Jump to content
IGNORED

Drop Area Rules Question


albatross
Note: This thread is 3484 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Ok, I'll make this short and to the point. I had a debate with my buddy last night and I want to see if I am correct here.

The hole we are discussing is at a local course. Par 3 130 yards and it's an island green. If you rinse one in the water, there is a drop area on the tee side of the hazard (meaning you still have to hit it over the hazard).

So if you hit it from here, you are obviously hitting 3. The course has also created a drop area that is next to the green but totally out of trouble and OVER the hazard and they allow you to just hit 4 from there so you can't possibly hit two in the water if you choose drop area number 2.

I don't think this is within the rules of golf. If you use a designated drop area after hitting in a hazard, aren't you ALWAYS hitting 3 on your second shot???

I realize the course probably does this to speed up play and not have someone hit it in the water over and over from the first drop area but can a local rule make you lie 3 after 1 shot in a hazard??
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, I'll make this short and to the point. I had a debate with my buddy last night and I want to see if I am correct here.

That kind of Local Rule is overriding real Rules of Golf and is contrary to those. Thus it should be changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, I'll make this short and to the point. I had a debate with my buddy last night and I want to see if I am correct here.

If you are following the Rules of Golf exactly as you would in a tournament, there should be only one drop area and not an extra one with an extra stroke penalty. The addition of the green-side drop zone is (as you mentioned) probably put in place for pace-of-play issues and to help the average golfer during casual rounds. If you and your buddy are playing strictly by the Rules as they are written, the "sceond" drop area shouldn't even exist and your next shot should be taken from the point where the ball crossed the hazard, the first drop area, or from the tee box.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I would agree with MSD there that this second drop area is in all likelihood put in place to help with pace-of-play issues. In which case I am all for it. Lord knows we've all been behind the group who puts 4 in the water and then re-tees and doubles up on their lost balls. Now I must HI-JACK this thread with a par three question of my own.

So I was playing a stroke play tourny yesterday and it was a shorter par 3 around 160 yards. It was raining and a little windy so I wanted to flight the ball low and therefore, did not tee it up. I placed the ball on the deck, and what I'd typically do in this situation is move the ball around with my club until I have it properly primped and propped up. It occurred to me that this may not be legal, so I did it by hand instead. I asked my group, and no one knew the answer.

SO, is it or is it not allowed during a tournament to use your club to adjust the ball while it's on the tee box before you are addressing it and ready to make your swing?
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I would agree with MSD there that this second drop area is in all likelihood put in place to help with pace-of-play issues. In which case I am all for it. Lord knows we've all been behind the group who puts 4 in the water and then re-tees and doubles up on their lost balls. Now I must HI-JACK this thread with a par three question of my own.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the ball is in play on the hole until you take your first stroke. It's much the same as if you were to knock the ball off the tee before taking your swing; yes, you touched the ball with the club face but the ball is not yet in play and you did not have intent to make the stroke. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge on this can help out.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


SO, is it or is it not allowed during a tournament to use your club to adjust the ball while it's on the tee box before you are addressing it and ready to make your swing?

It is allowed as the ball is not in play until you have made a stroke at it. So feel free to do that if you wish. Occasionally somebody might challenge you if you first lay your ball down and move it into a better position with your club. Then you address it and step away and decide to change the ball into a new position, with hand or with club. This is also perfectly allowed as the ball is not yet in play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, I'll make this short and to the point. I had a debate with my buddy last night and I want to see if I am correct here.

Which drop zone is the rating and slope based off of? That should be the only one used. You'd probably have to asked the course pro.

Kevin

-------
In the Bag
Driver: G15 9.0*3 & 5 Wood: BurnerHybrid: Pro Gold 20*; 23*Irons: MP-58 (5-PW)Wedges: Vokey Spin Milled 52*8; 56*14Putter: Newport 2.0 33"Balls: NXT

Link to comment
Share on other sites


If you and your buddy are playing strictly by the Rules as they are written, the "sceond" drop area shouldn't even exist and your next shot should be taken from the point where the ball crossed the hazard, the first drop area, or from the tee box.

