A Ball in Green Is Changed for a Substituted Wrong Ball

[Mr Wolf]

A player arrives to the green when his ball stand there.
He squats down, mark his ball and leaves the green. When is his turn, he puts his hand in his pocket and catches a wrong ball.
Places the wrong ball in the correct place and make a putt.
What rulling applies here? Does he have to continue playing with original o wrong substitute ball?
Rules 6.3b2 and 6.3b3 explain how to play in this situation and it says the player need to continue playing with wrong ball substituted but on the other hand, 6.3b1 says just the opposite and says the player need to replace wrong ball and needs to continue playing with the original.
Then 6.3b1 or 6.3b2/6.3b3?

 

[rosecott]

6.3b(1) says you must not replace a substituted ball on the spot. If you break this rule by substituting a ball, then 6.3b(3) comes into play with a General Penalty and continuation of play with the substituted ball.

 

[rulefan]

6.3b is about a ball being dropped or placed. It is not about a ball being replaced.

When taking relief by dropping or placing, you may use either the original ball or another ball.

When replacing a ball on a spot, you are not allowed to substitute a ball and must use the original ball, with certain exceptions ....

 

[backwoodsman]

A player arrives to the green when his ball stand there.
He squats down, mark his ball and leaves the green. When is his turn, he puts his hand in his pocket and catches a wrong ball.
Places the wrong ball in the correct place and make a putt.
What rulling applies here? Does he have to continue playing with original o wrong substitute ball?
Rules 6.3b2 and 6.3b3 explain how to play in this situation and it says the player need to continue playing with wrong ball substituted but on the other hand, 6.3b1 says just the opposite and says the player need to replace wrong ball and needs to continue playing with the original.
Then 6.3b1 or 6.3b2/6.3b3?

In summary...

6.3b(1) tells you there are some situations where can can substitute a ball, and there are some where you can't. Your case of putting the ball back on its mark on the green is one where you can't.
6.3b(2) tells you that if you substitute a ball then you must continue playing with the substitute ball - and also tells you that this applies regardless of whether the substitution was done correctly or incorrectly.
6.3b(3) confirms you that if you incorrectly substituted a ball, then you must continue play with the substitute ball, and also tells you that you get the General Penalty for having done the incorrect substitution.

 

[Mr Wolf]

This is the problem. Rule 6.3b1 guides you to Rule 14 and it says you need to play Original Ball not Substitute ball.
2 different rules say just opposite reasons and 2 differents ways to continue playing.
Then what have to do the player, end the hole using Original or Substituted ball?

 

[rulefan]

This is the problem. Rule 6.3b1 guides you to Rule 14 and it says you need to play Original Ball not Substitute ball.

Where in 14 does it say that?

 

[Mr Wolf]

14.2a
Original Ball Must Be Used
The original ball must be used when replacing a ball.
Exception – Another Ball May Be Used When:

• The original ball cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds, so long as the player did not deliberately cause the ball to become unrecoverable,
• The original ball is cut or cracked (see Rule 4.2c),
• Play resumes after it had been stopped (see Rule 5.7d), or
• The original ball was played by another player as a wrong ball (see Rule 6.3c(2)).

A wrong substitute ball doesn´t appears as an exceptcion. Then the rule makes the player playing original ball?
I also think rule 6.3b3 applies in this case, but it's a little bit confusing....

 

[rulie]

At the end of the third bullet point in 6.3b(1) it points to the Exceptions in 14.2a. The Exceptions are ball nonrecoverable, original ball is cut or cracked, play resumes after suspension or another player played the original ball. None of these would apply to the original scenario, such that substitution is not permitted and the player incurs a penalty if he makes a stroke at the substituted ball.

 

[Mr Wolf]

At the end of the third bullet point in 6.3b(1) it points to the Exceptions in 14.2a. The Exceptions are ball nonrecoverable, original ball is cut or cracked, play resumes after suspension or another player played the original ball. None of these would apply to the original scenario, such that substitution is not permitted and the player incurs a penalty if he makes a stroke at the substituted ball.

Thanks Rulie. The penalty is clear, but the question is, what ball must replace the player in order to end hole: Original according 6.3b1/14.2a or Substitute according to 6.3b2/6.3b3?

 

[Colin L]

Thanks Rulie. The penalty is clear, but the question is, what ball must replace the player in order to end hole: Original according 6.3b1/14.2a or Substitute according to 6.3b2/6.3b3?

As explained above, if you lift your ball from the putting green and then put a different one down and play it, you carry on with the ball you've played and get the general penalty (i.e. 2 strokes in stroke play; loss of hole in match play). 6.3b(2) tells you that when you substitute another ball, that ball becomes the ball in play even if you weren't allowed to make the substitution. It also tells you to continue play with the ball now in play.

If you realise that you have made a mistake by replacing a different ball from the one you lifted, you can correct that provided you haven't yet made a stroke at it - see Rule 14.5a.

 

[Mr Wolf]

Thanks Colin, I think now it`s more clear.