QuestionPar 5, had trouble finding drive, chipped out hit third shot to green, at this point i realised I had the wrong ball. I was sure this was my third shot, therefore i assume i had lost my drive and being a stroke round should i have gone back to tee with a 2 stroke penalty plus shots i had? What is the correct ruling - I did disqualify myself as was uncertain of correct ruling.
regards Dene
Answer
Robb Nunn PGA Professi
Hi Dene;
Admirable...you did the right thing to DQ self.
Yes you should have gone back to tee and hit a PROVISIONAL. But it is how you proceeded and your interpretation of how to proceed that got you confused. But the good thing is that it is fixable.
What should have actually taken place is this
Upon first suspicion of having a lost ball (at the tee), you should have put provisional ball into play, but at the tee box. This would have alleviated the situation. Why? In your mind you would have had the provisional ball in mind in the fairway and double checked that you had the correct ball. And it would have saved you having to walk back as well. Lastly it would have save you a DQ.
And also, the rule itself is not a two stroke penalty...it is however a penalty of stroke and distance. I know, the way they wrote it sounds walkabout but that is how it reads.
Remember this for next time. You as the player have the sole determination of whether or not a ball is lost and you need to put a provisional ball into play. And you are allowed to do so at anytime but there must be a hint or suggestion that the ball is indeed truly lost. In other words, use your best judgment but in the spirit of honor to the game, I wouldn't abuse this lest you become known for such acts.
Whenever pro's first suspect a ball is lost they make the declaration of "I am hitting a provisional ball"! This must be declared and stated out loud for others to hear, so that you are not penalized for putting an ineligible ball into play and incurring a subsequent extra two stroke penalty for playing a wrong ball. Another thing with this rule is that if you tee of first and it happens, you would do yourself best to make the declaration that you are going to hit a provisional ball, then wait for all the others to hit before, you put you provisional ball into play.
By waiting to put your provisional ball into play, one of your playing partners may hit their ball into the same area, this could jog your memory as to where your first ball is or where you last saw it go in to the area that you believe it is possibly lost in. I know it sounds funny, but this actually happened to me in a tournament, I found mine but my competitor did not and had to go back to the tee, as he did not declare the provisional ball. All I had to do was to go pick up my provisional ball from the fairway with no harm or foul.
Another thing is this. You are allowed to mark your ball at any time to identify that it is indeed your ball. BUT, you must replace it in it's exact position and in the same spot removed from. You as the player are the sole determiner of whether or not a ball is yours. This goes into the honor ans spirit of the game. Again if you follow the rules of golf, they will assist you and keep you from having to absorb extra strokes.
I hope this answers your question. In the future just go to
http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-01/
An review your questions there. And remember this, become a student of the rules and you will learn how to actually play the game better as you will learn how to use the rules to your advantage. Good players do this automatically.
Robb Nunn
PGA Professional
For this and more info or to contact me directly. Sign up on my website at http://robbnunn.com
