of different things we’re actually recording at Melville’s Tavern in montere I’m sitting here with Zabo yeah if you hear a little extra background noise this is a new location
But we’re happy to be here very authentic it is very authentic I hear some clattering maybe a phone ringing or two well it distracts from us talking it does which is a good thing we’re also we have to dedicate this episode to we lost a good horse this past month one of the
Best we lost uh dear friend of the podcast and my father-in-law Jim Atwell passed away about a a little less than a month ago yes exactly and I was very very fortunate to actually meet Jim this time last year up in Oregon yeah and uh that was uh that was after his incident
With me on the golf course he died on the golf course Marcel at Pebble Beach while I was playing with him his heart stopped sudden cardiac arrest for 15 minutes they brought him back and he lived another good year he went on a cruise with his wife an International
Cruise he went back to school to teach he was substitute teaching Elementary School six months ago he also appeared on the on the podcast on the podcast he hardly got a word in because we were just on fire as we usually are however our thoughts prayers go out to you you
The family Maran Jean Julie the whole the whole shebang he was a good horse I’m going to miss him tagging me on Twitter oh he’s legendary on Twitter legendary everywhere he he was a great man man good lad missed he’s probably still listening he is this episode is
Called girls play Golf 2 okay so we have a guest we do have a guest the first female guest on do you identify as a girl today I do today okay Marcela Smith welcome Marcela welcome thank you okay so you are the first female guest on the
Podcast how does it feel wow it’s a little scary cuz I’ve listened enough to know but I think I can handle it I’m from the hood I’m from the hood all joking aside the women should they really be allowed to play goal depends on which women oh love it
Good point yes so I met Marcela about maybe six or seven years ago I think you met her like on course on the golf course on the big course 17 and there was a an issue with uh ruling and she just happened to be walking past and she
And she’s a rules Guru right is it this is what happened I’m I’m a rules defa so you came in and and you told These Guys these men what the rule was I think half them did they did they like that ruling or did they have an issue with it half
Of them hated it and half them liked it and then we exchanged details and then we connected and Instagram and over the last few years we’ve been in touch she’s up in Mont for the Women’s Open US Open and uh yeah we we wanted it on okay but
Do you want to know what really happened go on okay so what really happened is I was here filming for a brand that I work with uh equipment brand what the brand Zio Zio sexi owl we yes okay they’re high-end brand yes they’re yeah very exclusive anyway it makes me such a
Better player uhhuh you either have a swing or you don’t but so I was filming something for them and I stopped uh along 17 where the you know you could be driving your car and I’m with my girlfriend and I just go let me just pop out take a quick picture
How do you not take a picture and there’s this man and his son and a caddy in the background a couple other guys and they’re waiting very good-looking gentleman from Scotland I think that’s what the cad yeah that’s what was my first thought yeah I’m sure and so I saw
These these two guys and they were I’m taking a picture they like oh what are you doing what are you taking you know what’s going on I said well I’m here filming this thing teach the rules of golf and they go well we have this thing
This thing just happened I go well I told my friend Rue get the camera out start filming so I start going through the issue of the rule which they wanted to understand how to take relief from a cart path and they didn’t know which is kind of funny but anyway we’ll get to
That later about how most men really interpret the rules very differently they don’t really have a need for the book so anyway so we’re going through all that and it was really fun we made a great video it’s on YouTube I post it on my Instagram Gordon’s like oh I had them
Today he’s like and the GU an ass right do you remember that this this is this is a live from Southern California who hated me that’s shocking somebody hated you he he was he was a real piece of work actually and I remember talking to
Neil at the time cuz that that’s how far back it is it’s at least 5 years did you talk about this incident on the podcast yeah we did we did if you go back to the first 10 episodes Neil ended up carrying for him the next day oh wow yeah cuz I I
Walked to the first I said it’s best for everyone he apologized for his behavior in 18 and I just said to him in the first year I said it’s best for everyone that I don’t work for you well was funny cuz he’s really cute and his son was really cute so they were
Very nice very nice to me trying to understand and don’t have a son he he’s trying to um explain you know kind of what happened and a littleit he was a little bo boastful about his own abilities in his short game and everything but anyway it’s on my YouTube
If you want to see it but that’s kind of how how we met originally than you so your name is Marcela Smith that’s right for now for now for now where are you from what didn’t we just say Men Are from Mars women no I’m from San Diego
Originally okay and now I live in Palm Desert but I have lived in a couple of other spots as well and and lived and played in Tahoe and the Bay Area and Pleasanton area and um have belonged to a number of country clubs and fortunately and learned a lot about golf
That way didn’t know how to hit anything I mean a hand eye thing keep your eye on the ball was like what you know I danced when I was little I did no Sports none of that so mik used to Dan when he was L I think he still does you’re right
You’re right about that so did you grow up grow up playing or when did you start playing oh I started playing golf at the age of 40 40 yes because my was it a husband you 4 it was 10 minutes ago when I started playing coincidentally started playing
Last year yeah exactly uh so I started playing just because a girlfriend friend said hey you got to play it’s a it’s wonderful I’m addicted and so I it was very my first round was 6 hours cuz I insisted on putting everything out and that girl it was bad yeah I was
