In this case for practicing on the course, 2 strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play.

BO

Question about plugged balls. Players hits off the tee and comes to find his ball plugged more than half way into the fairway. What is the ruling here? Play as it lies or can he take relief? What about if ball is plugged into the first cut of rough?

There's a rule that says you can drop with no penalty if the ball embeds/plugs into a "closely mown area," which strikes me as horrifically vague. There are probably PGA Tour courses that may have a shorter intermediate cut than a poorly maintained muni fairway when it's rained a bunch and they haven't cut the grass lately. At my home course, there's not very much rough and it's pretty common for me to walk up to my ball after a drive and not be able to tell if it's in the fairway or rough. Not sure what I'd do in those circumstances. But in your case, I'd say that you could drop in the fairway, but not in the first cut.

Question about cart path. Player hits tee shot and shanks ball against seed mix conainer. Ball enters cart path and rolls all the way down to left of green where it bounces off cart path and into an unplayable lie.

Does player take unplayble lie and proceed accordingly or does ball come back to where it entered cart path?

If ball had not bounced out into unplayable lie and come to rest on cart path left of green or bounced out into playable lie does player get all the extra yardage gained?

Hitting a cart path shouldn't change anything. It's still based upon where the ball ended up, not where it first hit a cart path or anything like that.

so if im playing a hole that is uphill and i hit my drive 250+ yds and it then enters the cart path and proceeds to roll all the way down back to the tee box, its played where ball ended up?

that sounds extremely unfair.

As the Brits are fond of saying, "don't like where your ball ended up? don't hit it there."

How about if you hit a nasty shot into the green that hits a tree, ricochets onto a cart path, bounces onto the green and in the hole. Would you then want to play it from deep in the trees because it's unfair? I think not.

Nowhere in the rule book does it say golf is fair. Good shots go in the piss, bad shots bounce off trees and end up perfect. It all evens out in the end.

BO

ic. i figured since its a man made obstacle, there were special circumstances. i mean there would be no way a ball could roll back 250 yards by way of natural terrain at golf course. just courses where they place a stupid cart path a couple yards left or right of the fairway that has severe incline and a concave center to insure the ball stays its course all the way back down.

and of course i know golf is not fair. same as life.

Ball is hit out of play. Provisional is hit. Upon reaching where it went out of play, it is determined that it is a red staked hazard and not out of bounds as believed on the tee. Can player drop and play third shot from where it crossed into hazard or must player play the provisional? Does it matter if it was declared a provisional before that shot?

It matters. If you declare provisional for OB prior to hitting it, and then find your ball is in fact not OB, then you proceed as if the provisional was never hit.

But, if you fail to declare a provisional, then you are hitting three from the tee no matter what.

BO

Again, let's take this in reverse. Let's say you tee off on a par 5 and your ball lands and rolls on the cart path for 250 yards until your ball is just off the green. Would you be looking for a reason to drop in the rough 250 yards from the green?

BO

listen. rules are rules, so if cart path is play as it lies, then I'm fine with it. however, in regards to my moral golf compass, i would definitely play the ball 250 yards from the green in your example. the underlying reason being golf cart paths are man made obstructions, constructed for fat lazy weekend hackers that never walked a course in their life. they are not part of the natural terrain and not part of the true essence of golf.

i mean can anyone serious play your ball for an eagle or albatross and look at themselves in the mirror. if so, his or her character is not that of someone i would relate to.

Cool. And I agree that cart paths suck for various reasons.

And like I said, as far as luck goes regarding such, it all evens out in the end. As human beings however we are more apt to remember the bad breaks instead of the good ones.

BO

If there was a cart path that filtered onto the green, I would aim for it with my tee shot on the par 5 every time, and every time I missed I would putt onto it and let the ball roll 250 yards onto the green no problem. Easy birdie/eagle chance guaranteed, who wouldn't?

In the instance of your original case, if the path is really that close to the fairway, take it up with whoever runs the club.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGAafbehc4Q

It happens even on tour

Absolutely hilarious! Had not seen that clip before. Thanks.

Although I'm fairly certain that was nih han who temporarily stopped the ball with his foot as he immediately recognized a ball rolling down the cart path is not fair.

BO

I'm not sure which I like better: the n00b Korean dude's reaction or the comment "My wife doesn't drive that well."

It's pretty runny to me that someone would have a "moral golf compass" that is different from the rules. I've had enough good and bad breaks that I am not going to ever dwell on a bad one or feel guilty about a good one.

I've had 400 yard cart path drives, I've also had a layup kick sideways off a cart path that was crossing the fairway and bounce OB. It happens.

This actually dredged up an old memory I hadn't thought of for a long, long time.

Might have been the first tournament I ever played, certainly one of the first, was probably 10 or something. Was well left of a green with only a punch shot available, cart path between me and the hole that has a several inch curb. Naturally hit the curb and the ball comes back at me. Rules official right there and I demand/whine that I should be allowed to replay the shot. He asks why and I state that my ball hit a vertical obstruction, it shouldn't have been there so I should get a do over. (Yes, I used the term "vertical obstruction" at that age. Also used the term "do over")

To his credit, I don't think he laughed. He did tell me I didn't get a do over, I pouted. But perhaps that got me started on the right track of understanding the rules and such.

BO

playing for $20 a hole, player hits his 2nd shot over the green and past the cart path into a dry patch area not designated by any visible markers. area seems to be used as a waste area where a 20' dumpster has been placed and a pile of rock gravel next to it. there is a fence beyond that. players ball comes to rest on top of some gravel. player then demands a free drop onto dirt surface because "gravel shouldnt be there."

A. player is out of his mind and i should never play for money with him again

B. player has legitimate gripe.

results: player bitched and moaned until 3rd player gambling gave in. thus i did not want to hold up the round any longer so i agreed to free drop and then stopped betting with said player from that point on. (player flubbed his pitch but then chipped in for par and won hole.)

Nearly certain he gets relief seeing as how it's (sort of) debris piled for removal. Regardless, it's an intentional pile of material.

A few years back when Ernie Els hooked his drive into the jungle left of #11 at Augusta he had absolutely nothing except he got relief from a pile of debris and was able to play out safely. So although he deserved to have nothing seeing as he was 50 yards left of the fairway, he got free relief.

BO

thats crazy.

although it wasnt on the pile. it was next to the pile were there was more gravel covering the bare dirt surface. it was spread out evenly so where ball landed, it was flat.(not like on top of a pile) however i cant say that the pile of gravel was intended to be there. is gravel even considered debris?

rules of golf=funny

so do local club rules trump usga rules? i figured out my bias to previous stated rule was because at my parents club(where i have played most) has local rules where if ball hits cart path and bounces out then play at it lies, but if it enters cart path and proceeds to roll foward or backward along the path, it must be placed back to where it first entered.

so im not pulling these ideas out of my ass. they do have some merit.

Local rules trump USGA rules.

As far as your ass goes, I have no comment.

BO

wat?