Wrong Ball

I could have just kept quiet about it and hope that my opponent didn't notice that my ball had changed make, but that is not in the spirit of the game! I admitted my mistake immediately. :o
I think you'll find its cheating, and rather than being not in the spirit of the game is probably covered better by the rules !
 
Our semi and rough is getting quite thick in places and so it is becoming more necessary to have to ask for the ball to be lifted for ID purposes. Hard to identify sitting down in clover or shin high grass
 
Report on a young Army cadet. "This officer never makes the same mistake twice. He always invents a brand new one!"

A long long time ago when I was first starting out as a network engineer my mentor said to me on my first day "Ask as many questions as you want and don't worry about making mistakes. However, ifyou ask the same question or make the same mistake twice, you won't be working here for very long"

I've never forgotten that and try to apply it to life and everything else.

I don't count marriages as my second one hasn't yet proved to be a mistake :rofl:
 
Can I take it that you never make stupid mistakes then? :mmm:

It would be stupid to make that leap!

Whenever I have, I've berated myself with those same/similar words!

@Hawkeye I'm slightly more tolerant! 1st mistake/question is just that; a bit of a fuss if making the same mistake/asking the same question to point out the stupidity; should never be a 3rd time! Applies to divorces/marriages too! :whistle:
 
Last edited:
A long long time ago when I was first starting out as a network engineer my mentor said to me on my first day "Ask as many questions as you want and don't worry about making mistakes. However, ifyou ask the same question or make the same mistake twice, you won't be working here for very long"

I've never forgotten that and try to apply it to life and everything else.

I don't count marriages as my second one hasn't yet proved to be a mistake :rofl:

Was always told that "Even an idiot learns the first time" :D
 
Honestly! I tell a self-deprecating story and all I get is a load of insults! To be fair both balls had a red number 4 on them, and as the wrong ball lay in rather deep semi-rough, that was about all I could see. It was also about where I expected it to be. My own ball was found about 5 yards further on and was also quite difficult to see. I am a bit reluctant to lift my ball for identification every time it goes into the semi-rough or rough, as that could be construed as trying to improve my lie (i.e. cheating), and in this particular instance my opponent was a good 100 yards away in trees on the opposite side of the fairway. I would have had to call him over to witness the lift and replacement to strictly comply with the rules, and that would have delayed play. To the best of my knowledge, I have only ever played 3 wrong balls in my entire 54 year golfing career. It's just that two of them have been quite recently. :mmm:
 
Last edited:
Honestly! I tell a self-deprecating story and all I get is a load of insults! To be fair both balls had a red number 4 on them, and as the wrong ball lay in rather deep semi-rough, that was about all I could see. It was also about where I expected it to be. My own ball was found about 5 yards further on and was also quite difficult to see. I am a bit reluctant to lift my ball for identification every time it goes into the semi-rough or rough, as that could be construed as trying to improve my lie (i.e. cheating), and in this particular instance my opponent was a good 100 yards away in trees on the opposite side of the fairway. I would have had to call him over to witness the lift and replacement to strictly comply with the rules, and that would have delayed play. To the best of my knowledge, I have only ever played 3 wrong balls in my entire 54 year golfing career. It's just that two of them have been quite recently. :mmm:

I get annoyed with people throwing around insults here but don't think that's the case here at all - people have just been brutally honest with you.
 
Obviously you are another unpleasant forum troll! :angry:
I thought davidy was quite polite.
Suggesting that you look properly at your ball (which maybe needs more obvious personal id markings) is helpful not insulting.
I'm familiar with the rough at your course and have yet to need to lift a ball to identify it, and haven't played a wrong ball. I've come close to it but I can always see my markings.
 
If the balls were made a bit bigger they would be much easier to identify and the game would be more accessible to all.
;)

Even complete muppets.
 
in this particular instance my opponent was a good 100 yards away in trees on the opposite side of the fairway. I would have had to call him over to witness the lift and replacement to strictly comply with the rules, and that would have delayed play.

You only have to give him the opportunity to do so - it's not compulsory that he actually does so! If he decides he doesn't need to observe - and if you were going to cheat you would have already done so! - he can simply say 'go ahead' and let you mark, lift, check and replace according to you own moral code.

Well done on yesterday's 'achievement' btw! :D
 
Hunter Mahan just played the wrong ball in the US Open, and it looks like Donaldson didn't realise and played the wrong ball as well :rolleyes:
 
Top