Unfair penalty?

[chrisd]

I'll try one more time Chris☺

The reason it's loss of hole in matchplay is that the impact on the play of the hole isn't quantifiable (there are times when it would have no more than the advantage of having played a practice stroke; but generally you leave your opponent in the dark over your true position and strokes made - which means that when you say "I'm on the green for 2" , then he plays, but when you get there
you have played a wrong ball...If the penalty was 1 shot you would lose the whole for wrong information!!!

Strokeplay came later and attempts to quantify the unquantifiable - hence the conversion to 2 shots.

I do get your point Duncan but it's swings and roundabouts for me, and I accept that I'm in a minority. I assume that deliberate rule breaking is not the real point and I can see why the loss of hole would seem just, but, say you play your ball first then I play a wrong ball second then the situation is, maybe, wholly different but a 2 shot penalty is reasonable to me.

I did start this from a position of thinking about harmonisation of the rules where possible and not specifically about the wrong ball situation and if you take rule 7-2 which is playing a stroke between holes, in stroke play it's a 2 stroke penalty but Matchplay automatically loses the offender the next hole and I really can't see why it not a 2 stroke penalty in both forms

 

[duncan mackie]

I do get your point Duncan but it's swings and roundabouts for me, and I accept that I'm in a minority. I assume that deliberate rule breaking is not the real point and I can see why the loss of hole would seem just, but, say you play your ball first then I play a wrong ball second then the situation is, maybe, wholly different but a 2 shot penalty is reasonable to me.

I did start this from a position of thinking about harmonisation of the rules where possible and not specifically about the wrong ball situation and if you take rule 7-2 which is playing a stroke between holes, in stroke play it's a 2 stroke penalty but Matchplay automatically loses the offender the next hole and I really can't see why it not a 2 stroke penalty in both forms

Looking at it the wrong way round to consider the stroke play at all. Stroke play penalties are a best insurance that the field isn't disadvantaged by a player potentially gaining an advantage - short of immediate DQ.

7-2 is, as many rules, about a potential advantage gained by breaching. Because it's not possible to quantify this the penalty is loss of hole. (In your example I still have decisions to make about a subsequent shot that will be influenced by your play even if you initially play after me - the only time this isn't the case is where it is known that a wrong ball has been played before any subsequent action by an opponent; I accept that specifically in that situation you could decide on a set penalty but I thought many wanted simpler not more complex rules! 2 shots should mean hole anyway so why waste time &#128522.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At the end of the day going back to the OP how hard is it to check your own ball before playing? Plenty of scope in the rules to do so legitimately. I often play the same make as PP's and simply check I can see my number or ID marks before I hit. Not hard and I think the penalty is fair

 

[MadAdey]

Made the donation to charity for our bet yet Adey???
Any chance of letting me know seen as its for a good cause.

It's all done. Had a lot on my plate recently with trying to getting a new job and now having to move from LA to greensboro with the logistics of moving 2600 miles takes some sorting. No excuse though, especially seeing that I'm ex RAF.