Ball OB that comes back

[clubchamp98]

Spot on Clive, I just wonder whether players should pass a basic rules test when joining a club and before they play in comps

The comp sheet would be half empty.

 

[chrisd]

The comp sheet would be half empty.

Not for long, members would soon learn the basics

 

[Italian outcast]

In certain countries in Europe they are - sometimes before they can even step foot on the course

I passed

 

[rulefan]

I passed

 

[Tashyboy]

Having seen some balls rebound miles off a tree etc, it's a wonder how some balls are found. I remember playing the first hole at St Andrews, I stepped into the shoes of someone who couldn't go and was playing off 13. I never knew there was a starter who called out your name. He says over the mike, " on the tee is Gary Shankit playing off 13". One of me PP said " that's you you ***". I stood on the tee, knees trembling about 50 people watching. I smacked it and thought thank god, straight don the middle. That happy thought lasted about half a second, the wind got it and it went sideways bounced twice and I kissed it goodbye. It hit the top of the pillar and rail fence and bounced into the middle of the fairway. It could of gone anywhere.
Re the ops post. I would of played the original. Members bounce and all that.

 

[backwoodsman]

This reminds me of an incident about a year ago. One of the players in my group sliced his drive OB - onto an adjacent golf course as it happens.
He played a second ball, then when we were down the fairway, a golfer on the other course shouted to us "I'm throwing your ball back", and sure enough back it came over the hedge. The player then declared "that's in play", and was expecting to carry on as if it had hit a tree and bounced back in bounds!!!
I was unable to persuade him that he couldn't do that, and in the end the only way to carry on was to suggest he play the hole out with two balls and ask for a ruling afterwards.
It beggars belief what some people think about the rules, and worries me that in our regular medals there are fourballs out there with not one of the players having a clue.

Had a case a bit back where a chap in our group (let's call him "Optimist") put his tee shot over the OOB fence on a short par3. I then played my shot, followed by the third player playing his shot. "Optimist" then played a provisional. There are three (and only three) balls visible on the green. When we arrive at the green there are now 4 balls clearly visible, the original have been "returned" by some means but patently not having done so of it's own accord. Optimist is adamant he can continue with the original and claims that as we didn't see it thrown back we can't know it was thrown. And isn't convinced by our view that the ball was unlikely have been bouncing around in the woods for 5 minutes or more before deciding to bounce back onto the course...

 

[Orikoru]

If he declared a provisional then surely that admits the possibility that could have hit something and come back in bounds? i.e. sufficient certainty on it being thrown back isn;t there. If player was so certain that it couldn't possibly be anywhere but OOB then wouldn't have declared it provisional.

Wouldn't he? I usually call it a provisional just in case I'm wrong and the first ball actually is in bounds. Why wouldn't you do that? If you just put a new ball in play and then your first ball was actually fine you'd be kicking yourself.