Unexpected Lost Ball - No Provisional - What Do You Do?

[MEfree]

Just a quick question that relates to lost balls.  The other day I bladed a wedge from about 60 yards out and it flew over the green and into the woods behind - I dropped right next to my divot in the fairway, and hit 4 instead of 3.  It was just a friendly round, but it sounds like I did this correctly?

Anyway - I am really not that good a golfer, so I will always just take a drop nearest the point I think I lost it and take the necessary strokes.  I like to play in the morning when courses are busiest, so there is always someone up my butt and simply driving back to the tee to re-hit is not an option when they're walking off the green from the last hole.  I play by the rules as best I can otherwise.  I am not one of the lucky ones who always magically finds his ball, lol.  Though I have played with those people before.

If you bladed your 2nd shot, then yes, you would be hitting 4.  You are suppose to drop as near as possible to the location from which you bladed your wedge.  Assuming your "divot" with a "bladed wedge" is in front of the ball, then you should try to drop just behind your divot.  (Side note- if you had hit it fat and were taking a near as possible drop, then it is my understanding that you should try to drop it as near as possible to your divot...the rules don't seem to care if your drop winds up in your divot as long as the ball is not closer to the hole so those who are able to drop more accurately in this situation are rewarded with playing the next shot from their divot)

[Slice of Life]

For me, it depends on the circumstances. If it's a friendly round and there are people behind us, we'll typically drop where the consensus says the ball would be and take a 2 stroke penalty to try to simulate stroke + distance...so if you lost your tee shot, you would drop where it "should" be, and hit your 4th.

Round with anything on the line? Stroke+distance.

[rustyredcab]

Stroke play -- got to go back. It does not take as long as most people think (of course I usually ride so it takes about as long as a 3-putt).

Match play (most of my rounds) -- I can surrender low total for my team and take max on hole for handicap purposes (note that max cannot win the hole even if others max out too). But, most times I'm still headed back unless I know I'm out of the hole.

As for pace of play argument, if someone is waiting on my group, odds are we are waiting too. So, time taken to go back is made up very quickly for all groups behind mine. We will catch the guys ahead of us again soon enough.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Stroke play -- got to go back. It does not take as long as most people think (of course I usually ride so it takes about as long as a 3-putt).

As for pace of play argument, if someone is waiting on my group, odds are we are waiting too. So, time taken to go back is made up very quickly for all groups behind mine. We will catch the guys ahead of us again soon enough.

I can't say I'd be thrilled to see someone coming back to the tee box.  Maybe if it included my group playing through at that point.

I definitely wouldn't go back if people were waiting on me.  Never seen anyone do it.  I'm not that bold.  I would expect a condescending lesson about provisionals.

[David in FL]

I can't say I'd be thrilled to see someone coming back to the tee box. Maybe if it included my group playing through at that point.

If I'm coming back, I'm gonna hit and be LONG gone before you and your group could even get off the tee....... Trust me on this one! :-)

[Chris223]

If you bladed your 2nd shot, then yes, you would be hitting 4.  You are suppose to drop as near as possible to the location from which you bladed your wedge.  Assuming your "divot" with a "bladed wedge" is in front of the ball, then you should try to drop just behind your divot.

That's pretty much what I did.  I did take a divot but it was a stinger probably 1/3 of my normal 60* wedge shot trajectory and way over the green.  I dropped the ball and it bounced just to the left of the divot behind it (if you were looking towards the green).  So I hit 4 short, 3 putted for 7 lol.  It was a terrible round.  In a situation like that - you always have the option of replaying the shot as close as possible from where you were and taking 1 stroke right?  Even if you say hit it into greenside water hazard or something?

[MEfree]

That's pretty much what I did.  I did take a divot but it was a stinger probably 1/3 of my normal 60* wedge shot trajectory and way over the green.  I dropped the ball and it bounced just to the left of the divot behind it (if you were looking towards the green).  So I hit 4 short, 3 putted for 7 lol.  It was a terrible round.  In a situation like that - you always have the option of replaying the shot as close as possible from where you were and taking 1 stroke right?  Even if you say hit it into greenside water hazard or something?

yes

27-1 . Stroke And Distance; Ball Out Of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes

a . Proceeding Under Stroke and Distance

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one stroke , play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5 ), i.e., proceed under penalty of stroke and distance.

