# Rule Question



## 30over (May 29, 2006)

When you hit your ball into an unplayable spot or out of bounds do you drop another ball and count that as one stroke or is that two strokes added to the hole. Thanks for the help.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

one stroke. In the case of an OB it is stroke and distance, meaning you have to replay the shot from where you hit it. 

Regards,


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## green lea (Apr 20, 2006)

for out of bounds you have to count the initial stroke and add 1 penalty stroke. for example if your tee shot goes OB youd be hitting your 3rd stroke off the tee. same penalty method for unplayable but you get two club_lengths instead of hitting it from the last spot played.


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## 30over (May 29, 2006)

Thanks! That definetly clears things up


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## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

30over said:


> Thanks! That definetly clears things up


Keep your eyes out for red stakes, they are your friends when things go south fast.


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## DisKoDucK (Jun 12, 2006)

I actually needed clarification on that rule also, but I think I understand so thanks =D

Now for another rule I would like to know. Is there a rule against switching balls? I mean switching balls between holes, not due to scuffs or lost balls or anything, just because I feel like it kind of thing..


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## HanesOnU (May 29, 2006)

Do you mean switching from say a Pro V1 to a NXT, or Pro V1 to a different Pro V1?

If it is the same ball(Pro V1 to Pro V1), their is no problem. But I'm not sure what the rule is on brands/kind of ball.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

Yes you can switch balls between holes, but it must be the same brand and make. 
I.e. If you are using a titlest pro v1 wrapped balata, you must contirnue to use the same kind of ball. You cannot switch to a Bridgstone or even a titliest pro NXTsolid core ball. The only thing that can differ, is the number on the ball for the entire round. I think the color can change. 
You can switch balls bewteen rounds, but not during the round. 

Most pros change balls about every 3 or 4 balls or if they have a lucky one, until they lose it. 

A rule that happened in my favor was the time I played a match with a guy who kept losing balls. On about the 14th or 15th hole he hit his tee shot into the water. When he teed up with his next ball, I noticed he was using a different kind of ball than what he started with. I pointed it out to him and he said he did not have anymore. I told him the match was over 1 up in my favor. 
Boy was he pissed. Now had I let him play on, knowing that he was using the wrong ball, it would have been my loss for not assesing the penalty. 

We played in the final holes just for fun, but the match was over when he teed up the wrong kind of a ball.
In medal play, the penalty is disqualifaction. 
Also, you can be disqualified for running out of balls. No going back to the clubhouse for more, or borrowing from a partner. 

Here is a rules test for you. 

2 players hit their balls to a par 3 from the tee. They do not see what happens but both feel they are close to the pin. 
When they get there, one ball is in the hole and the other is about 18 inches from the hole. 
When they check the balls, both are the same with no identifying marks on them. They cannot tell which ball belongs to which player. 

(no, one is white and the other yellow), this is not a trick question. 

What is the ruling? 

Regards, 

Kent


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## HanesOnU (May 29, 2006)

Kent said:


> Yes you can switch balls between holes, but it must be the same brand and make.
> I.e. If you are using a titlest pro v1 wrapped balata, you must contirnue to use the same kind of ball. You cannot switch to a Bridgstone or even a titliest pro NXTsolid core ball. The only thing that can differ, is the number on the ball for the entire round. I think the color can change.
> You can switch balls bewteen rounds, but not during the round.
> 
> ...


My guess would be you both hit from the 18 inch mark. It is your fault you didn't mark the ball, or make sure they were different, so you suffer the consequences.


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## green lea (Apr 20, 2006)

kent i think you owe your opponent an apology, the usga does not require you to play the same make of ball for an entire round. unless the rule commitee stated that the one ball condition is in effect.

so there is no rule against changing diffrent kinds of balls durring your round.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

By golly I think you are right. Rule 5 covering the ball states that the only requirment is that you must use a ball that is on the USGA conforming list. 
My apologies. That is why one should have a copy of the USGA golf rules. 

