Declaring a ball lost
- Thread starter HawkeyeMS
- Start date
chellie
Tour Winner
So knobbed first shot but career best drive with provisional and it's ok.
North Mimms
Tour Winner
Unwritten rule of golf is that the better the provisional, the more likely the original rubbish ball is to be found
chellie
Tour Winner
So the better it is to sprint down the fairway. Think I'm going to print out that link, laminate it and stick it in my bag. Easier than going to the page in the rule book.
North Mimms
Tour Winner
No need to sprint- a brisk walk will get you there before the witches coven start looking!
Or remember that if your first ball is really horrid, consider putting a new ball in play (iie not a provisional), then first ball is no longer in play
I keep a copy of the Quick Guide to the Rules inside my score card holder. Most everyday situations are covered in it, and if not, will often point you to the right place in the full Rule book. You can have a quick check in there in the blink of an eye
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Foxholer
Blackballed
Cheers Colin, though I'm sure some of the "witches coven" would go and look
One of the differences I've noted between the way (almost all) Men and (some) Ladies seem to play!
Excellent description btw! :rofl:
sev112
Tour Winner
I understand FCs not searching in a match , but in a stroke play the FCs represent the whole of the players, so they shouldn't be "letting off " certain players by not looking. Itis only fair to all players that all balls are looked for. Otherwise we are not playing on an equal playing field
AFAIK, there is nothing in the rules or etiqutte section which suggests a FC can ignore looking for a players' ball in stroke play and "agree" to not look. If the player wants to not have his/her FCs look, then they can put another ball into play, with the accordant risk that they may hit that into the rubbish also
AFAIK, there is nothing in the rules or etiqutte section which suggests a FC can ignore looking for a players' ball in stroke play and "agree" to not look. If the player wants to not have his/her FCs look, then they can put another ball into play, with the accordant risk that they may hit that into the rubbish also
Foxholer
Blackballed
Check ColinL's post #139! That's the way I've always understood 'Gentlemen' behave - treat others the way you'd expect/hope to be treated! (as opposed to 'do others the way you'd expect to be done'!).
It was certainly the way I treated my FC when he holed his Provisional! I waited until he picked it out of the hole before searching (for mine as well!). And there have been several equivalent instances over the years.
I remember seeing John Daly do exactly the same - walk past without considering looking - in some match at St Andrews on the 10th when his opponent (Stenson perhaps) hooked his first into the cack and put his Provisional 6 inches from the hole! The hole was halved in 4 (Par). I figured that that was the proper way to play - even in Strokeplay!
Colin L
Tour Winner
Sev,
If my FC chooses, within the rules, to manage his game by not looking for his original ball, by what right and under what rule should I interfere with his choice?
And what is he being "let off" with? He is going to be playing his 4th stroke with the provisional ball as opposed to his 2nd if he found and played his original.
If my FC chooses, within the rules, to manage his game by not looking for his original ball, by what right and under what rule should I interfere with his choice?
And what is he being "let off" with? He is going to be playing his 4th stroke with the provisional ball as opposed to his 2nd if he found and played his original.
Foxholer
Blackballed
As long as you believe the rest of the field is likely to see it that way - which I expect they would!
I forgot to mention/stress that the 2SP wasn't exactly a 'let-off'!
It hasn't happened, but I'd be interested to see how I'd react if it was the last hole, and all square, of a match! I think I'd actually weigh up the benefits/risks of looking and finding it - in the same way as I'd have to see a winning 18" putt holed.
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SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
This is really interesting point and not something I'd ever considered.
What business of mine is it to influence the score of a FC in a strokeplay comp when what my FC is doing is absolutely within the rules. I have in the past taken a 'duty of responsibility to the rest of the field' approach when a FC sticks his ball in the clag and will have gone to look for it. It is in fact none of my business. If my FC has played a provisional and makes it obvious that he is not bothered about looking for his original ball then who am I to suggest the ball should be looked for - and indeed what business of mine is it to look for it. My FC has decided to take his penalty and play on with his provisional - end of story.
atticusfinch
Challenge Tour Pro
Isn't your duty to yourself and the field to play to the best of your ability and win the competition? By searching for your FCs ball you may find it in a bad place and push him farther down in the competition making yours and others chances better. This is not poor sportsmanship it is playing the best you can. If he asks you to not search but you do so anyway, that is poor sportsmanship. JMHO
Foxholer
Blackballed
I've always considered it my 'duty' to play as well as I can, but winning the competition is merely a measurement by how well I have performed. It's a by-product rather than the actual goal - though I always intend to win every comp I enter. Looking for FC's ball to 'hinder' him strikes me as wrong/poor sportsmanship, though I might wonder whether he would be more likely to look for the first if the Provisional wasn't a great one!
I agree about searching when he has asked you not to though. There is just a touch of 'taking advantage of the Rules' though - when he could have re-loaded rather than stating Provisional - but if it's legit by the Rules, it's fine by me!
atticusfinch
Challenge Tour Pro
As the famous us football coach vince lombardi said, winning isn't everything. it's the only thing. :whoo:
North Mimms
Tour Winner
Also if FC insists on looking for and finding my first errant ball after I have played a provisional, all it means is that I can't play the provisional.
I can decide against playing the errant ball as it lies, go back to the tee and play another ball. Hopefully as good as the provisional and resulting in the same number of strokes taken.
But a waste of 5+ minutes, either holding up the field or disrupting flow of play by calling through...
Just
palindromicbob
Tour Winner
There is nothing that suggests you have to look for it either.
DCB
Well-known member
Interesting reading. It's amazing how such a simple thing has run to sixteen pages 
North Mimms
Tour Winner
Interesting reading. It's amazing how such a simple thing has run to sixteen pages
Adjust your settings, and it's only 4 pages.
4 LONG pages!
Franco
Assistant Pro
I am in my first year of playing golf and this thread has given me a clear understanding of the lost, provisional and new ball rules. Thank you.
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
as this thread should have made clear, it should never cause a 5 min hold up - he's either going to find it straight away or you will have continued with your provisional (playing however many strokes as required to create a lost ball!)
now, if he finds it straight away and you decide to go back to the tee that may be 5min, but you don't need to have hit a provisional to create that problem!
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