Garesfield ACE
Tour Rookie
Hello all........can someone explain to me exactly what 'preferred lies' means? My hunch is it only refers to winter golf? Cheers
Preferred lies
- Thread starter Garesfield ACE
- Start date
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
You are right in associating "preferred lies" with winter golf, but in exceptional circumstances they can be introduced during "summer months" (even in the professional game) should adverse course conditions dictate. Usually you'll find it's at the beginning of the season when a course hasn't fully recovered from a bad winter. I seem to remember the Portuguese Open being won a couple of years ago under preferred lies?
Basically you are allowed to mark your ball,(usually with a tee peg but a ball marker will do), pick it up and place it down on a nice fluffy lie so that you can give the bloody thing a bit of biscuit without covering yourself in slime.
You have to replace the ball anywhere within 6 inches of the marker but NOT NEARER THE HOLE.
Some people can be a bit lazy about marking their ball and will sometimes just slide the ball one way or the other with the head of their club to a nice position. I usually find that the ones that do this are the ones that are likely to try to pinch seven inches, not six and can also be a little "directionally challenged"....
Preferred lies are normally (normally) only available on fairways but I have heard of some clubs allowing them in the first cut or even the rough!
Robobum
Money List Winner
Preferred lies are put in as a local rule, it's worth reading what your club's definition is.
6" is fairly widely accepted, but you may find some places use a scorecard length or even a club's length to obtain your lie.
You can clean your ball before replacing it, not nearer the hole.
6" is fairly widely accepted, but you may find some places use a scorecard length or even a club's length to obtain your lie.
You can clean your ball before replacing it, not nearer the hole.
Garesfield ACE
Tour Rookie
Cheers lads for that.Especially Smiffy for the 'long' and very interesting reply.Great help that.Well thats something else I have learned,only 2000 to go....lol....Kev
ianshearin
Club Champion
On this subject, last week I was playing in a comp and drove the ball on the fairway about 3 inches from the first cut.
I asked if I could move the ball and place it on the nice fluffy first cut as it was within the 6 inches, it sparked some discussion which in the end never resulted in a definitive answer.
Can the ball be placed on the first cut from the fairway?
I asked if I could move the ball and place it on the nice fluffy first cut as it was within the 6 inches, it sparked some discussion which in the end never resulted in a definitive answer.
Can the ball be placed on the first cut from the fairway?
MashieNiblick
Tour Winner
Didn't Tiger do this on the 18th at Pebble Beach a while ago so he could get the ball sitting up and have a go for the green?
The R and A have a recommended local rule for preferred lies which says
“A ball lying on a closely-mown area through the green (or specify a more restricted area, e.g. at the 6th hole) may be lifted, without penalty, and cleaned. Before lifting the ball, the player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball, he must place it on a spot within (specify area, e.g. six inches, one club-length, etc.) of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.
A player may place his ball only once, and it is in play when it has been placed (Rule 20-4). If the ball fails to come to rest on the spot on which it is placed, Rule 20-3d applies. If the ball when placed comes to rest on the spot on which it is placed and it subsequently moves, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provisions of any other Rule apply.
If the player fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it or moves the ball in any other manner, such as rolling it with a club, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.
Note: “Closely-mown area†means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.
*PENALTY FOR BREACH OF LOCAL RULE:
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.
*If a player incurs the general penalty for a breach of this Local Rule, no additional penalty under the Local Rule is applied.â€
http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-of-Golf.aspx#/rules/
(scroll down to see Appendix 1)
This doesn't specify the ball has to be placed back on a "closely mown area".
Might be worth checking what your club's local rule actually is and if it's not clear checking with the sec.
Interesting that the recommended Rule suggests you have to mark the ball. Not sure if that is in operation all the time. Should be in comps but in friendlies most people just give the ball a nudge with a club. That certianly speeds up play. Again it might depend on what the club decide.
The R and A have a recommended local rule for preferred lies which says
“A ball lying on a closely-mown area through the green (or specify a more restricted area, e.g. at the 6th hole) may be lifted, without penalty, and cleaned. Before lifting the ball, the player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball, he must place it on a spot within (specify area, e.g. six inches, one club-length, etc.) of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.
A player may place his ball only once, and it is in play when it has been placed (Rule 20-4). If the ball fails to come to rest on the spot on which it is placed, Rule 20-3d applies. If the ball when placed comes to rest on the spot on which it is placed and it subsequently moves, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provisions of any other Rule apply.
If the player fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it or moves the ball in any other manner, such as rolling it with a club, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.
Note: “Closely-mown area†means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.
*PENALTY FOR BREACH OF LOCAL RULE:
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.
*If a player incurs the general penalty for a breach of this Local Rule, no additional penalty under the Local Rule is applied.â€
http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-of-Golf.aspx#/rules/
(scroll down to see Appendix 1)
This doesn't specify the ball has to be placed back on a "closely mown area".
Might be worth checking what your club's local rule actually is and if it's not clear checking with the sec.
Interesting that the recommended Rule suggests you have to mark the ball. Not sure if that is in operation all the time. Should be in comps but in friendlies most people just give the ball a nudge with a club. That certianly speeds up play. Again it might depend on what the club decide.
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
I would have no problem with that if you did it whilst playing with me.
I sometimes prefer hitting out of the first cut so if I had the opportunity to do it myself, I would
bobmac
Major Champion
Ian, who said you couldn't place it in the rough?
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
A knob he was playing with
bobmac
Major Champion
Ahhh, but which one?
I know all the knobs who play there
ianshearin
Club Champion
No-one said I coudn't Bob, I asked the guys I was playing with and we had a friendly discussion about it, no-one actually knew what the official ruling would be.
I asked JD (Dont want to mention full names on a public forum) in the club house later and again sparked another friendly discussion which again resulted in no-one actually knowing the correct decision.
Wasn't a problem at all and wasn't in a comp, was in a friendly with the Seniors morning bash.
I asked JD (Dont want to mention full names on a public forum) in the club house later and again sparked another friendly discussion which again resulted in no-one actually knowing the correct decision.
Wasn't a problem at all and wasn't in a comp, was in a friendly with the Seniors morning bash.
I was unaware of the fact that you MUST mark the ball before you prefer the lie and only came across this fact last winter while watching a tour event on Sky.
I am still waiting to pull someone up on it but I am sure it will happen,hopefully when I am all square playing the last!
I am still waiting to pull someone up on it but I am sure it will happen,hopefully when I am all square playing the last!
