searching for ball in the rough

[freddielong]

To me there is no penalty have a look at the rule below to me the keyword is purposely

18-2. By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment
a. General
When a player’s ball is in play, if:
(i) the player, his partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves it,
touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it)
or causes it to move except as permitted by a Rule, or

 

[PhilTheFragger]

referring to my rules of golf book
under rule 18-2
There is no penalty if a player accidentally causes his ball to move in the following circumstances:-
in searching for the ball in a hazard covered by loose impediments or sand etc etc

The Key word is accidentally

also lets be realistic, if your ball has been stood upon, it is likely to be fairly well buried and therefore more difficult to get out from

That in itself should be enough

So NO penalty I say

 

[backwoodsman]

Freddielong: You need to read the rules carefully. 18-2a(i) says "touch it purposely" <u>or</u> "cause it to move". The "cause it to move" doesn't have to be on purpose. The "on purpose" is only for touching.

PhiltheFragger: In the bit you're referring to, the keyword isn't "accidentally" - it's "hazard". The bit you're quoting refers to accidentally moving the ball during a search in a hazard; the rough isn't a hazard.

Tread on your ball accidentally whilst looking for it in the rough and if it moves - even just a tiny bit - you're up for a one shot penalty.

 

[Herbie]

Not only do players have so many questions regarding this kind of situation, but also the rules can often make matters even more confusing. The common sense of it all is that the ball is in the rough, if it has been trod on, the likelyhood of any improvement or benefit are almost a nonsense, but the chances of making it worse are very real, so just accept the guys word and move on. The rule should simply be that if the ball is seen to have moved and the lie improved, then a penalty should be applied , end of rule no other coblers required. In general golf involving the masses, every question regarding rules are asked by players, decided by players and even when taken to the pro to deal with, does not always end in the correct result if the circumstances and facts are poorly relayed and so many questions are not asked by players who are not fully aware of rules, as too are those who confuse the rules. Simplifying rules is something I advocate, then questions would not be answered days or weeks after a round, resulting in people realising the wrong action or decision had been made in their round, making it a bit pointless.
If the answer cannot be found in the rules by the layman, then the rules are at fault, if the answer cannot be found between players, then there is something wrong with those players.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Smiffy

Even with my specsaver eyes its easy to see you move my ball on the fairway. With your I15 in handI'll try hard not to dig my heel onto the top of yours as I search for it in the rough.

 

[viscount17]

herbie, spot on.
I think they have tried to compress the rules to keep their number down. As a result they have instead created enormously over-complex compound sentences by stringing together some rather loosely related phrases.

And, of course, when the 'Decisions' is more than five times thicker than the rules themselves, something is very wrong.

 

[alexgolf]

Hi all

WOW, I am in Portugal at the mo and have not checked my e-mail.

Thank you for all the responses. I will have a detailed look at this when i get back as i thought it was a fairly simple thing. No movement no penality.

Hope all well

Alex

 

[Robobum]

And the "accidentally moved during search" exemption only applies when ball is in a hazard. It doesn't apply when ball is in the rough. (If moved by the player that is. The accidental during search <u>does</u> apply if it was the opponent who moved the ball)

Thanks for clearing that up BWM. I knew I had read something along those lines but didn't realise it didn't include the "player"...

If you watch the pros when they hit it in cabbage, the one who's ball they are searching for takes a more backseat role. He doesn't start thrashing about in the grass like his playing partners or spectators. Just one of the unwritten rules between pros I suppose.

 

[viscount17]

And the "accidentally moved during search" exemption only applies when ball is in a hazard. It doesn't apply when ball is in the rough. (If moved by the player that is. The accidental during search <u>does</u> apply if it was the opponent who moved the ball)

Thanks for clearing that up BWM. I knew I had read something along those lines but didn't realise it didn't include the "player"...

If you watch the pros when they hit it in cabbage, the one who's ball they are searching for takes a more backseat role. He doesn't start thrashing about in the grass like his playing partners or spectators. Just one of the unwritten rules between pros I suppose.

either that or it's an 'I really don't need to find that' moment