5 minute search time

[GB72]

Make it solely their responsibility to find it and they would soon learn to keep a better eye on it. I know a few people who are almost totally reliant on other people following and finding their ball including at least one who admits that his eyesight is not good enough to see a ball about 150 yards away but refuses to play in glasses.

Out of interest, why is it against the rules to assist a FC in pretty much every way except the fundamental issue of finding a badly struck shot.

 

[chellie]

I was now getting angry in my head, I'd helped and sorted both my PP's and now I was looking at walking back to the tee to let another group through or considering throwing the towel in for a comp I was looking forward to playing in with a NR on hole 2!

I rushed my shot

My head was blown, 2 PP's in trouble off the tee of which 1 makes a nett par and the other a bogey (he had 2 shots) and myself with a supposedly good drive ends up rushed and flustered and comes off angry enough to walk off with a treble!

I think 5 minutes is too long, I think both my PP were borderline with it but when you're looking for 2 players balls on the same hole, the potential to look for balls for 10 minutes, coupled with delays from letting groups through and then getting focussed again for your next shot is crazy, I think it should be cut to 3 minutes, it might not seem like a lot of difference but I think 5 minutes just pulls the teeth out of everything, IMO.

:rant:

Surely the problem was that you got angry

 

[garyinderry]

Make it solely their responsibility to find it and they would soon learn to keep a better eye on it. I know a few people who are almost totally reliant on other people following and finding their ball including at least one who admits that his eyesight is not good enough to see a ball about 150 yards away but refuses to play in glasses.

Out of interest, why is it against the rules to assist a FC in pretty much every way except the fundamental issue of finding a badly struck shot.

I honestly believe that ball finding part skill. many times I've played with newbies who really struggle to find offline shots. putting a visual mark on the ball takes some practice.

Agreed tho, others can be simply lazy.

 

[Fish]

Fair point Robin and can understand your frustration, it might sound "jack" but I don't join in with searching for another ball until I've confirmed were mine is, more than happy to help anyone, but like you've put it can be to the detriment of your game, not bothered if the time is 1 or 5 minutes, currently it's 5 so at times people will use it.

How can you do that when yours is 200yds+ down the fairway out of sight and substantially in front of your other PP's?

I suppose it could have been quicker if the 3 of us went to PP No1's first, found his ball then crossed over to the opposite side and then the 3 of us look for PP No2's ball and then there would have been 3 of us spotting mine, although No2 was having to go down a different fairway! Either way, 5 minutes for each ball, walking in between each driven area, No1 going back to the tee, letting a group through and then looking for mine, your looking at a potential 20 minutes before everyone has taken a 2nd shot! And when you've apparently hit a great drive and it's only just rolled into this evenly cut rough it's pretty hard not to feel a bit angry/flustered finding yourself in a position on your own looking for your ball with everyone else now OK and another group walking up to the 2nd tee!

 

[Fish]

I honestly believe that ball finding part skill. many times I've played with newbies who really struggle to find offline shots. putting a visual mark on the ball takes some practice.

Agreed tho, others can be simply lazy.

The problem at times though Gary is when PP's go off in different directions and you lose the line to walk on, you can sometimes get an idea of a certain feature but nothing substitutes walking on your own line, but you can't do that when you've got to help look for someone else's ball on the opposite side of the fairway!

 

[GB72]

I honestly believe that ball finding part skill. many times I've played with newbies who really struggle to find offline shots. putting a visual mark on the ball takes some practice.

Agreed tho, others can be simply lazy.

Playing devil's advocate here but let's say you are a great ball finder and your FC is not. You find half a dozen shots that most people would not and he certainly would not have a cat in hell's chance of finding. He goes on to win the medal over player B who is with a group with no interest in following his shot or no ability in ball finding. Your help has allowed player A to win. How is that equitable. If golf is a solo sport then surely finding the ball should also be a solo activity to ensure parity and fairness

 

[Deleted member 16999]

It is the players own responsibility to find their ball not yours, obviously it is good manners to help, I will walk ahead and put my bag by my ball and walk back, if mine is not in trouble I will help immediately, the 5 minutes start when the player or his caddie or someone on his side reaches the search area, not when everyone else has turned up.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

How can you do that when yours is 200yds+ down the fairway out of sight and substantially in front of your other PP's?

I suppose it could have been quicker if the 3 of us went to PP No1's first, found his ball then crossed over to the opposite side and then the 3 of us look for PP No2's ball and then there would have been 3 of us spotting mine, although No2 was having to go down a different fairway! Either way, 5 minutes for each ball, walking in between each driven area, No1 going back to the tee, letting a group through and then looking for mine, your looking at a potential 20 minutes before everyone has taken a 2nd shot! And when you've apparently hit a great drive and it's only just rolled into this evenly cut rough it's pretty hard not to feel a bit angry/flustered finding yourself in a position on your own looking for your ball with everyone else now OK and another group walking up to the 2nd tee!

Or everybody searches for there own and the 5 minutes run concurrently, if you find yours after 30 seconds you join one of the other with whats remaining of his 5, like you've put, you suffered for their mistake, There is nothing in the rules makes you responsible for their ball.

