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Unplayable Ball

You are not obliged to play the ball if it is found for you but you do have to take your next action using that ball.

Except when ???

In a water hazzard?

20ft up a tree?

:D
Except when the player has played a shot with the provisional ball at a point nearer the hole to where the original ball is suspected to be.
In other words if you hit your provisional from a point beyond where you think your original ball is and your opposition THEN find your ball, then its too late.
You could however just claim it lost on the tee and hit another playing 3. Then there's no problem.
 
You are not obliged to play the ball if it is found for you but you do have to take your next action using that ball.

Except when ???

In a water hazzard?

20ft up a tree?

:D
Except when the player has played a shot with the provisional ball at a point nearer the hole to where the original ball is suspected to be.
In other words if you hit your provisional from a point beyond where you think your original ball is and your opposition THEN find your ball, then its too late.
You could however just claim it lost on the tee and hit another playing 3. Then there's no problem.


So I need to leg it down the fairway quickly and smack my provisional, before my match play opponent finds mine in the crap.

What happens in the tree scenario then?
 
So, you didnt leg it down the fairway and they have found your ball up a tree.
Firstly, you have to identify it as definately your ball. If you cant, its lost.
You could climb the tree and play it from there like Langer did at Fulford or claim it unplayable as normal.
 
A ball CANNOT be declared lost.
Didn't know that. I thought a player can declare his ball lost at any time, return to the spot where it was hit and hit another (unless a provisional is in play). Alternatively he could just look for it for 5 minutes.... badly :)???
 
I was aware you couldn't declare it lost (bad use of grammar int eoriginal reply in realtion to this scenario).

What I was getting at and I think has been covered since, is that if I hit it into waist deep nettles, I wouldn't even contemplate looking and would be playing my provisional. Fortunately in this particular circumstance it would have to be a pretty masochistic opponent who waded in to try and find it for you.

The one thing this whole ruling does throw up, is the fact that, according to my understanding, you can't direct your opponent NOT to look for the ball so if they decide to go wandering and find it you'd have to play it. Have I got that right?
 
Determined, unsporting.....and a few other choice words would describe them but yes they could wade in there and find it for you!!

I saw Mickelson get shirty with some ball spotters when he carved one into some cabbage and didn't want to go find it. You could hear an excited marshall shouting "found it Phil." He didn't get a cheery thank you for his troubles!!
 
I had fun with this in the medal on Sunday. Sliced my drive deep into the bundu on the right, same with the 2nd, and then hit a third (playing 5 off the tee) down the middle. Smoked this one down there as I was more than a bit angry.

Went to look for the first two, and promptly found the first provisional in a very playable lie. Unfortunately, my playing partner found my original ball, neck deep in jungle.
My only feasible option was to go back to the tee again (so much for playing a provisional saving time), and play 3 off the tee again.

I then hooked this ball OB, and N/r'ed.

The best bit is, we never found the one I hit down the middle. It just vanished.
 
I had fun with this in the medal on Sunday. Sliced my drive deep into the bundu on the right, same with the 2nd, and then hit a third (playing 5 off the tee) down the middle. Smoked this one down there as I was more than a bit angry.

Went to look for the first two, and promptly found the first provisional in a very playable lie. Unfortunately, my playing partner found my original ball, neck deep in jungle.
My only feasible option was to go back to the tee again (so much for playing a provisional saving time), and play 3 off the tee again.

I then hooked this ball OB, and N/r'ed.

The best bit is, we never found the one I hit down the middle. It just vanished.

:) :) now that gave me a chuckle , you couldnt write that script. I've found it (bollox) i've found your first(bollox) , you cant play that one you've got to go back (bollox). Hooked OOB (bollox) cant find my snorter down the middle (bollox). Bollox to this i'm NR'ing LMFAO
 
I had fun with this in the medal on Sunday. Sliced my drive deep into the bundu on the right, same with the 2nd, and then hit a third (playing 5 off the tee) down the middle. Smoked this one down there as I was more than a bit angry.

Went to look for the first two, and promptly found the first provisional in a very playable lie. Unfortunately, my playing partner found my original ball, neck deep in jungle.
My only feasible option was to go back to the tee again (so much for playing a provisional saving time), and play 3 off the tee again.

I then hooked this ball OB, and N/r'ed.

The best bit is, we never found the one I hit down the middle. It just vanished.

Having carved your original 3 off the tee into the long rough you should have been glad to go back and have a chance to hit a new 3 off the tee and smoke it down the middle, make a birdie (bogey) and move on.

The fact that you then hit it OOB just makes the story more interesting :D :D :D

You hit 4 shots off the tee in total...3 were awful. You gotta be pleased with that :D ;) ;) ;)
 
The one thing this whole ruling does throw up, is the fact that, according to my understanding, you can't direct your opponent NOT to look for the ball so if they decide to go wandering and find it you'd have to play it. Have I got that right?

Yep - you have it right. Your oppo can look if they wish. If they find it, you have to play it. Or declare it unplayable & proceed accordingly.
 
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