WHO: Kyle Stanley WHAT: A 65-yard wedge into the water WHEN: Final round of the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open WHERE: 570-yard par-5 18th hole at Torrey Pines   Golf is easy looking in the rearview mirror. Still, it's hard to understand how Stanley couldn't make a double-bogey at 18, which would've given him the title. It took several huge mistakes for Stanley to make an eight, which dropped him into a playoff that he lost to Brandt Snedeker. Stanley's mistakes included laying up with his second shot instead of blasting his second shot at or over the green; hitting a wedge approach with so much spin that it sucked back off the green and into the water; and finally, three-putting. The wedge into the water might be the shot that Stanley most regrets, because hitting a no-spin wedge from 65 yards is easy.   THE DRILL: To take the spin off a wedge, you've got to radically decrease the angle of attack into the ball by using what I call a "sweepy" instead of a steep release. You also need to move the ball a little further back than normal in your stance and shift your weight a little more to the target side than you would do with a standard shot. To practice no-spin wedges, take practice swings by holding the club with only your right hand. Hold the club at the bottom of the grip so that your right hand (for a right-hander) touches both the grip and the shaft; the butt end of the grip should be near the middle of your right forearm. Make a little backswing and sweep through impact. Just after impact, the butt end of the shaft should hit your right forearm and the shaft should align down your arm. The club and your right arm should remain in that synchronized position for the first half of the follow-through. I like doing this drill without a ball, but you can hit shots using the same technique. Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brian Manzella teaches at English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans.  

THREE-DAY SCHOOLS Boca Raton Resort & Club; Boca Raton, Fla.; Weekly, through May 26 PGA National Resort & Spa; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Weekly – May 19 Cimarron Golf Resort; Palm Springs, Calif.; Weekly – May 19 Chateau Elan Winery & Resort; Atlanta, Ga.; Now – May 27 Centennial Golf Club, Carmel, N.Y.; May 25 – July 2 The Homestead, Traverse City, Mich., June 8 – Aug. 25 TWO-DAY SCHOOLS (Wedge Only) PGA National Resort & Spa; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Mar. 13 – 14; April 17 - 18 Chateau Elan Winery & Resort; Atlanta, Ga.; Mar. 15 - 16; Apr. 4 - 5 Boca Raton Resort & Club; Boca Raton, Fla.; Mar. 6 – 7; Apr. 3 - 4 Cimarron Golf Resort; Palm Springs, Calif.; Mar. 12 - 13 Centennial Golf Club, Carmel, N.Y.; July 17 - 18 The Homestead, Traverse City, Mich., July 6-7; Aug. 29-30 ONE-DAY CLINICS Catta Verdera C.C.; Sacramento, Calif.; Feb. 7 – 11 The Grand Del Mar; San Diego, Calif.; Feb. 14 - 16 Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia; Phoenix, Ariz.; Feb. 22 – 25 Wolfdancer G.C.; Austin, Tex.; Mar. 6 – 10 Cypresswood G.C.; Houston, Tex.; May 9 – 12 Centennial Golf Club; New York, NY; May 17 – July 28 Cog Hill G.C.; Chicago, Ill.; June 5 - 9  

SAND SLIDE Rules Guy, I hit a drive into a bunker with a steep slope and carefully made my way down to my ball. Apparently I wasn’t quite as careful as I thought though, because the sand started to slide out from under my feet, all the way to the ball, moving it several inches back away from the hole. Not knowing what to do, I asked my (very competitive) friend/opponent, who said that I had to take a penalty stroke for moving my ball., and replace it in the original spot I decided to believe him, even though it seemed fishy since I didn’t actually touch the ball and since it moved away from the hole. Was my friend right, or should I find a new playing partner? -- Tim Smith, Portland, Ore.   This is one case where the Rules Guy feels your pain: there is nothing worse than having to tip-toe into a deep bunker for fear of starting a sand slide. Unfortunately, the Rules of Golf are not nearly as sympathetic. According to Decision 18 2b/3, if your approach to the ball or the act of taking your stance in the bunker is what caused the ball to move, you were in violation of Rule 18-2a which prohibits moving a ball at rest. Your buddy even got the penalty right—replacing the ball and taking a one-stroke penalty. Keep your honest playing partner around, and next time try to be a little bit lighter on your feet. 

SLOW POKE Rules Guy, My best friend and I have teamed up for weekly matches against another twosome every week for the last few years. Even though it’s always competitive, I’m constantly annoyed at my buddy’s habit of practicing by taking and retaking a putt after he misjudges a break. He never slows down the group behind us, but it always irks me anyway. During our last round I got fed up and teed off on the next hole with him still on the putting green. Finally playing at my own pace, I striped my drive, but the guys we were playing with said that leaving my partner was a violation of the rules. I had the honor and I know it’s legal to take practice putts after you finish a hole, so was this really a violation? -- Kyle P, Seattle, Wash. Needless to say, the Rules of Golf and general rules of golf etiquette are by no means he same thing, but in this case you managed to violate both. You’re right that you are allowed to practice on the previous green between holes, but there are limits to what the rules allow. According to Decision 29/3, when you teed off, your team officially started the next hole. Once you did so, your partner was in violation of Rule 7-2, which prohibits practicing during the play of a hole, even though it was you who actually got the ball rolling. By leaving your partner in the dust, you two automatically lost the hole that you began while he was working on his short game. But cheer up, even if your partner decides he’s better off without you at the next match, you can always team up with Rory Sabbatini.  

BOUNDARY ISSUES Rules Guy, I hit my drive close to a fence and the only way to advance my ball would be to stand on the other side of the fence (out of bounds) and hit it from there. Is this possible to do without penalty? -- Michael Munday, via Facebook This is a shockingly common question, as a lot of players are confused by the rules regarding out of bounds. These players are easily recognized, as they can be seen scurrying to their rulebooks every time their ball comes within a few yards of an OB marker. Assuming that you are able to actually swing at your ball "through" the fence (and I doubt you'd be asking this question if you couldn't), this particular situation is anything but unusual, and the answer is so simple that it's dealt with right up at the front of the Rules of Golf. According to the very definition of out of bounds, a ball is only OB "when all of [the ball] lies out of bounds." In fact, the USGA specifically states that a player is entitled to stand out of bounds to play a ball lying within bounds. So, the next time you find your feet crossing that imaginary line, have no fear -- you're doing it without penalty.