Is There A General Penalty for Stupidity?

mikejohnchapman

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In our Club Championship one of the players hit his ball into a penalty area (wide ditch with reeds). All the group agreed it was known or virtually certain it's in and indeed when the player searched for the ball he said he had found it. He dropped under penalty and completed the hole. At which point he declared this was not his original ball! It was the one he had dropped under penalty.

Much debate about whether there was an additional penalty for playing the wrong ball but my view was that as the ball had been dropped under penalty it didn't matter whether the ball was substituted or not so no penalty.

Why he said it was his ball when it was a different brand is beyond me and he perhaps deserves a penalty for being dumb. However, I'm sure that isn't in the Rules of Golf.

Was my interpretation correct?
 

chrisd

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As far as I understand any ball dropped (rather than replaced) can be changed at any time, so he did nothing wrong
 

Steven Rules

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As far as I understand any ball dropped (rather than replaced) can be changed at any time, so he did nothing wrong
Your understanding is essentially correct although note that the wording of the relevant rules is also based around taking relief (i.e. free relief or penalty relief) not just 'dropping' the ball.

6.3b
Substitution of Another Ball While Playing Hole
(1) When Player Is Allowed and Not Allowed to Substitute Another Ball. Certain Rules allow a player to change the ball he or she is using to play a hole by substituting another ball as the ball in play, and others do not:
*When taking relief under a Rule, including when either dropping a ball or placing a ball (such as when a ball will not stay in the relief area or when taking relief on the putting green), the player may use either the original ball or another ball (Rule 14.3a),
*When playing again from where a previous stroke was made, the player may use either the original ball or another ball (Rule 14.6), and
*When replacing a ball on a spot, the player is not allowed to substitute a ball and must use the original ball, with certain exceptions (Rule 14.2a).

Rule 14.3. Dropping Ball in Relief Area
This Rule applies whenever a player must drop a ball in taking relief under a Rule, including when the player must complete taking relief by placing a ball under Rule
14.3c(2).
.......

14.3a. Original Ball or Another Ball May Be Used
The player may use the original ball or another ball.
This means that the player may use any ball each time he or she drops or places a ball under this Rule.

There are some exceptions when a different ball can be used when replacing on a spot:

Rule 14.2a Original Ball Must Be Used
The original ball must be used when replacing a ball.
Exception – Another Ball May Be Used When:
*The original ball cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds, so long as the player did not deliberately cause the ball to become unrecoverable,
*The original ball is cut or cracked (see Rule 4.2c),
*Play resumes after it had been stopped (see Rule 5.7d), or
*The original ball was played by another player as a wrong ball (see Rule 6.3c(2)).
 

Steven Rules

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Why he said it was his ball when it was a different brand is beyond me and he perhaps deserves a penalty for being dumb. However, I'm sure that isn't in the Rules of Golf
Thinking outside the box and drawing a very, very long bow, arguably he may have breached Rule 1.2a, but there is no penalty for such a breach.

1.2a. Conduct Expected of All Players
All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:
*Acting with integrity – for example, by ..... being honest in all aspects of play.
 

Colin L

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In our Club Championship one of the players hit his ball into a penalty area (wide ditch with reeds). All the group agreed it was known or virtually certain it's in and indeed when the player searched for the ball he said he had found it. He dropped under penalty and completed the hole. At which point he declared this was not his original ball! It was the one he had dropped under penalty.

Much debate about whether there was an additional penalty for playing the wrong ball but my view was that as the ball had been dropped under penalty it didn't matter whether the ball was substituted or not so no penalty.

Why he said it was his ball when it was a different brand is beyond me and he perhaps deserves a penalty for being dumb. However, I'm sure that isn't in the Rules of Golf.

Was my interpretation correct?

Essentially, he picked up a stray ball and put it into play when taking relief from the PA which is no different from his picking a ball out of his bag and putting it into play.

I'm not sure where Steven is coming from in citing 1.2a.
 

Steven Rules

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I'm not sure where Steven is coming from in citing 1.2a.
Sorrry. It was meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek. An attempt at light heartedness. Apparently too left field and feeble and it obviously fell flat.

The way I read the original post, mikejohnchapman felt the player was a little loose with the truth in proclaiming to the group that he had found HIS ball. MJC was looking (also somewhat tongue in cheek) for a rule related to stupidity or being dumb. So I 'helped him out' with the best I could do and quoted the 'being honest' rule.

There was no penalty for substituting a ball or for being 'dishonest' in this scenario. My post has flopped spectacularly.
 

Colin L

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Sorrry. It was meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek. An attempt at light heartedness. Apparently too left field and feeble and it obviously fell flat.

The way I read the original post, mikejohnchapman felt the player was a little loose with the truth in proclaiming to the group that he had found HIS ball. MJC was looking (also somewhat tongue in cheek) for a rule related to stupidity or being dumb. So I 'helped him out' with the best I could do and quoted the 'being honest' rule.

There was no penalty for substituting a ball or for being 'dishonest' in this scenario. My post has flopped spectacularly.

Now I feel bad. ?

But, as with a certain Mr Bennett, it'll pass, and no doubt more quickly than it should. ?
 
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