I'm lost over the lost ball ruling...

[HiltonParker78]

Right, I'm reading the latest Golf Monthly, specifically the section "Know the Rules". Lost ball: "You cannot render the original ball lost be declaration". I thought that was EXACTLY what you had to do!
It goes on, stating that "I'll declare the original ball lost" is meaningless. What could be more meaningful in the situation?
The font of all wisdom on these matters, as far as I am concerned, is the late Peter Dobreiner's "Golf Rules Explained" and covering the lost ball from the tee, he tells us "You must formally abandon it and put another into play".
Is that not rendering it lost by declaration? Some clarity please?

 

[Ethan]

Many lengthy threads on the subject here. The GM article is, of course, quite right.

The ball is lost after 5 minutes searching, if OOB, or when a new ball is put into play either by returning to the tee or failing to properly declare one as a provisional, or a provisional is played from closer to the hole than the original one.

Saying "I hereby declare this ball lost" means nothing if only 4 and a half minutes have passed and someone finds your ball 10 seconds later.

However, if you hit a ball and it is heading for trouble and you put another ball down and play it, then the second ball is in play and the first one is lost (or out of play, at least). No declarations or sworn statements are required.

 

[rosecott]

You only have to go back to 25th July when "declaring a ball lost" spawned 6 pages of debate.

He was not rendering it lost by declaration - he was rendering it lost by the action of putting another ball in play.

 

[Foxholer]

Nice short thread then!

Posts 2 and 3 state everything that is required.

 

[Ian_S]

This again...

I always think of it in a simple way. 'Lost' is a status given to the ball by the rules of golf. A player cannot declare a ball lost, but by his/her actions can make a ball 'lost' - the easiest of which is to put another ball in play without declaring it to be a provisional.

Also 'lost' is a permanent status. If you put another ball into play (i.e. not a provisional) then even if you find your original ball it is still lost and you must play the ball in play.

 

[Tommo21]

This again...

I always think of it in a simple way. 'Lost' is a status given to the ball by the rules of golf. A player cannot declare a ball lost, but by his/her actions can make a ball 'lost' - the easiest of which is to put another ball in play without declaring it to be a provisional.

Also 'lost' is a permanent status. If you put another ball into play (i.e. not a provisional) then even if you find your original ball it is still lost and you must play the ball in play.

Not another, not this again.

 

[HiltonParker78]

Apologies for going over old ground. Will head back to July 25 and digest all responses.

 

[Ethan]

You can declare a ball lost only to the same extent as you can declare it a "[redacted] piece of [also redacted]", although my playing partner declared his ball to be so several times last weekend. Just some words which do not affect the status of the ball.

You can render the ball lost by various actions described above or after 5 minutes of unsuccessful searching, whichever occurs sooner.