Ball falls off tee mid swing...ruling?

[MC72]

During a roll up game today we were playing off the "less than level" winter tees. I tee'd my ball to hit a drive and as the club got to around a foot from the ball the ball fell off the tee. As I was mid-swing I couldn't stop, so the swing carried on past the tee. Both playing partners saw what happened and one reckoned there was no penalty as the ball fell off the tee without me doing anything to cause it, whilst the other reckoned it was a penalty as I had swung with the intention of hitting the ball therefor he was counting it as a fresh air swipe.

whats the correct ruling?

 

[palindromicbob]

There is no penalty but the stroke stands. Your next stroke is played as it lies as the ball is now in play. You can get rid of the tee as it is now a moveable obstruction.

Rule 11-3 (Ball Falling off Tee) & 24-1 (Moveable Obstruction)

Had you managed to check your swing you could have re-teed the ball without penalty.
Application of 11-3 in conjunction with Decision 14/1.5 (Rule 14-1: Ball to be fairly struck at)

 

[ManinBlack]

There is no penalty but the stroke stands. Your next stroke is played as it lies as the ball is now in play. You can get rid of the tee as it is now a moveable obstruction.

Rule 11-3 (Ball Falling off Tee) & 24-1 (Moveable Obstruction)

Had you managed to check your swing you could have re-teed the ball without penalty.
Application of 11-3 in conjunction with Decision 14/1.5 (Rule 14-1: Ball to be fairly struck at)

Spot on! Now please let us have the thread closed before another 100 people post comments of varying relevance & accuracy.

 

[duncan mackie]

During a roll up game today we were playing off the "less than level" winter tees. I tee'd my ball to hit a drive and as the club got to around a foot from the ball the ball fell off the tee. As I was mid-swing I couldn't stop, so the swing carried on past the tee. Both playing partners saw what happened and one reckoned there was no penalty as the ball fell off the tee without me doing anything to cause it, whilst the other reckoned it was a penalty as I had swung with the intention of hitting the ball therefor he was counting it as a fresh air swipe.

whats the correct ruling?

P...bob's quoted the correct references but I don't think he's necessarily applied them to your situation correctly.

as you missed the ball everything hinges on whether you changed your mind about actually hitting it and made an attempt to change your swing to miss it. for most people they would have to do this to completely miss a ball that's just fallen off a tee unless they tee it up miles!

if this was the case then you are considered to have checked your swing despite the club head passing the ball - this is what 14/1.5 tells us. no penalty, no shot counting, re-tee ball.

on the other hand, if you tried to miss the ball but still made contact you are stuck with the outcome.

PS If this is how everyone interpreted p...bob's post then I apologise to Maninblack...

 

[rulefan]

Of course, "any doubt regarding the player's intent must be resolved against the player".

In addition, if you did make a stroke, you cannot re-tee the ball without penalty.

 

[ManinBlack]

P...bob's quoted the correct references but I don't think he's necessarily applied them to your situation correctly.

as you missed the ball everything hinges on whether you changed your mind about actually hitting it and made an attempt to change your swing to miss it. for most people they would have to do this to completely miss a ball that's just fallen off a tee unless they tee it up miles!

if this was the case then you are considered to have checked your swing despite the club head passing the ball - this is what 14/1.5 tells us. no penalty, no shot counting, re-tee ball.

on the other hand, if you tried to miss the ball but still made contact you are stuck with the outcome.

PS If this is how everyone interpreted p...bob's post then I apologise to Maninblack...

I should have learned to keep my mouth shut by now, I've been married for 42 years!

 

[MC72]

I should have learned to keep my mouth shut by now, I've been married for 42 years!

Thanks to all for their responses to this, specifically palindromic bob fir letting me know which rules he applied. I looked through them on the R&A website last night and it appeared to be the case that it was OK fir me to touch the ball inadvertently with my driver which would mean no penalty (I've hot this down as carelessness and have never done it).

However in the instance I referred to in my original post there was no way I could have flu ended the ball to leave the tee nor any way to stop my swing, so it's a little bit unfair that it's a penalty. In terms of the post above, I can't say I was intending to check my swing as there was no way I could have done that, it's just that he ball wasn't there anymore.

It's not the sort of thing that happens regularly and it was just a Saturday roll up so I've put it down to experience and move on!

 

[CMAC]

Thanks to all for their responses to this, specifically palindromic bob fir letting me know which rules he applied. I looked through them on the R&A website last night and it appeared to be the case that it was OK fir me to touch the ball inadvertently with my driver which would mean no penalty (I've hot this down as carelessness and have never done it).

However in the instance I referred to in my original post there was no way I could have flu ended the ball to leave the tee nor any way to stop my swing, so it's a little bit unfair that it's a penalty. In terms of the post above, I can't say I was intending to check my swing as there was no way I could have done that, it's just that he ball wasn't there anymore.

It's not the sort of thing that happens regularly and it was just a Saturday roll up so I've put it down to experience and move on!

it's not a penalty, your attempted swing is stroke 1

 

[MC72]

it's not a penalty, your attempted swing is stroke 1

Not a penalty according to/applying the rules of the game but it felt like a penalty to me. I hadn't touched the ball, it fell of the tee, now time to hit shot 2!? A playing partner or FC could be carelessness enough to hit his ball with his clubface at address and cause the ball to leave the tee, applying the rules....that's ok just re-tee it again and carry on.....With your first shot!

 

[Colin L]

The two situations are quite different. You are making a stroke at the ball when it falls off your tee - no different from an airshot that leaves your ball still on its tee. You have made a stroke by the Definition of a stroke and your ball is in play by that action. Next stroke is two. Shouldn't you take more care to take tee up your ball securely in the first place?

You nudge your ball off the tee while setting up. That does not meet the Definition of a stroke and therefore cannot be counted as one. The ball was not in play and so there is no penalty for causing it to move.

 

[North Mimms]

The two situations are quite different. You are making a stroke at the ball when it falls off your tee - no different from an airshot that leaves your ball still on its tee. You have made a stroke by the Definition of a stroke and your ball is in play by that action. Next stroke is two. Shouldn't you take more care to take tee up your ball securely in the first place?

You nudge your ball off the tee while setting up. That does not meet the Definition of a stroke and therefore cannot be counted as one. The ball was not in play and so there is no penalty for causing it to move.

That's why when someone nudges the ball off during set up, you're safe to call "ONE" without fear of being thumped.

 

[CMAC]

Not a penalty according to/applying the rules of the game but it felt like a penalty to me. I hadn't touched the ball, it fell of the tee, now time to hit shot 2!? A playing partner or FC could be carelessness enough to hit his ball with his clubface at address and cause the ball to leave the tee, applying the rules....that's ok just re-tee it again and carry on.....With your first shot!

correct:thup: