driver out of bounds in woods question

[esayers]

hi quick question . i read the rules that i got on a golf app . but i'm still not certain . if off the tee or anywhere else for that matter i hit a ball and it goes into the woods or out of bounds. I know that i can hit another from the tee , but will i be hitting 2 or 3 at that point?  and do i have the option to go where it goes out of bounds drop a club length  and take a penalty? if i do have this option, why would i ever hit one from the tee again? thanks for any answers .

 

[iacas]

You don't have that option if the ball is lost or OB, and you'd be hitting your third from the tee:

1. Your initial stroke.
2. Your penalty stroke.
3. Hitting from the tee again.

Do yourself the favor of looking up the rules re: hitting a provisional.

[esayers]

You don't have that option if the ball is lost or OB, and you'd be hitting your third from the tee:

1. Your initial stroke.
2. Your penalty stroke.
3. Hitting from the tee again.

Do yourself the favor of looking up the rules re: hitting a provisional.

ok thanks . i've been playing right then when i hit another from the tee i was 3 .but after reading the rules in the app i got confused and thought i could take a penalty and drop from where i thought it went out . just reread it and i read it wrong the first time section 27-1-a i missed the part where the ball should be played as near as possible to  where last played .and thought it said ass near as possible to where it went out . thanks for the answer , now the olny problem is my scores may go even higher . oh well lol im trying to score my self properly .

[dkolo]

ok thanks . i've been playing right then when i hit another from the tee i was 3 .but after reading the rules in the app i got confused and thought i could take a penalty and drop from where i thought it went out . just reread it and i read it wrong the first time section 27-1-a i missed the part where the ball should be played as near as possible to  where last played .and thought it said ass near as possible to where it went out . thanks for the answer , now the olny problem is my scores may go even higher . oh well lol im trying to score my self properly .

What you're thinking of more closely sounds like rules governing water hazards. In those cases, you do worry about the exact point where it crossed over the margin of the hazard and you have different options based off of that point. But, yeah, as Erik said, for a lost ball outside of a water hazard, your only option is to re-hit. Which is why it's a good habit to hit provisional balls if you aren't sure about finding it: saves you from the unenviable situation of having to walk back to the tee or having your score be dubious because you're not following the rules. Good on you for caring enough to find out and welcome to the site!

[esayers]

What you're thinking of more closely sounds like rules governing water hazards. In those cases, you do worry about the exact point where it crossed over the margin of the hazard and you have different options based off of that point. But, yeah, as Erik said, for a lost ball outside of a water hazard, your only option is to re-hit. Which is why it's a good habit to hit provisional balls if you aren't sure about finding it: saves you from the unenviable situation of having to walk back to the tee or having your score be dubious because you're not following the rules. Good on you for caring enough to find out and welcome to the site!

well that rule makes much more sense to me . this is my first year golfing seriously .and i just found this site 1 or 2 months ago so far everyone has been very helpful . and i enjoy the site. now i am going to have to reread the rule book and see what else im doing wrong thanks again for the answers.

[dkolo]

well that rule makes much more sense to me . this is my first year golfing seriously .and i just found this site 1 or 2 months ago so far everyone has been very helpful . and i enjoy the site. now i am going to have to reread the rule book and see what else im doing wrong thanks again for the answers.

Reading the rule book is definitely a great call. There's also some resources that use diagrams and videos out there to walk you through some of the more complicated ones in practice. Youtube, the USGA site, Golf Digest, and others are your friend in this venture.

[DrvFrShow]

My drives either hit the fairway, right rough or will be blocked so far right I may not want to find it. If the last is the case with you, you also have the option of simply reloading 3 and abandoning the first shot. If you do this, you don't call it a provisional. I might still take a quick look for the first ball.

And your handicap index: 96 - - I'm going to take a guess that's what you're shooting, which is better than about half the golfers out there.

[esayers]

My drives either hit the fairway, right rough or will be blocked so far right I may not want to find it. If the last is the case with you, you also have the option of simply reloading 3 and abandoning the first shot. If you do this, you don't call it a provisional. I might still take a quick look for the first ball.

And your handicap index: 96 - - I'm going to take a guess that's what you're shooting, which is better than about half the golfers out there.

Not sure how handicaps work yet . but yes 96 is around my average . but my average may go up now . as some times I would rehit for three .so I did this right . but if I knew about where it went out I would drop with a one stroke penalty . which I now know is wrong . its good to know that I can rehit for three if my shot is bad though . I did not know that . thanks 

[rogolf]

well that rule makes much more sense to me . this is my first year golfing seriously .and i just found this site 1 or 2 months ago so far everyone has been very helpful . and i enjoy the site. now i am going to have to reread the rule book and see what else im doing wrong thanks again for the answers.

If you're just beginning with the Rule book, start with the Quick Guide on page 11, the Definitions, and Etiquette.

[turtleback]

ok thanks . i've been playing right then when i hit another from the tee i was 3 .but after reading the rules in the app i got confused and thought i could take a penalty and drop from where i thought it went out . just reread it and i read it wrong the first time section 27-1-a i missed the part where the ball should be played as near as possible to  where last played .and thought it said ass near as possible to where it went out . thanks for the answer , now the olny problem is my scores may go even higher . oh well lol im trying to score my self properly .

Actually, they always WERE higher, you just weren't aware of it.   

It is to your credit that this early on in the game you are trying your best to play by the rules.  It is my personal unproven belief that people who start out to play right will progress faster in learning to play well.

And, Welcome to the Board!!

[Baog]

...you also have the option of simply reloading 3 and abandoning the first shot. If you do this, you don't call it a provisional. I might still take a quick look for the first ball.

If your tee shot is so bad that you are considering abandoning it, you may want to still declare your next shot a provisional in case you hit that one crooked too, then you have two balls to look for. If the provisional is decent, you can immediately declare your first drive lost and play the provisional.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Baog

[DrvFrShow]

But you have to look for your first ball before you can declare it lost. If you find it deep in the woods, you have to play it. See what I do in the case of the reload is hit the subsequent tee shot with a 4 iron just to make sure it's in the fairway. Yeah, I'm taking a double bogey on the hole, but in a tournament it's better than a potential 12.

If your tee shot is so bad that you are considering abandoning it, you may want to still declare your next shot a provisional in case you hit that one crooked too, then you have two balls to look for. If the provisional is decent, you can immediately declare your first drive lost and play the provisional.

[Abu3baid]

If your tee shot is so bad that you are considering abandoning it, you may want to still declare your next shot a provisional in case you hit that one crooked too, then you have two balls to look for. If the provisional is decent, you can immediately declare your first drive lost and play the provisional.

is this true?  I thought that to abandon the first ball you have to make sure you don't declare a provisional.. So, if you hit it in the woods and you declare a provisional and you hit a nice drive down the middle as your opponent I can go and find your ball and you would be forced to play it would you not?  

[Lihu]

But you have to look for your first ball before you can declare it lost. If you find it deep in the woods, you have to play it. See what I do in the case of the reload is hit the subsequent tee shot with a 4 iron just to make sure it's in the fairway. Yeah, I'm taking a double bogey on the hole, but in a tournament it's better than a potential 12.

 

No, you don't in order to hit a provisional. You can always declare an unplayable ball, even if you don't look for it.

[Abu3baid]

No, you don't in order to hit a provisional. You can always declare an unplayable ball, even if you don't look for it.

What if I find it for you inside the 5 minutes of search time..?

[Fourputt]

What if I find it for you inside the 5 minutes of search time..?

Then the original is found and the provisional is abandoned, unless the provisional has been played from a point at or nearer to the hole from where the original was expected to be. 

 

[Baog]

What if I find it for you inside the 5 minutes of search time..?

If I have already hit the previously provisional ball a second time (fourth shot) then the provisional is the ball in play and it doesn't matter what other balls are subsequently found. In fact, I don't think that you have to hit it, I think you can just deem it to be the ball in play.

No, you don't in order to hit a provisional. You can always declare an unplayable ball, even if you don't look for it.

If you find the original and want to declare it unplayable to hit another from the tee, you can't use your provisional, you have to go back an hit another. The provisional can only be used in case of a lost ball. Otherwise your decision on how to take the unplayable lie relief would be influenced by the known result of your next shot.

[Martyn W]

If I have already hit the previously provisional ball a second time (fourth shot) then the provisional is the ball in play and it doesn't matter what other balls are subsequently found. In fact, I don't think that you have to hit it, I think you can just deem it to be the ball in play.

Not true - the provisional becomes the ball in play when a stroke has been made at or closer to the hole than the spot where the original was likely to be. You cannot deem a ball to be in play, it is either in play or not by definition.