Not sure where I got the idea that you could not change brand and/or make of ball, but have always applied that rule to myself. 

I do not have a copy of the USGA rules of golf, but I will get one and research this some more. 

Regards, 

Kent


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

Kent said:


> Here is a rules test for you.
> 
> 2 players hit their balls to a par 3 from the tee. They do not see what happens but both feel they are close to the pin.
> When they get there, one ball is in the hole and the other is about 18 inches from the hole.
> ...


The answer. 
Both players are assessed a 1 stroke penalty for a lost ball and must go back and rehit from the tee, lieing 3. 

A ball after it is hit is deemed lost until you find it and *indentify it. *
In this case, each player found a ball, but was unable to identify it as theirs, therefore it is lost.

As a side note, did you know that a wrong ball hit from a hazard does cost you a penalty. If your ball is buried in a hazard, you do not have to identify it before you hit it. All you can do is determine that a ball is there. If you are not sure whether or not it is yours, you can hit it (hopefully out of the hazard) and then identify it. If it is not yours you can continue to look. You are still under the remainder of the 5 minute rule. 

Lee Trivino one time hit several balls buried in a water hazard, before he found his. Seems there was a whole bunch of balls buried along a shore line that appeared when the water receeded somewhat. He just kept hitting them out until he finally got his. He sure got a lot of practice hitting balls out of the hazard. I think the Merry Mex knew what he was doing.  

Regard, 

Kent


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## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Theres another rule out there thats a real pain.

For arguements sake your ball has landed on the fairway but there is a twig behind the ball (not touching your ball), its dead - so you can move it right? 

Yes you can move the loose impediment but dont use your hand if you have your glove on, and dont use your club to brush the debris away. They only way you are allowed to remove it is using either of your hands but without the glove on, so that your skin is in contact with the debris.

Now you would have to be a real tightass to enforce this on someone but its worth knowing.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

Here another rule quiz.

You are playing in an 2 player altenate ball and your partner is a lady who does not hit the ball very far (sorry ladies ). The committe rules says you must keep the roatation thruout the round. I.e, once the rotation is set on the 1st hole it continues that way from hole to hole, which means, if your partner holes out, then you have to tee off on the next hole. In fact, sometimes your partner may be hitting off the tee, whether you like it or not. 

You come to this hole that has water between the tee and green. It is your drive and you layup barely short of the water. The lady says there is no way she can hit it over the water. So in your sly way, you figure if she hits into the water, it will cost you a penalty stroke and then you will be hitting 4. So you tell the lady just to whiff the ball and then you can be hitting 3, saving you a stroke. 

Is this within the rules? If not, why not? 

Regards, 

Kent


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## green lea (Apr 20, 2006)

im rusty on this but i think that whiff is a penalty stroke and penalty strokes dont change the order of play so the lady should have too hit it.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

Actually you are not far off. 
The rules I believe state, a stroke counts when the player swings at the ball with the intent of hitting it or if the ball comes to rest in a spot different than its starting position after the club has been grounded. See exception when on the tee. 

In this case, the lady swings at the ball, but not with the intent of hitting it, therefore it does not count as a stroke. It is the same as a practice stroke. 
So she must do it again, no penalty, no stroke counted. 
If the partner then hits the ball after her whiff they will be disquafied for playing out of turn. 

I sometimes will say to a player that hits a ball badly,
"Don't stand so close to the ball when you are taking a practice stroke". 

Regards, 

Kent


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## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Hi Kent

Instead of someone being dishonest and deliberately missing the ball, why wouldnt they just lay up short of the ditch, effectively achieves the same goal, but they are closer to the hazard so the other person has less carry, and there is no chance of being DQ'd.


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## Kent (May 6, 2006)

In this case, I guess I was not clear.
The ball was on the very edge of the water, just ourside of the hazard marker, not much room to lay up closer to the water. 
It is not a ditch, it is a pond too big for the short hitter to hit across. 