Clueless um and actually here at Pebble is where I realize that no one knows the rules like this thing happened to me in a couples tournament so you fast forward a few years couples tournament not anymore because of this seriously listen if you’re a man and you want a me and
You have the audacity to question my rules knowledge it’s not going to go well know who you’re dealing with I mean seriously so uh we were at a couples’s tournament it was a three-day spy glass Pebble and Poppy okay uh NCGA event we’re like I don’t know how many holes
Into Pebble and I hit a little 60 yard shot to the green and normally no issue plugged into a bunker and it was plugged and standing where I was I said oh I’m not going to be able to hit that so I’ll just go take an unplayable right here
And at that time it was uh arm you know shoulder height and my husband goes oh no no no no no you can’t do that honey you you if you’re going to take an unplayable in a bunker you have to stay in the bunker and I go oh well I I just
Learn this I went to this thing at NCGA and I I think I can yeah and he goes no a caddy I don’t remember his name wish I did but I know it wasn’t you guys what what the caddy say caddy said no if you’re going to take an unplayable line
In a bunker you have to stay in a bunker and and um the other couple that was with us same thing they said and I’m like no I wrote it down I took like tons of notes nope and they’re like nope nope nope so we picked up my ball he’s he’s
On it was a one better ball he’s on um you know putting for par of course he missed his par of course you know your it’s your fault well no that was another strike and he only got three okay this is two okay so I’m just saying so we
Find out five holes later a woman uh Casey from NCGA walks by and I’m like excuse me um I thought I could take a drop here and just drop stroke and distance and she’s like sweetheart you can take stroke and distance anywhere on the course you want anytime you want
Including in bunkers including in bunkers and don’t let anybody tell you any differently and I’m like wait a minute I just freaking started playing this game and I learn this CU I pay attention to details I I am a little OCD and all these people who play in
Professional cies don’t know the rules so that’s when I became interested in them and eventually started educating women and men and helping people learn well that that rule was changed right because before it was you would have to take relief if from a embedded ball in a
Bunker and the then they change that so that that’s the thing if you if you know the rules you got to stay up to date because the rules change year in and year out correct they they have major changes every four years but they have updates every year in What’s called the
Clarifications and the interpretations yeah but the wasn’t the old rule in bunkers you could not take a typical unplayable you would have to stay in the bunker or has it always been that way this was this way many many many years ago now when it would have changed I
Don’t know the answer to that was well before 2019 gotcha do you think husbands and wives should play golf together there’s a lot of husbands and wives that should not there are a lot of people that are very nitpicky okay and it’s more women are nitpicky than men in
General personality wise you guys I don’t know if you’ve experienced that but men and golf want to help just men want a problem solve they want to help they want to you know yeah say oh why don’t you do this and just choke down and blah blah blah and
It’s not helpful when when she’s not a super athlete with a tons of experience with this sport if she’s not then your advice is not going to help because you’re going to introduce something that her coach hasn’t talked to her about before and all we can think about if
We’re newer again is just the few things that our coach talked to us about so I think it’s a great thing to do together but you have to be so careful about trying to be helpful 100% we talk about all the time yeah I have the opposite
Problem unfortunately cuz my wife is a better golfer than me so when we play she kisses me pointers and I get frustrated easy there but yeah she’s a PGA professional so she actually she grew up playing the game and played in college so she is actually probably a
Little better golfer than I am oh how nice I have a standard line Marcel when someone asks me oh does your wife play I I say this I go H that’s a really good question I don’t know I’ve never asked I’m getting the impression I could
Play golf with you you could and I’ll tell you what it’s about Pace it’s about being considerate and it’s not all about you right so you got to pick up and move along now we all play by the rules and most caddies that I encounter are used
To you know country club resort players especially women who who may be you know maybe men or women that don’t want to play by the rules because they’re out have you know they’re at Pebble right and and I found that caddies will like kick my ball into the Fairway or fluff
It up or whatever I’m like surprising that’s ask cat don’t do that do not touch my ball I will I mean we don’t the girls don’t the girls the girls that I play with we play by the rules just because we just do and if you’re in a
Divot you play it like we play by the rules and then if we’re not going to play by the rules it’s it’s a very unique exception but we play by the rules and then I video everything so if you’re my friend you know you’re going
To be on my my Instagram and uh my YouTube when you played that coup’s tournament was that your first interaction with a caddy no I had had caddy play before at other country clubs yeah okay so tell us tell us about your experiences with Cades oh my god um so
Some some are really good I mean there’s the caddies in Scotland you know who um you can’t understand oh my God I have no idea what they’re saying and they have all these first of all there’s like this you know don’t give away the whole which
We all kind of know what that means but there’s all those kinds of like phrases that don’t really mean anything in real English and then they about the accent so you can’t understand anything they’re saying it’s freaking freezing it was 32° when I played the old course it’s cold
Summer Marcel so um but no it’s it they’re great but they’re just it’s like okay you have to stop talking cuz I have no idea what you’re saying wait a second you you’re saying Scots talk a lot I didn’t realize that yeah so you know they’re I mean