Except as otherwise provided in the Rules , if a player makes a stroke at a ball from the spot at which the original ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded under penalty of stroke and distance .

[MS256]

Not a chance I'm going back to the tee unless I'm in a competition or there is nobody behind me.

Unfortunately most of the time when that happens it's on a hole with a blind landing area. There's no guarantee that another try is going to work out any better than the first one.

I was on a hole one time that had a blind landing area and I thought I pulled my tee shot just a few yards. I decided to hit another one just to be sure. Thought I hit the provisional absolutely perfectly. When I got down to the fairway I couldn't find either one of them.

I would say one trip back to the tee box would make you unpopular and a second trip might get you club whipped.

[Moppy]

"If I'm coming back, I'm gonna hit and be LONG gone before you and your group could even get off the tee....."

Uh, this is after you spent five minutes looking for the ball, then?

[rustyredcab]

I can't say I'd be thrilled to see someone coming back to the tee box.  Maybe if it included my group playing through at that point.

I definitely wouldn't go back if people were waiting on me.  Never seen anyone do it.  I'm not that bold.  I would expect a condescending lesson about provisionals.

I can't say that I'd be thrilled to be the one needing to come back to the tee box. So, it that we are agreed. Neither of us is thrilled at the prospect of a search, followed by the drive of shame back to the tee.

You will not be playing through. You will wait politly and your condescending comments about provisionals will make your group look silly not mine. I'm the guy playing by the rules. I will have already apologized for not hitting a provisional. But, as I am hitting three off the tee, your feelings are my last concern. Any caring golfer would know that no one wants to lose their ball. I will take my time, and even more if you're making snide remarks, and try to hit a nice shot.

As I meant to make clear, your group is not being held up by mine (if you were you'd have already been invited to play through.)

As for the drive back after a 5-minute search, the five minutes starts when I get to my ball. Often the others are playing while I search. Not really five extra minutes.

[Meltdwhiskey]

If I'm coming back, I'm gonna hit and be LONG gone before you and your group could even get off the tee.......

Trust me on this one!

Maybe I don't fully understand.  But if I'm waiting on the tee - and I guess watching your group look for a lost ball, then how can you be long gone before we tee off?  You wouldn't even be back to the tee box before I'd like to tee off.  And you'd still have to:

Drive back to the box

Club up

Walk to the tee box

Tee up

Hit (only once assuming you don't go OB again)

Return to your cart

Drive to your ball

De-club / re-club

Hit from the fairway

Possibly sand/replace a divot

Drive off

I'm not sure you can take care of these 11 tasks - which include driving a cart about 500 yards - before I and 0 to 3 others can simply hit our ball.  But maybe I'm just not understanding the scenario.

Either way, with mention of playing through, I just thought it might sound like a nice gesture.  If I was to go back, I'd feel inclined to offer something up for slowing down the group behind.  Just let them know we are in a very spirited match and felt like we had to re-tee - so why don't you fellas go ahead through since this might even happen again.

Maybe a re-tee wouldn't take as long as I think, but with the slow play threads I've read on this site, it seems like a deal breaker.  I'd imagine the rules-allotted 5 minute search time would actually be pushing it.  It would never have occurred to me to re-tee unless there was no one on the tee yet.

[David in FL]

[COLOR=181818]"If I'm coming back, I'm gonna hit and be LONG gone before you and your group could even get off the tee....."[/COLOR] [COLOR=181818]Uh, this is after you spent five minutes looking for the ball, then?[/COLOR]

Yup. We're fast. Really fast. :-)

[Meltdwhiskey]

You will not be playing through. You will wait politly and your condescending comments about provisionals will make your group look silly not mine. I'm the guy playing by the rules. I will have already apologized for not hitting a provisional. But, as I am hitting three off the tee, your feelings are my last concern. Any caring golfer would know that no one wants to lose their ball. I will take my time, and even more if you're making snide remarks, and try to hit a nice shot.