 

[Fish]

Playing devil's advocate here but let's say you are a great ball finder and your FC is not. You find half a dozen shots that most people would not and he certainly would not have a cat in hell's chance of finding. He goes on to win the medal over player B who is with a group with no interest in following his shot or no ability in ball finding. Your help has allowed player A to win. How is that equitable. If golf is a solo sport then surely finding the ball should also be a solo activity to ensure parity and fairness

I hear you brother, PP No1 won the comp on Saturday & PP No2 came 3rd in a very prestigious comp I was looking forward to for some time, I helped them both on a few occasions when I don't believe they would have found their balls otherwise as they were looking far too forward and even at times turned away before the ball landed and hadn't got a clue where it finished up!

At times I like my own space and will walk ahead of my PP's, especially if I'm playing well and more so if the pace is too slow and my PP's are ambling, so I try to drag them along a bit, looking for balls can be very draining, now I know when the boots on the other foot it's appreciated and has helped me in the past, but I'd happily accept a rule that PP's should only look for their own ball and that the allotted time be cut to at least 3 minutes, if not 2!,

 

[garyinderry]

It is the players own responsibility to find their ball not yours, obviously it is good manners to help, I will walk ahead and put my bag by my ball and walk back, if mine is not in trouble I will help immediately, the 5 minutes start when the player or his caddie or someone on his side reaches the search area, not when everyone else has turned up.

This is what you do. if you have also hit a dodge one, you locate yours first. if you are in the middle of the fairway then go ahead and help straight away.


It doesn't matter if someone is a better at watching the line. When the group gets together everyone must looks with all their muster until the time is up. No half hearted wandering. that it what keeps it fair. everyone looking to the best of their ability when called upon.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Isn't helping people find their ball just part of good etiquette - I will always help find someone's ball and I know that if i need help its there - 5 mins is ok and if it's a couple of balls and someone is behind then I'll let them through and allow that time to get ready for my own shot - that's all just part and parcel of the Amatuer game at club level where it's just a game for us all

 

[Lazkir]

It actually happened in the County Championship at our place last year. On the 18th a player was walking back to replay his tee shot when the ball was found. He insisted it was within the 5 minutes. His fellow competitors didn't, but nobody knew for certain. They asked the County officials for a ruling but what could they do? They didn't witness it. Don't know what the final decision was.

This exact scenario happened to me last week on our 12th hole.
I phoned our pro from the course to get a ruling and he explained the five minute rule.
None of our group could say for sure if it was over or under five minutes so I picked up my original ball and carried on with my provisional.
It was the only certain way that I could be sure I hadn't broken any rules.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Isn't helping people find their ball just part of good etiquette - I will always help find someone's ball and I know that if i need help its there - 5 mins is ok and if it's a couple of balls and someone is behind then I'll let them through and allow that time to get ready for my own shot - that's all just part and parcel of the Amatuer game at club level where it's just a game for us all

Nobody has said you shouldn't help people, but it should be, imo, once you've identified your own, as Robin rightly put, if 3 people are in trouble and you go as a group from ball to ball that could be adding 15 minutes to the hole, that's ridiculous. If I ever played with anyone unwilling to help look for balls, that's easy, they're on their own if they lose one.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Nobody has said you shouldn't help people, but it should be, imo, once you've identified your own, as Robin rightly put, if 3 people are in trouble and you go as a group from ball to ball that could be adding 15 minutes to the hole, that's ridiculous. If I ever played with anyone unwilling to help look for balls, that's easy, they're on their own if they lose one.

If it's going to be 15 mins and the people are right behind you then let them through and use the time to search for balls -

 

[Three]

Some of you are just advertising how mentally weak you are on a golf course.

Looking for balls for a few minutes , either your own or your playing partners', is part of the game, it WILL happen.

Blaming that for losing focus, temper or whatever is a big sign that you could use some psychology advice.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

If it's going to be 15 mins and the people are right behind you then let them through and use the time to search for balls -

Or everyone searches for their own and then joins each other upto 5 mins and still let people through if need be, 15 mins could see 1 or 2 groups going through and slowing down the field,

 

[Three]

Or everyone searches for their own and then joins each other upto 5 mins and still let people through if need be, 15 mins could see 1 or 2 groups going through and slowing down the field,

So what?

It's part of the game. That scenario is extremely rare, it's just one of those things that needs to be dealt with.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Or everyone searches for their own and then joins each other upto 5 mins and still let people through if need be, 15 mins could see 1 or 2 groups going through and slowing down the field,

There isn't a harden fast rule for every situation you encounter on a golf course - we are all mature adults and capable of judging the situation and being aware of others and what's going on - use common sense as always

 

[garyinderry]

It doesn't take 4 people every time to find a ball. the others can take their shots if its deemed a tricky one to find. The closest to the guy looking should hit then help and finally call over the farthest if the search continues to be fruitless.

If it looks a real tough one to find then on occasion is might be helpful for the whole group to go directly to look for the ball. Good card going, no one behind to hold up etc.

Its all real common sense stuff.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

So what?

It's part of the game. That scenario is extremely rare, it's just one of those things that needs to be dealt with.

Which part? Everyone searches for everyone elses or find your own then help each other?