They have a ton of knowledge and the men love Scottish catties oh yeah big time but I just can’t understand I just can’t understand them so it’s like just tell me the why was that was it because how how quickly they speak or the accent and
How quickly they speak okay yeah you you probably haven’t heard they have an accent well it’s true though like a lot of Scots like your boy craney talks a mile a minute like you have you can’t understand like you you talk at a reasonable Pace but a lot of Scots they
Talk so fast if you don’t if you don’t speak their lingo I’ve lived in America on and all for 20 years right so you learned to slow it down you have to slow down how you talk that’s better but you have to slow down annunciate that’s the that’s the key but
A lot of caddies won’t we’re talking that the Jean Pool is low okay it’s true especially in the caddy game yeah you get you get tired of people asking you to repeat what you said so I’m I’m surprised that caddies and Scotland and Ireland don’t get it
Yet no they I mean you know they’re nice guys but just for for the all the girls were like I have no no idea what they’re saying yeah just tell me the club you know just actually I I don’t even say tell me the club because one thing I
Really do not like about Cades is when they don’t know you and they walk up and they go instantly you know second hole in they’re they’re telling you what club to hit and they don’t know my game right and so I would rather that you say real
Number and net number that’s all I want and obviously some great putt reads and everything but I would rather real number net number and then I decide in the club and maybe eight nine holes in you’re starting to get when I use my pitching wedge or whatever but there’s no reason for you
To say what club it is because the bottom line is if you give me that real number and that net number I’m that’ll be enough you what kind of index do you carry now um I’m a 52 huh come on 5.2 no oh God you know
Better than that no I’ve never seen I’ve been oh well that’s why I’m on the podcast you haven’t you haven’t seen me swing I’ve been I no I’ve been like a 15 index I’m like an 17 plus Index right now cuz I I play ping I a pickle ball a
Pickle ball now oh cool yeah use your words you talk about people absolutely a newer sport absolutely riing the Scots caddies and they can’t speak speak I am a very average player and so what I tell the ladies what’s average I think I my experience most women that I know are in
The low 20s index okay so I know a lot of women who are five not even I know a lot of women who are five index 5 10 15 whatever but there’s majority of the country club women that I teach and that I play with
And know are in like 22 26 range but I’ll tell you this I I bet you with Marcel it’s a legit 17 index so I would probably put you up against the majority of men who were 13 14 indexes cuz they’re vanity handicaps as you talked
About you know you come see caddies kick balls and stuff you want to play it down most men don’t want to play it down when they come out here they give putts they don’t hole out from from 10 feet all the time they say put me down for a five
When they made an eight like people aren’t writing down their legit scores and then they go and post and it’s like yeah you’re a 13 but you really shot 104 out there you didn’t shoot shoot 88 I want to hear more stories about your caddy and what your experien with
Caddies though so you’ve been in Scotland you played up there played in Scotland played in New Zealand played in a lot of places um yeah it’s crazy Bandon Pinehurst member guest at Cypress Point and won our flight nice so that was pretty good and that was after I had just had
Vertigo and my back had been out but good story about him his name is Saint do you know sa yes I know the saint everybody knows the saint so great caddy but I go up first day and I missed the practice round cuz I had had vertigo and
I couldn’t get on a plane and so I’m like I’m but I had already been played played there previously a couple years earlier so I was fine I’m going to miss the practice round sorry so we get in now first round of the event and I’m
Like oh you know nice to meet you Saint and what’s your CAD style I’m trying to basically say please don’t Club me but I didn’t want to say that I’m trying to be nice for once in my life and I go what’s your cadd style and he goes it’s
Whatever you want it to be he goes you want to hear me talk I’ll talk if you don’t I won’t you want the number blah blah blah and so he was awesome awesome yeah yeah but I tend to question a little bit sometimes oh jeez she’s one
Of those too she’s a question little a little bit not a lot okay so that was that that was a good experience yes any bad experiences with catties apart from what you told me yeah so yeah there’s a there’s a there a good number so there’s there’s the caddy at a tournament in
Tahoe member guest you’re talking about Tahoe so for people that don’t are not from America right Tahoe is we’re we’re Central Coast you say that yes we are Central monter is in the the the middle of California Taho yeah it’s we’re consider we Cal but we’re Central Cal
Really okay and then to Lake part of it’s in California and part of it’s in Nevada so I belong to a club up there and uh we’re playing in a member guest and first of all every time I bring women out for the member guest my friends and these are friends that can
Be a 10 index up to a you know 25 it you know you bring different friends it’s based on personality how much fun you’re going to have with them and yeah you’d like to win but and so so I bring a friend and I go do you want a caddy now
My favorite caddy James and prior to him another guy uh whose name I can’t remember right now who’s amazing uh left he’s amazing but so amazing I have no idea what he became a somaler so anyway he’s the best he looked like um Robert Downey Jr anyway exactly like Robert
Downey so I’d say he’s not available so I don’t know who we’re going to get so do you want someone because you you just don’t know who you’re going to get and then they sit there and they go well it’s up to you and blah BL I’m like okay
I just want to know because if you want them great we’ll get them yeah but if you don’t that’s fine too but you you got to stick with them like cuz you might not kind of and so you and you might not love them so what happens is
