Someone else picking up your ball

[North Mimms]

Advice for future reference...

Stableford format
Player A hits ball straightish down slightly blind fairway on hole 5.
Arriving at expected position of ball, he can't find it. He hasn't played a provisional as the ball should be easily found.
He decides to "blob" the hole and leaves bag over near next tee 6 where he asks one of the group ahead if they had seen his drive. Nope.
It later turns out that one of that group- B- (who had played that hole off line down the wrong fairway) had picked up Player A's ball as B crossed back to the correct fairway on way to the green.
B comes over from tee 7 when A's group are putting out on green 6 (a par three) to apologise and return A's ball.

Obviously by then it is too late for A to finish playing hole 5, but if B had returned ball earlier, at what point could A have continued with the hole?

....5 minutes from when they first looked for the ball (which they were never going to find)?
....anytime before A teed off on next hole 6?
....Something else?

 

[Imurg]

I'd have said within the five minutes....
Unfortunate to have to blob but if you can't find your ball, for whatever reason, it's lost unless you, for example, see someone/thing pick it up.

 

[delc]

Advice for future reference...

Stableford format
Player A hits ball straightish down slightly blind fairway on hole 5.
Arriving at expected position of ball, he can't find it. He hasn't played a provisional as the ball should be easily found.
He decides to "blob" the hole and leaves bag over near next tee 6 where he asks one of the group ahead if they had seen his drive. Nope.
It later turns out that one of that group- B- (who had played that hole off line down the wrong fairway) had picked up Player A's ball as B crossed back to the correct fairway on way to the green.
B comes over from tee 7 when A's group are putting out on green 6 (a par three) to apologise and return A's ball.

Obviously by then it is too late for A to finish playing hole 5, but if B had returned ball earlier, at what point could A have continued with the hole?

....5 minutes from when they first looked for the ball (which they were never going to find)?
....anytime before A teed off on next hole 6?
....Something else?

If you see your ball at rest moved or picked up by an outside agency (which includes a member of another playing group), then just replace it as near as possible to where it lay. If the ball is not readily recoverable you may substitute another ball (rule 18). Otherwise it's unfortunately a lost ball if not found within 5 minutes of starting the search. In a Stableford you can just blob the hole, but in a medal you would have to return to the tee and put another ball into play, or else be DQ'd.

 

[North Mimms]

If you see your ball at rest moved or picked up by an outside agency (which includes a member of another playing group), then just replace it as near as possible to where it lay. If the ball is not readily recoverable you may substitute another ball (rule 18). Otherwise it's unfortunately a lost ball if not found within 5 minutes of starting the search. In a Stableford you can just blob the hole, but in a medal you would have to return to the tee and put another ball into play, or else be DQ'd.

I know that, but actually asked at what point could player A (who hadn't seen his ball being taken) be allowed to replace his ball and carry on if Player B had told him earlier what had happened.

 

[delc]

I know that, but actually asked at what point could player A (who hadn't seen his ball being taken) be allowed to replace his ball and carry on if Player B had told him earlier what had happened.

Within 5 minutes of starting the search and before teeing off at the next hole.

 

[duncan mackie]

Advice for future reference...

Stableford format
Player A hits ball straightish down slightly blind fairway on hole 5.
Arriving at expected position of ball, he can't find it. He hasn't played a provisional as the ball should be easily found.
He decides to "blob" the hole and leaves bag over near next tee 6 where he asks one of the group ahead if they had seen his drive. Nope.
It later turns out that one of that group- B- (who had played that hole off line down the wrong fairway) had picked up Player A's ball as B crossed back to the correct fairway on way to the green.
B comes over from tee 7 when A's group are putting out on green 6 (a par three) to apologise and return A's ball.

Obviously by then it is too late for A to finish playing hole 5, but if B had returned ball earlier, at what point could A have continued with the hole?

....5 minutes from when they first looked for the ball (which they were never going to find)?
....anytime before A teed off on next hole 6?
....Something else?

the standard definition of a lost ball applies - it's that straightforward .

 

[North Mimms]

the standard definition of a lost ball applies - it's that straightforward .

So even if he had teed off at next hole ? (unlikely as that is, depends on how quickly his PP finished the 5th)

 

[Region3]

Apologies I can't add anything to the OP, but it never ceases to amaze me that people think they have the right to pick any ball up that obviously hasn't been lost. :angry:

 

[duncan mackie]

So even if he had teed off at next hole ? (unlikely as that is, depends on how quickly his PP finished the 5th)

you have lost me with the 'even if...' bit

The standard definition of a lost ball includes putting another ball into play

 

[delc]

Apologies I can't add anything to the OP, but it never ceases to amaze me that people think they have the right to pick any ball up that obviously hasn't been lost. :angry:

"Never pick up a lost ball while it is still rolling". Quote by Leslie Nielsen in the video 'Bad Golf Made Easier'. Agree that it's bad form to pick a ball up if there is any chance that it could belong to a member of another playing group!

 

[North Mimms]

you have lost me with the 'even if...' bit

The standard definition of a lost ball includes putting another ball into play

My brain is not working today!