My option would for the lady to use her putter and hit the ball backwards a few feet. 

Regards, 

Kent


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## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Sorry, I see what you mean now.

I had the rules in my favour the other day.

On a par 3, miss hit my iron shot slightly putting me right up against a ditch.

Now the hazard is marked with yellow stakes.

The inside of the ditch is lined with wooden slats.

My ball finished up touching a part of the protruding wooden slat, as the ground had eroded away slightly. Checking the line of the yellow markers, it turns out that my ball was not actually in the hazard, so I got a free drop from the hazard and finished up halving the hole in 3.


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## Force Kin (Jun 19, 2006)

Kent said:


> By golly I think you are right. Rule 5 covering the ball states that the only requirment is that you must use a ball that is on the USGA conforming list.
> My apologies. That is why one should have a copy of the USGA golf rules.
> 
> Not sure where I got the idea that you could not change brand and/or make of ball, but have always applied that rule to myself.
> ...


This is copied and pasted from the USGA website:

“Limitation on Balls Used During Round: (Note to Rule 5-1) 

(i) One Ball Condition
During a stipulated round,the balls a player plays must be of the same brand and type as detailed by a single entry on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls. 

Note: If a ball of a different brand and/or type is dropped or placed, it may be lifted, without penalty, and the player must then proceed by dropping or placing a proper ball (Rule 20-6). 

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF CONDITION:
Match Play — At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round — Two holes.
Stroke Play— Two strokes for each hole at which any breach occurred; maximum penalty per round — Four strokes. 

(ii) Procedure When Breach Discovered
When a player discovers that he has played a ball in breach of this condition, he must abandon that ball before playing from the next teeing ground and complete the round using a proper ball; otherwise, the player is disqualified. If discovery is made during play of a hole and the player elects to substitutea proper ball before completing that hole, the player must place a proper ball on the spot where the ball used in breach of the condition lay.” 

Funny story - I'm not sure how many of you know this, but at the 2000 US Open, Tiger Woods was constantly having his rounds broken up by inclement weather. On Friday night, I believe, after he had completed something like 12 holes in his second round before either darkness or more bad weather set in, he grabbed a bunch of balls out of his bag so he could practice putting in his room, and Steve Williams (caddie) took his bag. The next morning, Tiger never had time to hit the practice green before completing round 2, so they headed right out to #13. They play the next 5 holes without incident and then he proceeds to duck hook his drive on 18 at Pebble Beach into the Pacific. (This was the infamous string of profanity that television caught coming from Tiger's mouth.)Steve Williams then realizes that he never grabbed any more balls, and Tiger only has 1 ball left in his bag, and Tiger is wanting to hit his driver again. Stevie tries to convince him to hit 2 iron, because he knows that if Tiger hits another into the ocean, he's DQ'd, because none of his playing partners were playing the same ball for him to borrow. Tiger striped one down the middle and finished with no further problem, but that could have been the end of the "Tiger Slam" right there.


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## green lea (Apr 20, 2006)

the "one ball condition" isnt a rule it is a playing condition like pick clean and place.

i also got this from the usga website.

"One Ball Condition 

Q. What does the "One Ball Condition" mean? 

A. The Rules of Golf do not require a player to use the same brand and type of golf ball throughout the stipulated round. A player may use a different ball to start each hole. However, the Committee may adopt as a Condition of a Competition, the "One Ball Condition." When this condition is adopted, players are required to use the same brand and type of golf ball throughout the stipulated round. Please refer to Appendix 1; Part C; 1 (Specification of the Ball)."

tiger won the 2000 us open and then the british open for the slam.


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## Force Kin (Jun 19, 2006)

green lea said:


> the "one ball condition" isnt a rule it is a playing condition like pick clean and place.
> 
> i also got this from the usga website.
> 
> ...



That's interesting. I guess I always considered it a rule because the PGA Tour (and every other major tour) adopts the 'one ball condition'.


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