am i the only one that does this?

[hovis]

played with a few strangers today and i left them shell shocked!

durring a FRIENDLY round if i'm on a difficult hole with water, OB or bad rough i swap my new shiney ball for a duff one from the bottom of my bag. if i hit a bad shot then its no drama i've lost a rubbish ball that i found. but if i hit a good one i swap my ball for my approach shot making sure not to better my lie or any nearer the hole.
anyway they looked shocked and said it was crazy. personly i think its crazy to hit £2 to £3 into a lake when you have a 10p one in your bag.

any thoughts? got a feeling i'm on my own here

 

[tsped83]

You might be on your own here. I hit the same ball regardless. Are you allowed to replace if there are no preferred lies in play?

 

[hovis]

You might be on your own here. I hit the same ball regardless. Are you allowed to replace if there are no preferred lies in play?

oh no, its definalty breaking the rules. i wouldn't dream of it in a comp but in a friendly game i dont see why not. it gives you no advantage. i just dont like loosing good balls (in other words, i'm tight)

 

[Holty]

I was fairly sure you can't replace your ball halfway through the hole under the circumstances set out above, but I guess if its a friendly round then it's a very frugal idea!

 

[fundy]

Its a friendly game, who cares. We played 9 tonight, practising really, if I hit a bad shot I invariably dropped another and rehit, also dropped a few balls in different spots that can cause me problems, didnt putt out either. If its not a comp then as long as you arent causing others an issue or holding people up then I dont see the issue personally

 

[Stuey01]

Its against the rules which is why I suspect the OP highlighted the FRIENDLY round bit.

I don't do it, but if I've lost a couple of good balls early doors in a friendly game I will switch to a cheaper or well used one for the rest of the round.

 

[SatchFan]

You are not alone. If I'm playing on my own or if I join up with somebody for a friendly hack I do the same thing. I only do it if there is a good chance I will lose it off the tee or if there is a gale blowing. Why throw good money away?

 

[srixon 1]

Why not leave the "good" ball in play, this will make you concentrate harder. By swapping balls you are giving yourself negative thoughts, and when it comes to an actual comp you will probably be more worried about going in the water than pulling off a good shot. Think positive and you will get positive results.

 

[Five&One]

Perfectly acceptable in a friendly. Would be polite etiquette to ask playing partners even in a friendly game. I only ever play with Lakeballs in a friendly anyway so it's no biggy if you drop one into a lake

 

[Wayman]

Why not leave the "good" ball in play, this will make you concentrate harder. By swapping balls you are giving yourself negative thoughts, and when it comes to an actual comp you will probably be more worried about going in the water than pulling off a good shot. Think positive and you will get positive results.

i agree with this

 

[John Boy Saint]

If you were playing with strangers and just did it without forewarning them, then I would imagine that with Golf being a game of honesty, someone might find it unethical. Especially as no matter how Friendly the game might be, most players still want to beat the others in their group.

In an extreme case it could even be viewed as applying special teams to your golf bag, First you hit a distance ball, then swap it for one prime for stopping on the green, then one that putts really well. :fore:

 

[Stuey01]

Thinking about this more, I suggest keeping the replacement ball in play til the next tee. No-one can raise any eyebrows then.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I've said this before but if you're worrying about losing a ball in a hazard, then you are already 90% of the way to hitting it in there. You really need to start thinking more positively. I'm amazed people actually think like this, a ball is a ball, it will at some point get damaged or lost and when it does, there are other balls.

 

[garyinderry]

i used to do it at my old place in bounce games on certain holes. id usually just play the rest of the hole with the scrapper ball then replace on the next tee. i dont tend to keep that many rubbish balls in the bag though. they just wont be pro v's or if they are they will be battered ones.

i tend to play alot looser when im practising so im not risking a lovely new pro v when im hitting a driver down a ropey hole with water left and ob right!

 

[upsidedown]

Don't do it myself but on our second quite a few players swap to an old ball as there is a road that runs diagonally across the fairway.

 

[kid2]

i agree with this

Why not leave the "good" ball in play, this will make you concentrate harder. By swapping balls you are giving yourself negative thoughts, and when it comes to an actual comp you will probably be more worried about going in the water than pulling off a good shot. Think positive and you will get positive results.

I have to agree with the 2 lads......
Iv never done this and to be honest you will never overcome the negative thoughts of loosing a ball on a trouble hole if you stay at this.....Golf is a game of confidence....If your not confident you'll definitely be in a spot of bother......Even if you lob one in the water drop another and say to yourself... " Ill overcome this obstacle if it kills me".....

If you dont change your attitude towards those types of holes then you'll only bring those thoughts with you into Medals at some stage.

 

[JustOne]

If you're going to change balls then why not just tee it up whilst you're there? Pink castles are great for 3-woods

 

[SocketRocket]

I just dont get this 'Bounce Game' and break what ever rule of golf suits you. It's one thing practising on your own, another playing golf with others. If it's OK to replace your ball at will then what other rule is it OK to break?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I just dont get this 'Bounce Game' and break what ever rule of golf suits you. It's one thing practising on your own, another playing golf with others. If it's OK to replace your ball at will then what other rule is it OK to break?

I imagine the first one would be dropping in the wrong place once the ball has been dumped in the drink

 

[garyinderry]

if you are refering to me then i have stated i will play the rest of the hole with the scrapper ball. if i am on my own i may replace the ball.

there is one hole in particular i thinking of and thats the 10 at my old place. i take an iron off every time in a real game. if im playing by myself i may hit a driver. its lake left, ob right.

there is a few other holes where there is a good change ill lose the ball with an errand drive. again, in practice ill slap a few scrapper ballls up there. if its a bounce game, ill use the scrapper ball for the rest of the hole.