They go out and women sometimes think that someone gives them a bad read now these women no I’ve never came across this Gordon of you that’s never happened to me well these are these are women that are like you know they could be like I said a 20 something handicap we
Know we know okay so they they they say you know oh he he’s just he’s not he doesn’t read my pets well and it’s like you know if you could actually execute and if I could actually see you keep your head down through your stroke and actually have a straight putter right
Then I could say that maybe you could say that but like we I mean come on you know be be realistic and so they get upset and they think the guy’s not good so they’re like oh and then they get in their head and for the next six holes
They’re grumpy because this guy is giving them terrible reads well he’s not okay and the bottom line is you need to be a field putter with or without a caddy you need to know your your distant just get that feel and if if you have them or you don’t right because come on
You’re so on point right now Marcel you’re so on point you have no idea go on they get so mad so anyway so that that’ll happen and then they also get mad the ladies will if we’re playing with other other ladies and there’s like um the other ladies make start off with
Two pars or a birdie in a par then they start looking at the scorecard keep looking at their handicap going wait a minute how what they’re a what they’re a 30 they’re a 29 how can they do well golf is that way you might start out
With the bang and that’s okay right but it doesn’t mean the women are complete sandbaggers and even if they are we’re going to play 18 holes get in your Zone get in your own mindset and stop thinking about them you can’t control what they are you know so now
That all being said women are amazing to play with they are the reason that I have a social life that I do I so many of my close friends play golf I love women play for the camaraderie and the um the outfits honestly leopard print golf clothes that’s why we play and it’s
Not so much that we’re ever going to get down to a five index maybe right and and they sometimes know that they’re not and also as you get older and age their their physical and their cognitive skills start declining it’s just a fact right so they might have been on a
Trajectory to start really lowering their handicap but then so many jokes here well you just so many jok oh for men it’s way worse way worse no no no that wasn’t the jokes I was going for but so many jokes here okay but so so but anyway so the the whole thing about
Women is about just empowering them and making them feel comfortable and that’s what I do with my with my girl friend’s guide to golf with teaching those those rules of golf but the reality is women and men get pissy at their caddies and it’s an entitled sort of position right
I mean you obviously you guys you see this every day you’re you’re cading at the most expensive courses kind of in the world mhm oh we’re also the most expensive catties in the world so we are but but what everything you said about women and their expectations of caddies
And and their ability to actually put is so on point cuz cuz we encounter that nonstop they they start blaming us right away when they they can’t even hit it borderline where you’re telling them to hit it or at the pace you tell them to
Hit it and and it’s a focus thing and what I teach them in my clinics is I don’t teach obviously anything about the the the skills of of golf or the swing but I talk about specifically about putting and that once you get to the putting green it’s sacred ground there
Should be no talking you should not be whining and going you know if we don’t have a caddy do you want me to T the pin you want it P do you need me to move my ball marker I’m like no she does it B
Than I do she does yes but that you know obviously if I need you to to move your ball marker yeah well you’ll will’ll let me know hang and yeah and you find out on the first hole if they like the pin in or out you find out and go cool you
Like the short ones out great and you make a plan for that but so it’s important that they not you know kind of um what’s the word convolute what’s going on the pting Green let people be in their Zone to think now I also have friends That’ll Walk around the whole
Friends who were 25 handicaps walk around the hole twice and go to their husband oh honey do you think it’s what do you what do you think about right so five minutes of that and then they look up like you’re so not even yeah so it’s really to me it’s about
Being able to focus there with whatever your skills are right but if you don’t have to be a serious ball Striker to to one or two putt you just have to be in a mental Zone I don’t you think it’s mental yeah what’s the best part of your game
Short game actually my putting can be can be on fire and if you’re willing to give me a dollar to make putts so I play for M like I you play for money oh I am so much more motivated if there’s a trophy on the line or when my partners
My girlfriends are like okay I’ll give you a dollar if you make this I will make it we’re going to make sure that you download the big game golf app oh your sponsor yeah so you’ll enjoy that do women gamble in the course is that every day we never play unless there’s a
Oh yeah you have to a big game yeah love it yeah it’s a big part what about the long game off the tea nothing I mean I like my driver um you know it just sort of depends right now I’m struggling a little bit but my putting and my short
Game is good love my 60° love my 60° wedge and I play it on a tight lion stuff people are like what the hell are you doing but it’s just what I do I don’t know how far do you hit at
60 uh I I like to hit it 35 to 45 uh I can hit it a little bit longer but you use for full shots or you just use it for chipping pretty much I will use it for a full shot a nice big Flopper and
I’m not afraid of it big Flopper love it yeah Zabo and you could go and play his home course actually a little par three course in the area where it’s inside the gates yeah the love the hay that’s he has all these hole in ones yeah have you ever
Had a hole in one no no let’s go to the hay I want one I played 100 holes at the hay though for a fundraiser for youth on course oh did you about a year ago yeah 100 holes that’s a lot that is a lot and that’s before they had the restaurant in