As I meant to make clear, your group is not being held up by mine (if you were you'd have already been invited to play through.)

As for the drive back after a 5-minute search, the five minutes starts when I get to my ball. Often the others are playing while I search. Not really five extra minutes.

First - I said that if I was the one going back - I'd expect condescending comments from others. I didn't say I'd do it to you.  But I do love you how call me out for not being a 'caring golfer' all while telling me my feelings (and time) don't matter because your feelings got hurt because you're going 3 off the tee. It was also awesome how you told me what I would politely be doing and what I wouldn't be doing in as snide a manner as I can conceive - and then call me out for 'snide remarks' that I have NEVER MADE!

And just because my group wasn't held up by you before you lost your ball - doesn't mean it isn't being held up now.  It takes more time to go back and re-tee than to not go back and re-tee.  That extra time could be the cause of the holdup.  Not sure how you don't see that.  I have never seen someone come back when it is busy - but I just threw the play-through idea in there as a possible nice gesture. It is what I would do.

I bet you're a joy to play with.  Lay down the law Rusty! You-da-man!

[iacas]

In a casual round played for handicap, I follow the USGA handicap manual rules, and play out the hole with a drop plus 2 penalty strokes (for whatever wager may be involved), but mark the card as par plus any handicap strokes I should receive on that hole (that is the proper procedure for any hole not played under the Rules of Golf).  That is the score which I return to be recorded.

I still don't agree with that take on things, but it's not the topic here, so… I'm done.

[Strandly]

I'm pretty good about hitting provisional and I can't even remember the last time I lost a ball that wasn't obviously lost, but if I did lose one I'd generally drop at the last spot I saw it bounce and take a 1 stroke penalty.  I'll start doing 2 strokes now though since that appears to be more in line with what the actual penalty would be if it were a real rule.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

If I'm coming back, I'm gonna hit and be LONG gone before you and your group could even get off the tee.......

Trust me on this one!

Maybe I don't fully understand.  But if I'm waiting on the tee - and I guess watching your group look for a lost ball, then how can you be long gone before we tee off?  You wouldn't even be back to the tee box before I'd like to tee off.  And you'd still have to:

Drive back to the box

Club up

Walk to the tee box

Tee up

Hit (only once assuming you don't go OB again)

Return to your cart

Drive to your ball

De-club / re-club

Hit from the fairway

Possibly sand/replace a divot

Drive off

I'm not sure you can take care of these 11 tasks - which include driving a cart about 500 yards - before I and 0 to 3 others can simply hit our ball.  But maybe I'm just not understanding the scenario.

Either way, with mention of playing through, I just thought it might sound like a nice gesture.  If I was to go back, I'd feel inclined to offer something up for slowing down the group behind.  Just let them know we are in a very spirited match and felt like we had to re-tee - so why don't you fellas go ahead through since this might even happen again.

Maybe a re-tee wouldn't take as long as I think, but with the slow play threads I've read on this site, it seems like a deal breaker.  I'd imagine the rules-allotted 5 minute search time would actually be pushing it.  It would never have occurred to me to re-tee unless there was no one on the tee yet.

The point is, the rest of his group continues to play while he comes back and plays the second ball.  He races back out, plays to the green, finishes out and catches up with his group.  Once he plays to the green, you can be hitting.  It should take you all of 1/2 hole to catch up with his group again.  If they all stand around waiting for your group to play through, then the next bunch behind you will already be moving toward the tee and now you have delayed more than just one group.  If you have a problem with it, then play someplace where nobody cares about the rules.

[BuckeyeNut]

When I lose a ball that I didn't expect to lose during casual play, I have my partners hold-up play to save our position on the course while I go to the clubhouse to find the head-pro for a ruling..   LOL...OK, not really, but it seemed like a funny thing to type.

[RickK]

If it is casual round, I will drop and add couple of strokes to whatever I make on the hole.

But, I play in a tournament league too.  In those events, I have to go back to the spot of the last shot, drop, take the penalty and hit from there again.  We play stictly by ROG.