Playing the wrong ball.

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
Playing in a 4 ball today and player A's tee shot on 9 hit a tree and no one saw it come down. Players B. C and D were all in the fairway. Player A hit a provisional and went to look for his first ball. Players B and C played their second shots to the green and went to look for A's ball. After 3 minutes and no sign of A's first ball he then played his provisional. On reaching the green B marked his ball and found that he had mistakenly played A's first ball.

We weren't exactly sure what should happen with player A as his original ball had been played prior to him commencing his search so he went back and played it from where player B had hit it from, originally with no penalty. After the round player A DQ'd himself as he had already played his provisional and he believed that that should have been the ball in play. Was he correct to be DQ'd?

















9
 

woofers

Medal Winner
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
864
Visit site
But A had no opportunity to play his original ball as B had already hit it onto the green. Correct? So I can’t see how he can be quality of an offence.
 

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
But A had no opportunity to play his original ball as B had already hit it onto the green. Correct? So I can’t see how he can be quality of an offence.
That was our original view but after seeking further advice he was told that his provisional should have been the ball in play as he had played his second shot with the provisional before the error was discovered. Correct or myth?
 

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,172
Visit site
My thoughts are that when A played his provisional it became the ball in play, he should have completed and scored the hole with that ball and not gone back to play another. If he signed for a score with the ball that he went back and played then yes he was correct to DQ himself.

Assuming that B did not correct his mistake of playing the wrong ball then he should have been DQ'd as well.
 

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
My thoughts are that when A played his provisional it became the ball in play, he should have completed and scored the hole with that ball and not gone back to play another. If he signed for a score with the ball that he went back and played then yes he was correct to DQ himself.

Assuming that B did not correct his mistake of playing the wrong ball then he should have been DQ'd as well.

Yes, he did sign for the score with the ball that he went back to play and player B went back and found his ball (plugged in the fairway) and was playing 4 for his next shot.
 

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
14,687
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
One thing to be taken in to consideration re the provisional ball. Was it closer to the green the original ball?
 

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
One thing to be taken in to consideration re the provisional ball. Was it closer to the green the original ball?

Yes it was. The original ball had come out sideways after hitting the tree and the provisional was about 30 yards closer to the green (but not known at the time he played his second shot with the provisional).
 

duncan mackie

Money List Winner
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
11,135
Visit site
One thing to be taken in to consideration re the provisional ball. Was it closer to the green the original ball?
Completely irrelevant here.

The provisional ball was played after a 3 minute search for the original ball.
At that point
1. The original ball was lost and the provisional ball was his ball in play.
2. It is irrelevant, to A, that B was subsequently found to have played his original ball.
 

duncan mackie

Money List Winner
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
11,135
Visit site
As there isn't a lot of golf being played, so time to reflect on possible variables....

If B had taken a preferred lie (or other relief) with A's ball before playing it the relative position of where his ball was subsequently found and where he yes from becomes relative in terms of how he should proceed because it is no longer a wrong ball ?
 

cliveb

Head Pro
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
2,371
Visit site
I can't help but think that suffering the penalty for failing to find your ball within three minutes because someone else has played it in error seems a bit harsh.
Is there really no appeal to common sense here?
 

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
As there isn't a lot of golf being played, so time to reflect on possible variables....

If B had taken a preferred lie (or other relief) with A's ball before playing it the relative position of where his ball was subsequently found and where he yes from becomes relative in terms of how he should proceed because it is no longer a wrong ball ?

B did take a preferred lie with the ball he thought was his. Inexplicably, his ball was a Taylormade with black dots and A's ball was a Titleist but he still did not notice the difference!!!

Our initial view when the error was discovered was that the 3 minute lost ball rule did not apply as A's ball had been removed from the search area before the search began.
 

Green Bay Hacker

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,918
Visit site
Just checked the online results and it states DQ under 3.3b. Assumed to be because he entered the score after going back and playing his original ball.
 

Colin L

Tour Winner
Joined
May 26, 2012
Messages
5,269
Location
Edinburgh
Visit site
Just checked the online results and it states DQ under 3.3b. Assumed to be because he entered the score after going back and playing his original ball.

Intersting. I'd make a DQ under 6.3c - for playing a wrong ball and failing to correct the error before making a stroke at the next hole.

And if it were to be 3.3, I'd make it 3.3c, failure to hole out.
 

duncan mackie

Money List Winner
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
11,135
Visit site
Intersting. I'd make a DQ under 6.3c - for playing a wrong ball and failing to correct the error before making a stroke at the next hole.

And if it were to be 3.3, I'd make it 3.3c, failure to hole out.
Then again post #14 confirms that he didn't play a wrong ball
 

duncan mackie

Money List Winner
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
11,135
Visit site
I can't help but think that suffering the penalty for failing to find your ball within three minutes because someone else has played it in error seems a bit harsh.
Is there really no appeal to common sense here?
Common sense means different things to different people .

if it's known or virtually certain that someone has played your ball then you have options - but there has to be a time line drawn. This is consistent with most other similar situations at 3 mins (surely sensible) such as establishing that it is in a penalty area.
The real problem here is that he has no idea where his ball is so has to find it
 
Top