The restroom there so you had to run up to that educational thing to pee which was a problem so I’m like you’re running around the course and then you’re running there every time you round up on the N I’m just squat in the bushes well that weekend
Well anyway we’re going to go for a we break we’re going to give you a message from our our sponsor our podcast sponsor big game golf we’re going to go for a we pain here it’s Melville’s Tavern in Monteray California if you’re ever in town make sure and come down and say
Hello to Ian are you a cad who sometimes gets bored in the job are you struggling to stay engaged with your players in the golf course if this is you you need to download the big game golf app today not only can you use the app when playing
Golf yourself but the app is a fantastic tool to stay engaged with your players while doing your job whether you’re keeping score using the ecore card feature or introducing your players to one of the over 30 money games on offer the app will offer both you and your
Players a more fun and engaging experience on the course the big game golf app is free to download easy to use and it also integrates with the USGA to automatically pull players handicaps you can even text every in the final results the extra effort on your part may even
Help boost your tip and please find me a caddy who wouldn’t be interested in that start today and download the big game golf app so make sure and download that app thank you very much for big game gol for sponsoring us will you be downloading the app today oh today right
Now right now what’s what’s the Wii pass wait H wait half an hour on promo Co code g donkey 2 all lower case oh twwo that’s right we we never actually went there we the number two G donkey one or two well cheers thanks for the beer here cheers that’s for I at
Melville’s Tavern down here in mon so you you get into golf you’re playing golf you play with your husband bad move you’re now you run a thing on Instagram called girlfriend’s guide to golf yeah when when did it start and how did it start and what do you do it started so
Organically it’s so bizarre you know as I said learned the rules was passionate about them spent more time helped my country clubs helped their ladies you know brought the guys from Southern California Golf Association down to teach the rules and then I start going oh well can you focus on these rules for
My ladies and then there was one year they’re like well we can’t make it we’re too busy I go okay well can I send you my outline I’m just going to teach it myself and then of course I went and got my certification from the USGA and
Studied for that horrible test and um but that’s kind of interesting but my social media part started in the weirdest way my sister said you need to get on Instagram I’m like what’s Instagram so I get on and I get this DM which I didn’t know what a DM was but I
Got this message from this woman that owned a clothing company and she’s like oh we we we think your stuff’s great we love you can I send you a box of clothes I’m like who is this bald old man in his mother’s basement like how do I know
This is this person is this message what’s the D is it public has anyone seen that I had no idea I’m like Michelle my sister what what what does this mean yeah well that’s it all kind of started and it grew that way because of the clothing aspect because of the
Lifestyle of women is how it became what it is I have to jump in and see you are looking renish look look at that talk thank you this is daily Sports what kind of top is that it’s by daily Sports oh daily Sports gotcha nice John like John Daly or no
It’s not connected to John Daly good yeah but uh so that’s why and kind of how it all started in snowballed and then then it kind of happened sort of in tandem the the the fashion and style and women’s clothing part promo codes all that stuff and then teaching the rules
And so now I teach women I teach men too I teach co-ed clinics but I teach a level one and level two Clinic called a girlfriend’s golf experience on golf courses mostly country clubs around the country and it’s a 2hour clinic and we start out they get a video before it
Even gets um before they even uh show up they get a video with foundational stuff areas of the course you know there’s no junk on the golf course everybody’s like oh I hit my ball in the junk well that’s not one of the defined areas of course
Oh you you don’t like that term so do you do you you dislike terms like trap is that a big no no for you that’s that’s yeah that’s a sticking point for my wife like you don’t like trap no I don’t it doesn’t bother me because we know you’re talking there’s so many
Jokes in this this whole thing sorry I’m just going to step aside here just let you guys go go for it here yes so but I so many people refer to things the wrong way so we help them understand you know this video this initial 30 minute video
They get talks about the foundation the areas of the course the types of penalties the formats of play stroke play versus match play and the fact that you need to know when you’re asking a question of a rules official or your Club Pro you you need to say my ball was
In the general area we were playing match play and then this thing happened right so you need to know those things so we kind of lay out that Foundation then when we get to the course for this 2-hour experience we start out in the tee area talk about provisional balls
What you need to do um what you shouldn’t do what you should do and what you must do and we talk about actually should must and May and how some people when they hear someone on television talk about a rule they think he said that you have to do something well he
Said that you should or you may so the rules are very clear with should must and may on what you you know you must Mark your ball before you lift it to identify it you must yes must that’s not a but you and you may or you should put
A unique Mark put your little three blue dots or a green circle right and that’s a should so we talk about all of that and we get through we go to an unplayable lie we demonstrate it people take out a club they talk about how you
Take that relief that back on the line lateral stroke and distance and I teach ladies that that 18.1 stroke and distance is their best friend and they all have these Eureka moments because they’re like oh my gosh I don’t have to sit there and kill myself in the bunker
Or in a horrible lie and thick Fescue or whatever and so they learn those things and we go to a penalty area and we go to a a cart path and just work our way down the golf course and we in take a lot of questions and they get handouts and it’s
