Are you allowed to play on the wrong fairway?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by saevel25

I've done that before, its rare, but it happens, but there is no penality unless there is white stakes.

It's rare for some people (good ones) ... but some others, like me, do it all the time.

[mcanadiens]

This is kind of interesting. I play on some packed golf courses most of the time. As much to stay out of the way as anything else, I'll pick up the ball if I land in an adjacent fairway and drop it in the near rough of my own hole. When I do this, I count the penalty stroke.

I can see no rule requires this, but it ought to be common sense to some degree. Obviously some guys have no such compunctions. I recently had a guy drive up to my tee box to play his shank as I was starting my back swing. Could of skulled him.

[Jeremie Boop]

There is no rule that says you can't play from another fairway that I know of, outside of some courses putting OB stakes between fairways * I hate inside the course OB markers*.

[Fourputt]

This is kind of interesting. I play on some packed golf courses most of the time. As much to stay out of the way as anything else, I'll pick up the ball if I land in an adjacent fairway and drop it in the near rough of my own hole. When I do this, I count the penalty stroke.

I can see no rule requires this, but it ought to be common sense to some degree. Obviously some guys have no such compunctions. I recently had a guy drive up to my tee box to play his shank as I was starting my back swing. Could of skulled him.

I don't do that, because it is against the rules.  There are a couple of holes like that in my home course, and when I hit that inevitable drive into the wrong fairway, I will, if necessary, wait until the players coming toward me have hit there tee shots, then I play mine and get back where I belong.   It does irritate me when someone from the adjoining fairway zips out in front of my group and makes us wait while he plays.  The guy who hit the crap shot should have some consideration for the guys who are actually playing the right hole.

In a case like that where I might have to wait a couple of minutes, the rest of my group keeps going so that I am the only one who has to hurry a little to catch up.  It's just a fair price to pay for hitting that bad shot in the first place.

[mcanadiens]

I don't do that, because it is against the rules.  There are a couple of holes like that in my home course, and when I hit that inevitable drive into the wrong fairway, I will, if necessary, wait until the players coming toward me have hit there tee shots, then I play mine and get back where I belong.   It does irritate me when someone from the adjoining fairway zips out in front of my group and makes us wait while he plays.  The guy who hit the crap shot should have some consideration for the guys who are actually playing the right hole.

In a case like that where I might have to wait a couple of minutes, the rest of my group keeps going so that I am the only one who has to hurry a little to catch up.  It's just a fair price to pay for hitting that bad shot in the first place.

I see what you are saying, but keeping up the pace takes the premium here. We've got enough slow people where I play. I refuse to add to the problem if I can help it. My group isn't really competitive at this point anyway. From a score standpoint, I'm usually not doing myself any favors what with chalking up the penalty.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I don't do that, because it is against the rules.  There are a couple of holes like that in my home course, and when I hit that inevitable drive into the wrong fairway, I will, if necessary, wait until the players coming toward me have hit there tee shots, then I play mine and get back where I belong.   It does irritate me when someone from the adjoining fairway zips out in front of my group and makes us wait while he plays.  The guy who hit the crap shot should have some consideration for the guys who are actually playing the right hole.

In a case like that where I might have to wait a couple of minutes, the rest of my group keeps going so that I am the only one who has to hurry a little to catch up.  It's just a fair price to pay for hitting that bad shot in the first place.

I see what you are saying, but keeping up the pace takes the premium here. We've got enough slow people where I play. I refuse to add to the problem if I can help it. My group isn't really competitive at this point anyway. From a score standpoint, I'm usually not doing myself any favors what with chalking up the penalty.

I don't know how much you are about the rules, but I will add that moving your ball in the way that you say you do would be a 2 stroke penalty.  In a competition it might even result in disqualification if it was determined that you gained a significant advantage by it.  How you do it is your choice, I'm just telling you what Rule 18-2a would require.

[mcanadiens]

@Fourputt. I gue ss the best solu tion for me is to stop hitting that darn thing over there. Yeah, If I ever become good enough to play competitively (and that's a way's off yet), I got to get with the ole rule book.

