prefered lie

[cosworth]

hello all.
just wondering what this term means please?
sorry if its a basic one but im still a golfing pup

 

[birdieman]

If the course is muddy or wintery the committe can declare 'preferred lies in operation'. This is normal in UK from November through to end March at most clubs.

This means that on the fairway (not rough) you can pick up the ball and clean it then replace it within 6 inches of where it lay but not nearer the hole.

Remember if you opt to use a preferred lie you need to mark the ball position with a tee or equivalent before you lift it.

 

[stevelockie]

Think this is right:

You can lift, clean and replace the ball within 6 inches of it's original position, but not nearer the hole. Ball must be on the fairway.

Generally when you replace it you can put it in a better lie (there's usually one available), hence the term preferred lie.

Used extensively in winter

 

[stevelockie]

Synchronised post Birdieman!!

 

[MVP]

I like that rule

 

[cosworth]

thanks all.

 

[RGuk]

We use it on "all closely mown areas". This includes around the green, not just the fairway (as it were).

I like it a lot! Sometimes, I can find enough of a tuft to consider hitting my driver off the deck.....

Wish it was in operation all year round, means you can also get your ball out of a divot or depression, as long as it's within the distance.

Dave

 

[rgs]

Personally i do not like preferred lies-its a mental thing-when you can "tee the ball up" i believe you should be able to hit a decent shot and when i fail i get a bit down.

Also you can get under the ball when you "tee it up" and sky it.

Naturally i agree with preferred lies in winter to protect the course.

 

[madandra]

We had prefered lies until the end of MAY last year. I guess that is down to the fact that my old course was a coup.

 

[RGuk]

It is a bit depressing to hit a bad one from a perfect lie, been there, done that! The sky-ing idea seems a bit unlikely, but then again I don't sky it off low tees either.

Dave

 

[julsk10]

At my club we play preferred lies through the green which means that if a ball is in the rough you also have the option of teeing up. If not what do you do if you have a plugged ball off the fairway during the winter, it can be hard enough trying to hit it when its sitting on pure muck without it being two inches below ground.

 

[viscount17]

preferred lie = it was an absolute blinder off the tee - all of 300 yds - and hit the pin! Then before I could get to the green a crow/eagle/seagull pinched the ball.


seriously, I thought you could only lift the ball, even on a fairway, if it was in 'disturbed' ground - ie tyre track, divot etc.

 

[Parmo]

It is one of the better rules of golf.

 

[Dave3498]

The rule about preferred lies during the winter period is primarily there to protect the golf course, not to help the golfer, athough this is the fortunate spin-off from the rule. The idea is that fewer divots will be taken at a time when the grass is not growing and divots are unlikely to take root as they do in the summer. Every player should improve the lie and try not to take a divot when the rule is in place, although this is not easy for good ball strikers who will always impact the ground after the ball.

 

[Liam_Austin]

sorry to add to this.

if i picked my ball up from the fairway, but before i replaced it within 6 inches i collected some already detached turf and placed it where the ball was going to go. So it acted as a sort of mud tee.

is this illegal or is it fair?

Liam

 

[madandra]

Ya wee chancer .... no way, thats enhancing the lie of the ball outwith the spirit of the sport.

 

[muttleee]

Sure I thought we were supposed to replace divots?

Off the top of my head, I would have thought this was perfectly legal because the very definition of preferred lies is that you can effectively tee the ball up on the grass if you want to. Don't take my word for it though!

 

[Dave3498]

Sorry Liam_Austin, I don't think that would be allowed. You are supposed to find a better lie than the one you had when the ball came to rest, within 6" of its original position, not nearer the hole, and that's it. You can't manufacture a lie.

 

[Hoppy]

My course uses prefered lies, I don't really agree with them but in saying that I do ocasionally use them when I'm chipping on to the green if there is a visible large clump of mud on the ball. Some players though can't play without it. We tried one round last year where the captain said no prefered lies, guess who was the first to pick his ball up on the first fairway yep the captain. I have also seen one player place the ball all the time on worm casts so that he can use his driver off the fairway.

 

[muttleee]

Sorry Liam_Austin, I don't think that would be allowed. You are supposed to find a better lie than the one you had when the ball came to rest, within 6" of its original position, not nearer the hole, and that's it. You can't manufacture a lie.

That's not quite right. There is no official rule of golf referring to preferred lies so it's up to the Committee in a particular club to decide how they want to handle them under local rules. They can allow you to place the ball within a club length if they feel like it (as long as it's not nearer the hole, of course). Some clubs will even allow you to use tees on the course.

There is a specimen local rule regarding preferred lies in the appendices to the rule book but it allows for clubs to tailor it to their own needs. The Committee should always outline exactly what they mean by "winter rules" or "preferred lies" if they decide to use them. They can't just put a sign up at the first tee saying "Preferred lies in operation" and expect everyone to know what exactly that means.