It’s really a like a crash course in in golf rules and and you consider yourself an expert you pretty much know every rule in golf or do you do do you have to consult the book much on rulings I love you asking that because so there’s two certification levels Advanced and expert
I’m currently Advanced I’ll hope to get my expert this November when I take the test again and does expert mean you don’t need the book anymore you just know them all by heart and don’t need to consult it nope because every rules official including the top tour uh rules
Official on the uh PGA Tour has their book with them and consults it quite often because you just want it to be perfect yeah there’s a lot of rules out there they’re just um a lot of exceptions and a lot of nuances do you think there’s too many
Rules I personally feel like there should be two sets of books books I feel like there should be rules for professional play with that current 25 rule book that we have which is fantastic it’s perfect it really is really really good and then there should be a separate book for amateurs that
Just makes it so much easier because I think it’s daunting when you’re starting to play and you want to play in events and some fun tournaments and it’s like I never heard of that in fact I was teaching the other day and a pro that was watching cuz I give what’s called MSR
Credits which are member service requirements for PGA professionals so they get continued education credits if they attend my event so they quite often attend and I was explaining the unreasonable stroke rule which I’ll tell you about but I was explaining it and he’s like I have never ever ever heard
Of that and he’s a PGA professional for many many many years so there’s a lot of stuff that you just wouldn’t have come across yeah you know but do you know about the reasonable stroke role I don’t know I’m yes so if you’re going to take
If you may be entitled to free relief from a cart path for example if you may be entitled well because you you when you see your ball on a car path you may be entitled you’re not always entitled if it’s on the car path yeah how can you
Not be entitled to relief if it’s on the carpet God you’re just asking the perfect question for for my answer if it’s on the cpath you’re always entitled to relief you must take or you don’t must take relief but you’re always entitled to it no except if it’s an
Unreasonable stroke so just say there’s this huge Boulder okay right in front of your way on the way to the hole okay and your stroke if if that were grass instead of cart path your stroke at the ball would hit the boulder then it’s not reasonable that you would have been able
To hit that shot anyway so you don’t get free relief from the immovable obstruction the cart path because it wasn’t reasonable you wouldn’t have had a shot and you’re going to say never ever heard of that if it was on the grass if it were just on the grass in the general area
Gotcha I it’s a freaking aha moment yeah that’s that’s pretty crazy yeah so I mean there there’s a lot of things like that all right is it is it time to start diving into the rules to to to actually figure some stuff out AB the what what
Are the the the top the top misconceived rule in your opinion I think related to relief free relief from an immovable obstruction abnormal course condition so that’s your cart path your sprinkler head your drain right any of those man-made obstructions people think that you can just take it and put it wherever
You want they tend to want to put it on the nicer side of the cart path for example yeah yeah and sometimes there’s a hedge or really thick bushes on one side of the cart path which is their nearest point of complete relief but those bushes are in the general area
Right because they’re not in any of the four specific area so the bushes are in bounds in the general area and uh that is your nearest point of complete relief right into a hedge and so if you want to take this optional relief that’s where you’re going to drop
Is in the middle of the Bush that is your nearest point of complete relief so people think no there’s bushes there that’s not my nearest point it’s over here side on The Fairway side which which isn’t true yeah so that one’s very very common and it’s it’s so cart path
Relief and sprinkler head relief are different correct is is it is it uh cuz car path relief is stance and a club link correct well so in 2019 that it’s a little Nuance that change so it’s your nearest point of complete relief from either of these any abnormal course
Conditions could be ground under repair could be um cart path could be drainer could be a drain could be a electrical box right mhm you get your nearest point you find your nearest point of complete relief that’s no closer to the hole and then you get a
Club link from that reference point so even on a sprinkler head it’s nearest point and then a club link from there no closer to the hole yes and that changed in 2019 so that that that’s another thing that bothers me with the with the USGA because they have some rules that
Are adoptable by local conditions some like like for instance if you’re this this is one that I always tell players but when they’re within two club links of a sprinkler head and they’re within two club links of the green that’s a local rule correct that’s not a that’s
Not a USGA actual rule if it’s line of play you can adopt a local rule where you can get relief but that is not an official rule correct yeah so the model local rules are sort of official they’re available and provided by the USGA and
The RNA as a list of options and they give you exact verbiage that you can choose from so your Club Pro your wife will pick one that she wants for example there’s two Club lanks from the putting green that sprinkler head and you adopt
That and you put it on the back of the scorecard or in some other printed material and have that available to people who play so it’s a model local rule you pick and choose your model local rules and you adopt them so it’s it’s official in that way but it’s not
In the 25 rules of golf book it doesn’t go everywhere it’s only where it’s been adopted is that pretty standard like at a PGA Tour level that that particular rule if you’re within two Club lengths of the green and that’s line of play um
