How Are Your Members Applying the 3 Minute Rule?

[patricks148]

I think if it was double you would know. I have phone on me for GPS so I can glance at the screen for the time, as someone said above it's not precise but you'd know if a 4th minute ticked by on there that it was definitely over 3 minutes so you'd have to say "that's your lot". I don't feel any more preciseness than that is needed, even if it is a match play final. I guess I'm easy-going though. If he finds the ball and it could have been 3 mins or could have been 3 mins 10 seconds and I'm none the wiser, it really doesn't bother me.

but with out proof of how long they have takedn its your word against theirs. I was fairly relaxed about it untill this summer. as i say i don't wear a watch or carry a phone with me out playing and have no desire to. had a couple of instances where oppo kept on looking for well over 5 mins and carried on looking until they found it and did just that

TBH if you have a watch or phone on you its no different to having a stop watch... proof of how long they have looked ... pure and simple

 

[DickInShorts]

As golfers we either choose to play golf by the rules or it’s not golf - and we don’t get to choose which rules to either agree with or disregard.
However - in matchplay it isn’t a requirement to enforce the rules on our opponent - we get a choice. However we cannot agree to ignore/break rules - eg lets just have a drop out of all the bunkers with no penalty.
In strokeplay we all have a responsibility to protect the field - there are up to another 150 players in the competition so we should have a level playing field

 

[mikejohnchapman]

If I saw someone with an actual stopwatch to time a search I would think they're a bit of a tosser as that strikes me as overzealous and a bit anal. We play for enjoyment not to catch each other out on infringements. A glance at the time is enough. I probably wouldn't say anything about it though. Luckily it's never happened.

In any round I've ever played, the player who's ball it is just approximates the time. Often they give up early knowing they're unlikely to find it. If they do search for too long someone may say "I think that's 3 minutes gone mate" and you wrap it up, ball lost. Nobody ever has a problem with this method.

Best we not play together then!

As a referee I have a stopwatch in my bag and usually slip it into my back pocket when i play. I have on a few occasions set it going when we look for a ball but keep it in the palm of my hand, hidden so I can check. Interestingly most people say "we've had 3 minutes" when they haven't.

 

[robinthehood]

Best we not play together then!

As a referee I have a stopwatch in my bag and usually slip it into my back pocket when i play. I have on a few occasions set it going when we look for a ball but keep it in the palm of my hand, hidden so I can check. Interestingly most people say "we've had 3 minutes" when they haven't.

What's wrong with that? Unless you're saying they've had to long , which begs the question of why you didn't say anything if you're timing it.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

What's wrong with that? Unless you're saying they've had to long , which begs the question of why you didn't say anything if you're timing it.

If we get to the 3 minutes then I will say we have - just don't make a big thing of looking at the watch. After all wouldn't want to be considered " a tosser, overzealous and a bit anal".

 

[Slab]

Box of 12 - all brand new - make me an offer (a joke raffle prize)

View attachment 28608

Lucky sod, I once got a dozen lake balls for a 2nd place 😢

 

[rosecott]

Lucky sod, I once got a dozen lake balls for a 2nd place 😢

You're welcome to have them. I'll get my daughter to drop them off on her next Mauritius trip.

 

[User20204]

This morning I pulled one in to the trees, once I got there I started the stop watch on my phone, at 1.39 my PP's started walking away, then I asked them how long do you think we've been looking...about 5 minutes was one reply.

 

[Orikoru]

You have made it known (through your posts) that playing by the Rules is not one of your priorities.

I have no issue at all playing by the rules..I don't recall seeing a rule that says you must time the three minutes on a stopwatch.

 

[Colin L]

I have no issue at all playing by the rules..I don't recall seeing a rule that says you must time the three minutes on a stopwatch.

Since we habitually use clocks, watches, iPhones or whatever other splendid devices for instantly telling the time that the ingenuity of man has come up with, ensuring that we don't overrun the 3 minutes allowed for a search by using one of them rather than guessing or humming tunes does seem, how shall I put it, rather obvious.

