changing balls

[williamalex1]

I vague'ly remember years ago in a RC match Sevie complained about the Yanks changing their ball [between holes ] to a different compression type.
Q1 -What was the outcome ?. Q2- can you change to a soft ball for putting on the green and then back to a hard ball on the tee? .

 

[fundy]

1) Was a bust up with Azinger, the only important outcome was they wound Seve up too much and he was sublime for the rest of the weekend (Azinger refused Seves request to change a damaged ball i think?)

2) no

 

[Colin L]

You can change the make or type of your ball between holes. You can change the make or type of a ball in play any time that the Rules permit you to substitute a ball. You cannot otherwise change the ball in play, as Fundy says.

Some tournaments, however, may specify as a Condition of Competition that the same make and specification of ball is used throughout - the "one ball rule." It was this competition rule in a Ryder Cup that Azinger And Chip Beck admitted (after first denying) breaking by changing to a different compression of ball on the 7th. Ballesteros later accused Azinger of lying, claiming that the American pair had switched balls 3 times. He is quoted as saying that the American team comprised 11 nice guys and Azinger. That was the follow up to the incident 2 years previously over the "damaged ball". I guess Spaniards have long memories when it comes to being thwarted. Stirring stuff.

 

[Imurg]

You know, I was about to post this word for word....:lol:

 

[Colin L]

Mine's a pint for saving you the bother. :cheers:

 

[MashieNiblick]

Just to add to Colin's post, Seve's account of the Azinger ball switching incident in his autobiography explains that the rule in the RC foursomes was that each player could play a different make or compression of ball but had to stick with that for the round. So the player teeing off on the odd holes had to use the same make/compression on all the odd holes and same for the player teeing off on the evens. Players couldn't change during the round.

Azinger and Beck were using different compression balls which was Ok in itself, but according to Seve, on the 7th Ollie heard them discussing whch ball to tee off with. He mentioned this to Seve after playing the 8th and Seve complained to the Refs on the 10th, but Azinger denied it. However the Ref decided the objection was too late. Azinger then admitted it.

Seve accepted that Azinger and Beck weren't deliberately cheating and genuinely believed they simply didn't know the Rule, but it was the fact that Azinger denied doing it until after the Ref ruled that Seve's objection was too late, and then admitted it, that really anoyed him.