I don’t know about a PGA level I know at a lot of country clubs they have that local rule yes and what’s different about that is it’s better than just your normal um free relief from your cart path or sprinkler head out in the Fairway because you also get line of
Play as you said it’s not cuz normally it’s just area of intended stance and swing or if the ball’s on it if you have that interference but in this case with that model local rule it’s also if it is in your your line of play and of course
Your line of play to a hole on a putting green may not be the straight line obviously if you got a good caddy and he’s telling you that the green is severely goes left to right she’s pointing at me she is yes yes so your line of play
Could be way away from the flag but that’s your intended line and then you get your free relief yeah it just it kind of drives me crazy that they have they’re adoptable rules but they’re not actual rules like for instance the the the new a Rule now it’s a local Rule now
You hit a ball OB you can drop one where it went out equal with the Fairway under a penalty of two shots so it’s essentially you’re hitting you know if you hit a t-shot you’re now hitting four but that’s not at the professional level and that’s adoptable right I it’s again
It’s like they’re they’re making two sets of rules I don’t in my opinion I don’t like that yeah well I think because because it’s a kind of a hybrid you know what I mean so people get confused and think they’re allowed to do something when they when they can’t and
That one not many people use I would say but it’s a pace of play thing and the thing I I try to use it a lot as a cad I’m like all right we can drop up there so just so you know Marcel right Zabo is
The che here we go as a caddy I have ever seen in my life I do what I can for my players so they win win so you you’ve touched upon a lot of things during this episode I was with delin mccoin and our our friend Michelle couple nights ago
Mhm they had a cad over at Clint course TOA and and the car straight away in the second hole just takes their bunk their balls at the bunker and said well most women don’t want to play at the bunker wow right so he’s Way Beyond what I would even say is
Acceptable and I think there’s a lot of things we do as caddies where no one will ever know they were in that mess yeah one of the things I remember the guy come up to me and says well you could have given me a decent lie and I’m
Sitting there going you would have seen it yeah you should have seen it before this thing’s in Santa Cruz County right this is out your I I was sometimes I take an extra ball out their bag just so you can drop it I was just going to
Say yeah but Zabo is the worst he the absolute worst I have seen him Che for people no no he has is off the charts but are these people playing for money get out of here thing get out of that’s the thing so if you’re just goofing around on a random Sunday you’re
Hung over you come in you’re just like H and you just play whatever do whatever you want but if you’re playing for money I’m sorry you don’t get to pick and choose I had a guy I know a guy who’s like a plus two and we paired up um for
A little match play with another uh couple another couple friends and he’s literally he sets up on the first te and he’s like he moves the t- markers he’s like oh these aren’t set up right I’m like you can’t do that we you just lost
The hole he’s like what lost the hole I don’t know that that’s Lo if if it improves the conditions affecting the stroke if you’re doing it and there’s an advantage pitch to you then it’s loss of hole but that’s on your tea markers on your tea area but what if your ball ends
Up for example this H I’m sure this happens to you well maybe not you guys ever but maybe players where you tea off from the the tips but the ball ends up on the ladies tea there’s a whole bunch of connotation is there official rule
You have to pull your pants down yeah is that aici is that a US local rule no but but if it’s right next to a t- marker on that Tee area can you move that yeah you can move the t- marker right yeah absolutely you tell me
You so you can move any t- markers cuz just like any cart path sign or red or yellow steak as long yeah if it interferes with your or or bothers you for your area of intended swinger stance but not in your teting area so just any of these other areas these movable
Obstructions good to know yeah just in case your ball ends up on the L I’m just saying that’s just opening the door for so many so so many but we’re so many things you’re being gentlemen today I appreciate that we’re always CHL are we right in saying
That women can be the worst people in the golf course I think women um are more int okay so most households the woman wants the towels folded a certain way she wants the dishwasher loaded a certain way and where things are lined up in the closet she wants a certain way
So we are more particular not all but mostly than men so therefore when we learn something we think it’s right which is like right or wrong so for us if we learn some rules we want people to follow them cuz like this is right this
Is the right thing to do so we get a little bit more intense and so I think that’s why um and men cheat more so they want everyone else to cheat more so that they don’t notice that they’re cheating so that’s another thing the nail on the
Head there yeah but so they can be intense but they can also be amazing I mean I have the best community of women and the best friends in the world so here’s another one that like when they change the rules like what drives me crazy when they changed it from Hazard
To penalty area I I can’t call it a penalty I still call it a hazard I don’t care what the rules say does that does that drive you nuts or you you just you call it a penalty area because that’s what it is now it it doesn’t drive me
Nuts as long as we’re applying the right rules to it as long as we know that we can ground our club now in there and we can take our practice Wing in there that’s true you can you can literally there’s you’re not supposed to in a bunker there’s no penalty if you ground
Your Club in a bunker so when the rules changed in 2019 you had all these people hoop in online with these on liners about the rules it’s okay to double hit your ball period or you can ground your Club in a bunker period Well rules are
Not one as you’ve seen in the book They’re not one line there’s all these exceptions so it’s okay to accidentally double hit your ball anywhere but never intentionally okay and you can D you can double hid in the putting grain really accidentally as well um and the same
