Using the rules to your own advantage

[chrisd]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

 

[Tiger]

Hit my ball a bit left on our 2nd hole and had no clear shot up the fairway. I would have had to play sideways to progress. Took my stance playing slightly backwards which brought a series of animal burrows into play affecting my stance (i.e. foot in a burrow). Once I'd taken relief I was able to play my second shot up the fairway (par 5), hit GIR and walked off with a par.

Learnt a lot the couple of times I played with our assistant pro who told me about using the rules to my advantage.

 

[Ken_A]

Tink this one is a bone of contention - as I always look for my ball even if it's in the worst cr4p there is on the course - as I believe you deserve the penalty for a poor shot. And I think it's a misuse of the rules to not look for a ball when you play a provisional - thus borderline cheating - however, I know it is within the rules.

However, just as in life, if something is legal - it's not always moral.

At the Scottish open Gmac dumped 2 into teh cr4p and he still looked for both of them - it pretty much finished his game, but he still looked for the first and the second - IMHO thats the way you should do it.

 

[3offTheTee]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

You cannot declare a ball lost

 

[Bratty]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

You cannot declare a ball lost

Interesting discussion around that concept:
http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk//showfl...true#Post427813

 

[CMAC]

always look for your ball, I've walked in and found a good lie in the middle of Jungle bushes (plus you usually find a few Prov 1's)

I've used the casual water rule that got me away from behind a tree enough to squirt one closer, as long as you stick to the letter of the rule they will work for and against you but that's just golf!

 

[3offTheTee]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

You cannot declare a ball lost

Interesting discussion around that concept:
http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk//showfl...true#Post427813

What I stated was that you cannot declare your ball lost.

If you play another ball without staing it is a provisional then that becomes the ball in play and if the 2nd ball becomes lost and you find the first you cannot play the first.

You will then need to return to the tee to play 5

 

[Tiger]

Yes but you can play a provisional ball, hit a cracking shot and then only briefly look for your first ball before declaring it lost. The rules state you have up to five minutes to look for it not that you must spend five minutes looking.

The G-Mac incident is different. As a professional golfer he can get himself out of some dire situations, hence why he looked for both balls extensively better that than five off the tee!

 

[chrisd]

Yes but you can play a provisional ball, hit a cracking shot and then only briefly look for your first ball before declaring it lost. The rules state you have up to five minutes to look for it not that you must spend five minutes looking.

Part correct. You can, or choose not to, look for your ball, but you cannot declare it lost and if its found you have to play it( in accordance with the rules).


Chris

 

[chrisd]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

You cannot declare a ball lost

I havn't said you can - in fact I know you can't


Chris

 

[chrisd]

Tink this one is a bone of contention - as I always look for my ball even if it's in the worst cr4p there is on the course - as I believe you deserve the penalty for a poor shot. And I think it's a misuse of the rules to not look for a ball when you play a provisional - thus borderline cheating - however, I know it is within the rules.

However, just as in life, if something is legal - it's not always moral.

At the Scottish open Gmac dumped 2 into teh cr4p and he still looked for both of them - it pretty much finished his game, but he still looked for the first and the second - IMHO thats the way you should do it.

Sorry Ken - thats a load of tosh!

Golf is a game where everything is covered by the rules. If its not against the rules to do somthing then is perfectly fair to do it! I do get so pi**ed off with the suggestion of "borderline cheating" "against the spirit" - top referees will tell you, if the rules can be used to help you then you should use them as they hurt you more often than help.

It's not "morally" right to search for a ball just because you played a provisional, and I bet anyone who says it is, would not search for a lost ball if their provisional ended up 4" from the pin!


Chris

 

[thecraw]

I was playing in a comp yesterday and my playing partner hittin his 3rd to the green (par 4) and pushed it into the worst place ever. He found it, but ended up with a 9. Chatting later I asked why he didnt play a provisional which could have been on the green, and then not looked for his original ball which would have been fine by us as well, and then he could have, say, 1 or 2 putted for a 6 or 7 - he said that he assumed that if he declared a provisional he had to look for his ball.

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

Makes little or no difference Chris as in todays modern cheating handicap system it will come down to a double bogie anyway, so when the card is adjusted it'll be the same end net score!

Isn't it a rediculous system where I can run up a 23 and a 19 yet a couple of birdies plus the rest pars and I can break my handicap. Joke.

 

[Leftie]

Makes little or no difference Chris as in todays modern cheating handicap system it will come down to a double bogie anyway, so when the card is adjusted it'll be the same end net score!

Isn't it a rediculous system where I can run up a 23 and a 19 yet a couple of birdies plus the rest pars and I can break my handicap. Joke.

And I've played in a few medals where one of the other players has had a very good round going but, realising that it was not good enough to win, have deliberately (imo) blown out on the last couple of holes.

I did have a little chuckle though when one still got cut because he didn't realise how the h/cap system worked.

 

[Imurg]

Yes but you can play a provisional ball, hit a cracking shot and then only briefly look for your first ball before declaring it lost. The rules state you have up to five minutes to look for it not that you must spend five minutes looking.

And you don't "have" to look for it at all. If a playing partner decides to look and finds it then you must play it but there is no rule that says you have to look.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I think the folks at the R&A have done a pretty good job of ensuring the Rules reflect the spirit of the game. If the Rules say it's OK (or don't say it's not OK) then it's OK. It works both ways, e.g sometimes the "nearest point of relief" from GUR or casual water gives you a nice lie and a clear shot to the green, other times it won't. The key is to apply the Rules correctly and consistently.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Seve was the king of using the rules, excpet for that famous occasion when John Paramour caught him out when he asked for relief from a burrowing animal scrape

Maybe I just don't have a conscience but if I've stuffed an approach deep into jungle country I'll play a provisional and then only have the briefest of looks before moving on and playing the provisional again making it the ball in play

 

[richart]

I just say I think I saw an adder if my partners are looking to closely for a ball I don't want to find.

 

[cheezburga]

Any good examples of using the rules to your advantage?


Chris

The provisional ball rule is a good one - as you can play a second shot (almost) any time you like (to get plenty of practice as it were). As long as one can't quite see where one's ball has ended up you can always say "might be lost, I'll play a provisional" and have a second swing. You may get an ar*e-kicking for slow play, and have eyebrows raised about your morals - but you get to groove your swing?

And always carry a spare tree stake with you.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I always thought the first rule of golf was play the provisional first. It always tends to go straight

 

[Imurg]

I'm exceptionally good at losing my provisional ball..!
First one goes wild, 2nd goes wild too but the first one almost always found but the Provo's never seen again....