Identifying your ball

[One Planer]

I'm hoping someone can tell me whether I was in the right, or the wrong on this.

Last night I played a few holes of twilight golf with a work collegue.

Our second hole is a 330 yard par 4, with a tree lined fairway. I hit my tee shot a little left of where I was intending, straight into a tree.

We walkd down to the tree in question, looked around on the floor, but the ball was nowhere to be found. I looked up into the tree and could see my ball, sat in a crease in the bark where the branch of the tree joins the trunk.

I could positively identify it as mine, due to how my ball is marked, as the logo (Titleist) and my mark (Blue dot next to the 'T' of Titleist) were clearly visable from the ground. The ball was too high to be recoverd.

This is when the discussion started.

I argued that because I could positively identify that it was my ball. The ball was not 'lost' but in an unplayable lie. I should be able to take a drop there, at the base of the tree (2 club lengths),under penalty, and play my 3rd shot from there.

My partner argued that, although I could identify may ball, the ball was effectively 'lost' and I would have to go back to the tee box and play 3 off the tee.

As it was just a knock, I did as per my thoughts, with his agreement (Under protest ). It just so happend I hit the ball to 2 feet and tapped in for what I considered 'Par'.

Could someon clarify who was correct in the above scenario?

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

I'll take a punt on this as a "newbie".
You were right.
The ball was found, it was identified but was unplayable.
(Hope I'm right )

 

[Pin-seeker]

Surely with it only been a friendly game he could have just let you take a penalty drop regardless
Personally I'd say you was in the right,but I'm not sure.

 

[Colin L]

Your colleague was wrong. Your ball is not lost and you can play it as it lies (don't laugh, Bernard Langher did it once) or deem it unplayable and proceed under the options in Rule 28 using the point directly below where the ball was in the tree as the original position of the ball.

If you have deemed it unplayable, you can knock or shake it down or climb up and retrieve it or you can substitute another ball.

 

[One Planer]

Surely with it only been a friendly game he could have just let you take a penalty drop regardless
Personally I'd say you was in the right,but I'm not sure.

It was only a discussion really, no argument. Once I'd identified it, and he agreed it was mine, that's when we discussed what happens next.

Your colleague was wrong. Your ball is not lost and you can play it as it lies (don't laugh, Bernard Langher did it once) or deem it unplayable and proceed under the options in Rule 28 using the point directly below where the ball was in the tree as the original position of the ball.

If you have deemed it unplayable, you can knock or shake it down or climb up and retrieve it or you can substitute another ball.

Thanks for that Colin.

I remembered something similar happened to Lee Westwood at Augusta (... I think) last year where his ball was stuck in a similar position up a tree, but because he could identify it, he could play from that position rather than going back to the tee.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Your colleague was wrong. Your ball is not lost and you can play it as it lies (don't laugh, Bernard Langher did it once) or deem it unplayable and proceed under the options in Rule 28 using the point directly below where the ball was in the tree as the original position of the ball.

If you have deemed it unplayable, you can knock or shake it down or climb up and retrieve it or you can substitute another ball.

Think Garcia played it from a tree quite recently. I could be wrong.

 

[Airlie_Andy]

It was only a discussion really, no argument. Once I'd identified it, and he agreed it was mine, that's when we discussed what happens next.



Thanks for that Colin.

I remembered something similar happened to Lee Westwood at Augusta (... I think) last year where his ball was stuck in a similar position up a tree, but because he could identify it, he could play from that position rather than going back to the tee.

Actually it was the other way around with Westwood in tge masters. He couldn't identify his ball so had to go back to the tee.

 

[Airlie_Andy]

Think Garcia played it from a tree quite recently. I could be wrong.

You are quite correct, he climbed the tree and hit his ball one handed "backwards".

 

[Foxholer]

Think Garcia played it from a tree quite recently. I could be wrong.

If it's the incident I remember, he actually went up the tree and played it!

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-of-Golf.aspx#/rules/?ruleNum=27

Here's Langer's http://www.treeblog.co.uk/viewpost.php?id=338

A different (I think) photo of the same shot is in the half-way house at Hindhead.

 

[One Planer]

Actually it was the other way around with Westwood in tge masters. He couldn't identify his ball so had to go back to the tee.

Cheers Andy. I knew I remembered something about it.

 

[One Planer]

To add a further spin to this thread.

If I hadn't marked my ball in such a way I could identify it, I take it i would have to go back to the tee?

Even though the ball is the same make, model and has some recognisable scuff marks from previous play?

 

[stevie_r]

It was only a discussion really, no argument. Once I'd identified it, and he agreed it was mine, that's when we discussed what happens next.



Thanks for that Colin.

I remembered something similar happened to Lee Westwood at Augusta (... I think) last year where his ball was stuck in a similar position up a tree, but because he could identify it, he could play from that position rather than going back to the tee.

2012 US Open @Olympic :thup:

Happened to me at Malone GC years ago, huge ivy covered tree. I could see my ball so I chucked my SW at it just to knock it down; obviously the next step was to climb the tree to retrieve both my ball and my SW

 

[guest100718]

To add a further spin to this thread.

If I hadn't marked my ball in such a way I could identify it, I take it i would have to go back to the tee?

Even though the ball is the same make, model and has some recognisable scuff marks from previous play?

I think as long as you can be sure it yours then its fine.

 

[One Planer]

I think as long as you can be sure it yours then its fine.

..... But how can be 'sure' it's mine if it's not marked?

 

[CMAC]

I think as long as you can be sure it yours then its fine.

agreed! as long as YOU identify it as yours

 

[Foxholer]

To add a further spin to this thread.

If I hadn't marked my ball in such a way I could identify it, I take it i would have to go back to the tee?

Even though the ball is the same make, model and has some recognisable scuff marks from previous play?

That's actually sufficient, though somewhat risky. If a similarly branded, numbered one is found in the area and you can't distinguish yours, then yours is deemed lost!

See Decisiom 12-2/1 http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-A...cisionId=C8A3C9DD-29CD-466C-9C3A-8B33FA35BF48

 

[One Planer]

I think as long as you can be sure it yours then its fine.

agreed! as long as YOU identify it as yours

Fair enough.

However. If, as an example, I was playing match play and my playing partner, basically, asks you to evidence it's your ball, despite it still not bearing an identifying mark, where do you stand then?

 

[Papas1982]

To add a further spin to this thread.

If I hadn't marked my ball in such a way I could identify it, I take it i would have to go back to the tee?

Even though the ball is the same make, model and has some recognisable scuff marks from previous play?

I believe you have to positively identify it as yours. I do t think it just being same brand would cut it. As for your original point. You were right. Woods had one stuck up a palm free this year but his marker was visa me so just the penalty stroke and 3rd from the rough. Soon as he moved on a fan climbed the free and got a gift!

 

[rulefan]

Fair enough.

However. If, as an example, I was playing match play and my playing partner, basically, asks you to evidence it's your ball, despite it still not bearing an identifying mark, where do you stand then?

1) If you were playing a match you wouldn't have a playing partner. You would have an opponent.

2) You would have to provide some information that shows that it is yours. If your opponent disagrees, he may make a claim and it would have to be sorted out with the committee.
A word of warning though. If you continue with that ball on following holes and lose it, you may have some difficulty in proving your case.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Colin

you are an absolute wizard on the rules, are you involved in some sort of official capacity.....county/national/R&A level??