Could I of played my provisional ball?

[rulefan]

I didn't know I could substitute a ball I was on the understanding only if a ball lost or badly damaged was only times during a hole it could be swapped

Whenever you can't get your hands on your ball you may substitute another BUT you can't simply change it for another unless it is unfit for play.

You will see that many rules use the expression a ball as opposed to the ball.
The former means any. The latter means the original.

 

[connor]

So nobody identified it as your ball. All you are then saying is player B found a ball in the hedge. If that is the case it is a lost ball me thinks and the provisional can be played

All we could see was it was a truvis ball but no markings, to be fair it didn't even cross my mind to look for them as couldn't reach the ball to see anyway. I just accepted the decision it didn't even cross my mind that someone may of lost the same ball in the same place as we was all fairly sure it was my ball

 

[rulefan]

Yea but from how it was sat I couldn't see them or reach the ball to turn it over a little bit

How confident are you that it was your ball? I don't think there are many truvis around yet.

 

[Imurg]

So nobody identified it as your ball. All you are then saying is player B found a ball in the hedge. If that is the case it is a lost ball me thinks and the provisional can be played

Works for me
Unless you can positively identify it as yours, it could be anybody's...
If you couldn't even reach it with a club then I'd be surprised if you could identify it as yours.
So the provisional becomes the ball in play.

 

[williamalex1]

How confident are you that it was your ball? I don't think there are many truvis around yet.

There only needs to be more than one made to create a doubt.

 

[connor]

How confident are you that it was your ball? I don't think there are many truvis around yet.

Exactly why it didn't even cross my mind that it wasn't my ball. The chances of someone else losing the same style ball on a similar spot in a hedge to where mine went are slim to none. To claim otherwise would of been clutching at straws.
Hence why to save walking back to play another (which was only option due to a hedge and a cliff edge) I offered to play the provisonal which I've now learnt I couldn't do anyway.

 

[rulefan]

[h=2]12-2/1[/h] [h=4]Identifying Ball by Brand, Model and Number Only[/h]Q.In the area in which his ball presumably came to rest, a player finds a ball of the same brand, model and identification number as the ball he is playing. The player assumes it is his ball, even though it does not carry an identification mark as suggested in Rule 12-2, and plays it. Should the player be considered to have played a wrong ball?

A.No, unless (1) there is clear evidence that, because of the ball's condition, it is not the player's ball or (2) subsequently it is established that another ball of the same brand, model and identification number was lying in the area at the time the player played and either ball, from a condition standpoint, could be the player's ball.

 

[anotherdouble]

Exactly why it didn't even cross my mind that it wasn't my ball. The chances of someone else losing the same style ball on a similar spot in a hedge to where mine went are slim to none. To claim otherwise would of been clutching at straws.
Hence why to save walking back to play another (which was only option due to a hedge and a cliff edge) I offered to play the provisonal which I've now learnt I couldn't do anyway.

But as you could not properly identify it as your ball you could play the provisional. It's just that in you OP you said player B found YOUR ball when in fact all he did was find a ball that because of its position could not be identified as to who's ball it was

 

[connor]

Still think it was my ball. It's still in the hedge as well I wanna fish it out now out of interest.
I didn't realise I was opening a can of worms I only expected a yes or no answere and a quick explanation.

 

[rulefan]

Still think it was my ball..

See post #27

 

[Imurg]

Technically, if you don't mark your ball, and you hit it out of sight - over a ridge, over trees or bushes etc - you can't, absolutely, identify it as yours.
That's why it's stupid that then rules only say that you "should" mark your ball, it ought to be a "must"

 

[rulefan]

Technically, if you don't mark your ball, and you hit it out of sight - over a ridge, over trees or bushes etc - you can't, absolutely, identify it as yours.

That's why it's stupid that then rules only say that you "should" mark your ball, it ought to be a "must"

There may be other distinguishing features of course.

But the problem with 'must' is so many people using similar markings. It has been said the most commonly found/lost golf ball on a course is a ProV1 with three red dots, followed closely by a ProV1 with three black dots.
Must the mark be unique?

 

[williamalex1]

In post 22 connor said he couldn't see any of his ID marks on the ball spotted in the bush.

 

[rulefan]

In post 22 connor said he couldn't see any of his ID marks on the ball spotted in the bush.

ID marks are not the be all and end all.

Unless the committee overrides him, the player makes the decision.

 

[Colin L]

Technically, if you don't mark your ball, and you hit it out of sight - over a ridge, over trees or bushes etc - you can't, absolutely, identify it as yours.
That's why it's stupid that then rules only say that you "should" mark your ball, it ought to be a "must"

Is it not reasonable to expect players to take responsibility for themselves?

 

[williamalex1]

There's been instances where 2 players have used same make of unmarked ball that ended up side by side.
I seem to remember that both players had to go back and replay their last stroke, from a spot as near as possible.
Surely you can't just say, i think !! that one/ball is mine.

 

[rulefan]

Surely you can't just say, i think !! that one/ball is mine.

You can say 'I am sure that is my ball' preferably followed by 'because ....' if justifying to to the committee or a referee

 

[rulefan]

There's been instances where 2 players have used same make of unmarked ball that ended up side by side.
I seem to remember that both players had to go back and replay their last stroke, from a spot as near as possible.

That is what decision 27/10 says

http://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-decisions.html#!decision-27,d27-10

 

[Lazkir]

Exactly why it didn't even cross my mind that it wasn't my ball. The chances of someone else losing the same style ball on a similar spot in a hedge to where mine went are slim to none. To claim otherwise would of been clutching at straws.
Hence why to save walking back to play another (which was only option due to a hedge and a cliff edge) I offered to play the provisonal which I've now learnt I couldn't do anyway.

You'd be surprised!
As an example, my balls are marked with a black line and also with my stylised initials. I normally use Chromesoft or supersoft. Anyway, I hit a drive up our 14th a few months back and faded it into some light rough. I walked up to where my ball landed and there, sure enough was my chromesoft no.4 with my black line and initials on. I proceeded to play it onto the green and putted out for a good par under the circumstances. However, when I lifted the ball out of the cup I noticed that there were three green dots in a triangle on one side of the ball. I knew it wasn't the ball I'd been playing, so I DQ'ed myself on that hole (It was a stab so no big deal). We found my original ball when playing back down the 15th.
Someone had obviously found one of my lost balls and put their own mark on it, then lost it again.
Weird coincidence that cost me a hole, since then I always double check the ball I'm about to hit.

 

[atticusfinch]

I'm only marginally familiar with the UK school system....are spelling and grammar mandatory subjects at some level?