 

[clubchamp98]

Since we habitually use clocks, watches, iPhones or whatever other splendid devices for instantly telling the time that the ingenuity of man has come up with, ensuring that we don't overrun the 3 minutes allowed for a search by using one of them rather than guessing or humming tunes does seem, how shall I put it, rather obvious.

Nothing is obvious in the rules of golf.
You only have to read some of the posts in the rules section.
And it does seem a bit of an omission to stipulate a presice time but not how or who should do it.
There could be a game no phones no watches or any timekeeping devices whatsoever.
Playing devils advocate it’s a guess at best.
A referee would need one !
But is there a case for saying on the first tee “ anyone got any form of timepiece for searches”?

 

[chrisd]

Personally I dont care if someone uses a sun dial but searches should be timed

 

[Colin L]

A sun dial? You obviously don't play in Scotland.

 

[chrisd]

A sun dial? You obviously don't play in Scotland.

I couldn't be much further away Colin 😉

 

[rulie]

I have no issue at all playing by the rules..I don't recall seeing a rule that says you must time the three minutes on a stopwatch.

But after three minutes of searching, the ball is "lost" by the Rules, and playing it after three minutes would, according to the Rules, be playing a wrong ball and incur a penalty. How do you avoid such penalty?

 

[chrisd]

But after three minutes of searching, the ball is "lost" by the Rules, and playing it after three minutes would, according to the Rules, be playing a wrong ball and incur a penalty. How do you avoid such penalty?

And therein lies the problem Rulie, the rules give a precise time and some golfers need spoon feeding as to how to measure that time. If by guess work NOBODY exceeded the 3 minutes then I'd have no problem with guessing but common sense says that a stipulated time is precisely that and there will be searches, in comps, that break the rules.

 

[YandaB]

But after three minutes of searching, the ball is "lost" by the Rules, and playing it after three minutes would, according to the Rules, be playing a wrong ball and incur a penalty. How do you avoid such penalty?

If we are being so very precise about the end of the 3 minutes, how precise can we be at the start of the 3 minutes? I am certainly "looking" for my ball as I walk towards it, does that count as searching, I don't think so? I am still "looking" for it as I walk the line I think that it is on. Do I start "searching" for it once I find that it is not on my line and I start walking back again? Seems very imprecise to me as a start but we are expected to be precise to the second at the end which doesn't quite tally up to me. I guess what we need is a very precise definition of "search commencement"?

 

[rulefan]

What has changed re precision? Did players who were lax before suddenly lax now?

 

[chrisd]

If we are being so very precise about the end of the 3 minutes, how precise can we be at the start of the 3 minutes? I am certainly "looking" for my ball as I walk towards it, does that count as searching, I don't think so? I am still "looking" for it as I walk the line I think that it is on. Do I start "searching" for it once I find that it is not on my line and I start walking back again? Seems very imprecise to me as a start but we are expected to be precise to the second at the end which doesn't quite tally up to me. I guess what we need is a very precise definition of "search commencement"?

Perhaps you could suggest a wording?

 

[RulesGuy]

The only instructional information I could find from the powers that be that touches on this is a 3 second clip contained in a video on pace of play. It depicts 2 golfers frantically searching for a ball whilst a third helpfully stands at a distance looking as the seconds tick by on his stopwatch towards the dreaded 3 minutes.

I have never timed another player nor have I knowingly been timed nor have I seen any player time any other player. Ever. I believe this is the experience of the vast majority of golfers. Could it be possible that the R&A never envisaged your average club golfer being held strictly to the 5/3 minutes? Now of course they needed to limit the length of the search but couldn't have a rule that simply allowed searching for a reasonable time so they had to put a number on it.

Some (rightly) would say that the rule is crystal clear, that a player's ball is lost after 3 minutes and it matters not if it is subsequently found 1 second or 1 minute after this period. I personally am uncomfortable with this approach as it relies on a certain amount of guesswork as to when a person starts his/her search and could lead to interesting exchanges. 'You've had 3 minutes'. 'Oh no I haven't'. 'Oh yes you have.......