I would have to disagree with that to some extent. If there is a Local Rule in place it should be obeyed even though it might be contrary to the Rules of Golf. In a competition the best thing is to ask a member of the Committee to come by and explain the situation and then follow his recommendation. This way you would escape from any Rules violation.

Even it would be very clear that a Local Rule is not based on the Rules of Golf I would be extremely careful not to play by it in a competition. You must remember that other players may already have played according to that Local Rule and in that case the ruling would most likely not be advantageous to you. During a competition Local Rules may not be altered.
Which drop zone is the rating and slope based off of? That should be the only one used. You'd probably have to asked the course pro.

I wonder if course rating has anything to do with drop areas. Also there may be several drop areas for one water hazard, there is nothing to prevent that. What is wrong here is that a player is assigned 2 penalties for hitting his ball in the water instead of 1 that is described in the Rules of Golf. Thus the Local Rule in question is overriding the actual RoG and is not a proper one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I would have to disagree with that to some extent. If there is a Local Rule in place it should be obeyed even though it might be contrary to the Rules of Golf. In a competition the best thing is to ask a member of the Committee to come by and explain the situation and then follow his recommendation. This way you would escape from any Rules violation.

So does this local rule override the USGA Rules of Golf? It sounds like there is a little debate in this thread. Under the rules of Golf can you ever lie 3 after hitting the ball in a water hazard if this were an "official" tournament? Can there be two drop areas under the rules of golf? One where you lie 2 and one where you lie 3. I still think the answer is no but I would love more opinions here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


There certainly can be more then one drop area, but the thing about them is you can't use one that would put you closer to the hole then a normal drop under the rules. The add two strokes to use a certain one is not within the rules.

Rob Tyska

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

So does this local rule override the USGA Rules of Golf? It sounds like there is a little debate in this thread. Under the rules of Golf can you ever lie 3 after hitting the ball in a water hazard if this were an "official" tournament? Can there be two drop areas under the rules of golf? One where you lie 2 and one where you lie 3. I still think the answer is no but I would love more opinions here.

Think it this way: what is the single Rule that gives you 2 penalties for hitting your ball into a water hazard?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Boooooo - to courses making up their own rules - when they are in blatant disregard of the Rules of Golf.

driver: FT-i tlcg 9.5˚ (Matrix Ozik XCONN Stiff)
4 wood: G10 (ProLaunch Red FW stiff)
3 -PW: :Titleist: 695 mb (Rifle flighted 6.0)
wedges:, 52˚, 56˚, 60˚
putter: Studio Select Newport 1.5

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1992 Rules of Golf as Approved by the USGA and R&A; Golf Club

Rule 26-1
"If a ball lies in, touches, or is lost in a water hazard (whether the ball lies in the water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke :
a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played; or
b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped."

On a par three, you don't have to drop the ball, though. You have the option of re-teeing the ball (I'm not reading this in the rule book, just referencing this video of shots at the 17th at TPC Sawgrass , specifically the Fred Couples "hole in 3.")
Link to comment
Share on other sites


1992 Rules of Golf as Approved by the USGA and R&A; Golf Club

Since 1992 the Rules of Golf have been re-edited four times. Lucky for You 26-1 is not one of those that have changed

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, just so I have some clarity here can I get simple yes or no answers to these questions:

Under the USGA Rules of golf can a course:

1.) Have two separate drop areas on the same hole?

2.) Have a drop area on the other side of the hazard?

3.) Have a single drop area that forces you to be hitting 4 on your next shot after hitting into a water hazard?

Let's say there was a USGA sanctioned event at this course tomorrow, what would have to be done to make this legal. That is, at what point can a local rule not outweigh a USGA rule?