Thing about grounding your Club it’s not okay to accidentally ground your Club in the bunker it kind of depends you can prevent yourself from falling you can spank the ground or slap the ground in air in Anger like Sergio Garcia I use him all the time as an example but
That’s permitted and that’s written into the rules of golf but you can’t take a practice swing you can’t test the sand so those oneliner any of those bullet where they go the top 10 whatever the top whatever kind of ignore them because they’re not the full story okay so
Marcela Smith what is your goal now in in in golf going forward so it’s just to educate as many women as I can I mean I do teach co-ed so it’s not like I don’t but I really focus on women because I want to empower them I want to make them
Feel um comfortable confident out on the course I feel like we’re entitled to be there and I know you’re joking when you say women shouldn’t be there and I in Your Heart of Heart know Gord you know I’m joking I’m joking yeah and I think but it’s called
Banter it’s called banter and people need to understand banter right did yes but in order to feel like we’re entitled to be there whether you’re male or female you need to have a pace of play that’s great you need to keep up with the group you need to care for the
Course and repair damage repair your damage repair other people’s damage there’s responsibilities along with golf and some other countries they actually require you to learn the rules before you even are allowed to go out and play in a public course so it that’s important so I feel like it’s my mission
To educate and and support as many women as possible so that they can feel entitled so that they don’t get discriminated against and that they enjoy themselves by learning you know learning the rules and and having some fun and we have a ton of fun when we’re
Out there it’s not like we’re just going you know by yeah no we we we laugh and and tease and and have a really good time so that that’s really my mission to make more people feel comfortable and confident and I I just love doing it
Love going to and I go all over the country so and she’s available for hire if you I am available if you where can people find you they can find me at girlfriends guu tool.com and on Instagram YouTube Etc I have a podcast that just launched called
Golf rules school with my friend Blakey who’s a real rules official from downunda and he’s an expert yeah so that’s where yeah that’s where you can reach me and um I’d love to have as many people as possible you know just learn a little bit more about the rules and feel
More confident is there a particular rule that drives you crazy like for me the most ridiculous Rule and I I think I’d like to know your opinion if they’re going to change this rule but balls in a divot in the Fairway you can’t take relief do you think that’s
Ridiculous no because then you could be taken Rel fall day long no no I me because who’s who’s someone going to come up and watch exactly what the now you’re going to interpret that divot and you should I’m of the opinion if you hit the Fairway you should have a preferred
Li 100% of time you can you can clean your ball and Mark it for how many years on the putting green right if you’re on the putting green you can mark your ball and clean it and place it back why not be able to do that if you hit a perfect
Shot in the Fairway it just it makes no sense well I think you got a pace situation there no a what pace not really marking your ball cleaning it putting back in the Fairway how many shots are you having on every I mean all day long the that’s a lot there’s very
Few I’ll ever agree with Michael it’s it’s ridiculous I actually agree with Z right now you should never hit a fairway and be in a div and not be able to take it out you you you can place your ball in the te you can mark your ball in the
Green you are penalized on The Fairway if you hit the the Fairway yeah so do do you not think they’ll change that rule eventually everyone says they’ll never change it but again that’s why I feel like there should be a separate book for amateur play that’s just so simple like
That but main thing is is is Pace it’s everything and it ruins people’s rounds when you’re sitting there waiting I mean yesterday and during the practice round here at Pebble Beach at the US Women’s Open it’s tough to that kind of pay I don’t I could never wait that long
Shocking oh kill me recently we had a US Open down at La Country Club Ry maroy had a a reing yes ball embedded what do you think that cuz that changed in 2023 where uh um used to be that the nearest point of complete relief or or
Where you can take your relief for an embedded ball is a spot right behind the embedded ball and if there wasn’t a spot in the general area right there Then you wouldn’t be able to take relief and it happened a lot on the side of bunkers
Like that in the grass and so there actually probably was a spot that was nearer where the ball was that they could have said was his reference point and measured from there so when I saw it I kind of questioned it but ultimately he ended up taking his drop at pretty
Much more or less the same place anyway so it wasn’t a big benefit to him and it also the rules official told him what to do so you know you do what they say and if they blow it then you know blow it but they don’t blow it very often it was
Interesting how the the TV did not zoom in like the would if it was Brooks capka yeah that’s all we’re saying excellent okay we’re going to wrap things up here Marcela thank you so much for it’s been informative yeah thank you it’s been great to be here and I’m loving I’m
About to have some lunch here I’m enjoying my beer and I’m going to come back probably tomorrow night before I head out of town perfect there you go thank you so much Ian thank you Ian he’s busy drinking he’s he’s looking thank you so much for for for
Coming on you’re the first girl that’s ever come on the podcast and and you won’t be the last oh good that’s awesome I’m glad leading leading the way thank you for having me I appreciate it zabble as always thank you very much thank you good to be here if listeners want to
Support us you can always go to our website glorified donkey.com look in the top right hand side buy us a beer until next time enjoy your golf but more importantly play by the rules play by the rules oh we got a new slogan play by the rules play by the Rules A