[Jeremie Boop]

I don't know how much you are about the rules, but I will add that moving your ball in the way that you say you do would be a 2 stroke penalty.  In a competition it might even result in disqualification if it was determined that you gained a significant advantage by it.  How you do it is your choice, I'm just telling you what Rule 18-2a would require.

I was going to say if he is using those rounds as handicap scoring it could be considered artificially inflating his handicap.

[mcanadiens]

Definitely no handicap. I'm just playing with friends and trying to sort out a swing.

I thought about a handicap earlier this year and decided I'd just be wasting time and money. I'm not there yet.

[David in FL]

@Fourputt. I guess the best solution for me is to stop hitting that darn thing over there. Yeah, If I ever become good enough to play competitively (and that's a way's off yet), I got to get with the ole rule book.

No reason to wait until you play competitively to play by the rules......and certainly no need to play at any set skill level.

This game is just as much fun (I'd argue more) playing by the rules than it is making them up as you go along.

[MEfree]

This is kind of interesting. I play on some packed golf courses most of the time. As much to stay out of the way as anything else, I'll pick up the ball if I land in an adjacent fairway and drop it in the near rough of my own hole. When I do this, I count the penalty stroke.

I can see no rule requires this, but it ought to be common sense to some degree. Obviously some guys have no such compunctions. I recently had a guy drive up to my tee box to play his shank as I was starting my back swing. Could of skulled him.

As others have said, what you are doing isn't within the rules of golf, but given that you are adding a stroke, playing for fun and don't have a handicap, I see nothing wrong with it and appreciate your effort to play in a timely manner without disrupting other players.

[CarlSpackler]

No reason to wait until you play competitively to play by the rules......and certainly no need to play at any set skill level.

This game is just as much fun (I'd argue more) playing by the rules than it is making them up as you go along.

Agreed. Here is an example. Last night I blocked my drive from 18 tee to the middle of the 10th FW. Thankfully nobody was playing that hole. I was blocked out by trees, so I punched back into 18FW and then played a wedge in. If I was playing with a group and had a shot at my green, I would have motioned the other players in my group to play their shots into the green while I waited for the group on 10 to be out of the way. You can play your shot and maintain a reasonable pace.

[ColinL]

Ideally when you whack one on to the adjacent fairway, a player on that hole has whacked  one on to your fairway.  Then you can carry on in absolute harmony, thanking each other for the loan of  their fairway.

Been there many a time.

[Dormie1360]

You guys don't know how lucky you are to have a wrong fairway to hit from.  At my course every hole has OB on both the left and right sides.

[CarlSpackler]

You guys don't know how lucky you are to have a wrong fairway to hit from.  At my course every hole has OB on both the left and right sides. :~(

Yikes! That's harsh.

[Fourputt]

You guys don't know how lucky you are to have a wrong fairway to hit from.  At my course every hole has OB on both the left and right sides.

That's the kind of course I might play once, but I doubt I'd go back a second time.  It's a poor way to design a course.

[Dormie1360]

That's the kind of course I might play once, but I doubt I'd go back a second time.  It's a poor way to design a course.

Development.  Arnold Palmer design.  Not as bad as it sounds, but wayward shots will be penalized.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

That's the kind of course I might play once, but I doubt I'd go back a second time.  It's a poor way to design a course.

Development.  Arnold Palmer design.  Not as bad as it sounds, but wayward shots will be penalized.

I figured that was the culprit, but that doesn't make it a reasonable way to play golf.  And I do mean "play" golf.  I want to play my ball from the weeds and woods when possible, not be stuck constantly dropping and rehitting.  Talk about a quick way to inflate one's handicap.  A course can be a challenge while still allowing the player to play his ball.  I don't like courses which are overly penal with water hazards or other features either.  I like trying trouble shots - not that I plan to put myself in those positions, but I like to have the opportunity to play a recovery shot.  OB everywhere robs me of that opportunity.