Finally, am I right then in telling my buddy that it is against the rules to take a drop on the other side of the hazard and lie 3 after hitting one shot in the hazard, EVEN IF it is a local rule?
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ok, just so I have some clarity here can I get simple yes or no answers to these questions:

1. Yes

2. Not for that hazard 3. No Local rules are not allowed to be contrary to the rules of golf. In the back of the rule book are speciment local rules that are allowed. An event being played under the rules of golf would not be using the drop area on the other side of the hazard.

Rob Tyska

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Since 1992 the Rules of Golf have been re-edited four times. Lucky for You 26-1 is not one of those that have changed

Ha. I figured it had changed. It's just the copy of the rules that I always keep in my bag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ha. I figured it had changed. It's just the copy of the rules that I always keep in my bag.

Well, keep on carrying it but don't bet all your money when getting entangled in an argument on the course...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 3484 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • First off please forgive me if this is not a proper post or not in the proper location, still learning the ropes around here. Second, it's important that I mention I am very new to the game with only about 10 rounds of golf under my belt, most being 9 holes. Only this year have I started playing 18. That being said, I am hooked, love the game and am very eager to learn and improve. To give you an idea of my skill, the last 2 18 rounds I played were 110 and 105. Not great at all, however I am slowly improving as I learn. Had been having bad slicing issues with the driver and hybrids but after playing some more and hitting the range, I've been able to improve on that quite a bit and have been hitting more straight on average. Irons have always come easier to me as far as hitting straight for some reason. Wedges have needed a lot of improvement, but I practice chipping about 20-30 mins about 3-5 times a week and that's helped a lot. Today I went to the range and started to note down some distance data, mind you I am averaging the distances based off my best guess compared to the distance markers on the range. I do not currently own a range finder or tracker. From reading some similar posts I do understand that filling gaps is ideal, but I am having a some issues figuring out those gaps and understanding which clubs to keep and remove as some gaps are minimal between clubs. Below is an image of the chart I put together showing the clubs and average distances I've been hitting and power applied. For some reason I am hitting my hybrids around the same distances and I am not sure why. Wondering if one of them should be removed. I didn't notice a huge loft difference either. The irons I have are hand me downs from my grandfather and after playing with them a bit, I feel like they're just not giving me what could potentially be there. The feel is a bit hard/harsh and underwhelming if that makes sense and I can't seem to get decent distances from them. Wondering if I should be looking to invest in some more updated irons and if those should be muscle backs or cavity backs? My knowledge here is minimal. I have never played with modern fairway woods, only the classic clubs that are actually wood and much smaller than modern clubs. I recently removed the 4 and 5 woods from my bag as I was never using them and I don't hit them very well or very far. Wondering if I should look into some more modern fairway wood options? I appreciate any feedback or advice anyone is willing to give, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I am eager to learn! Thank you.  
    • I would think that 3 in a row with the same players might get some behind the scenes examination from the SCGA if they were suspect.  Are there any clubs questioning the results?
    • What simple fact? A golf match is not a coin flip — there is a fact for you. I'm trying to help you, and you're throwing out what could easily be called sour grapes. Come with FACTS, not weak analogies. Then you've got nothing. Hopefully they've done a better job of making their case. 😛 
    • It's pretty close. The odds of a 50/50 shot going your way 21 times are greater than 1 in a million!  I guess your point is, that simple fact is not enough to declare these guys dirty rotten sandbaggers. I disagree, but fair enough. I posted it here on the message board to get different perspectives, after all.  I probably won't be digging further into specific scores. I have no dog in this fight beyond a generalized contempt for sandbagging. With that said, it would not surprise if a lot of clubs shared my concern and were grousing about it to the SCGA.
    • I had an article on Cam Smith pop up along with this..... Current major eligibility list for all LIV Golf players Here's a look at which majors, if any, all LIV Golf players are eligible.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...