Jump to content
IGNORED

Are you allowed to play on the wrong fairway?


Bman
Note: This thread is 3561 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

One of my golf buddy hit a nasty snap hook and ended on an adjacent fairway.  The 2 holes run parallel to each other with a small "forest" of huge trees between the 2 fairways.  We all said his only option was to aim back towards our tee box, or take a penalty stroke and re-tee because he could not advance forward through the trees.  However he knew the course well so he intentionally hit down that fairway then hit across back our green.  He said there was no stake so he can continue to play on, he said he only needed to re-tee if there were white stakes between the fairways.  It actually became a short cut because our fairway dogleg around the trees where the 2 greens of these 2 holes came back closer together at the end.

Is there any rule against playing on the wrong fairway intentionally?

I can understand if someone hit a bad hook or slide ended on the wrong fairway, but continue to play on the wrong fairway is just seem wrong.  Bad course design is one thing, holding up the players on the other fairway should be a no-no, but it's also unfair for the rest playing a longer par 5 around the trees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Yep, I play the wrong fairway all the time! Not a concern.

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha 10.5* 

3WD:  Callaway Big Bertha 15* / X2 Hot H4 Hybrid
Irons:  Callaway Apex 4-PW Project X 5.5 shafts

Wedges: Callaway MackDaddy 2  52/58
Putter: Odyessey Metal X Milled 1

Link to comment
Share on other sites


As one of my buddies said when arriving at the 18th green after playing up the 9th hole ( a substantial "sort cut"), "I think I discovered the Northwest Passage."

IMO, Unless you are impeding other players by playing up the wrong hole, it is not even bad form or manners. So in our case, if there are players on the ninth hole, it is bad form to do it on purpose off the 18th tee because you second shot should end up near the ninth green. But if you hank it over to number nine fairway, it may be you only play.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Just in the past year I've seen Mickelson and McIlroy do it during tournaments.  I believe McIlroy did it in Abu Dhabi.

Brandon

Brandon a.k.a. Tony Stark

-------------------------

The Fastest Flip in the West

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Originally Posted by bplewis24

Just in the past year I've seen Mickelson and McIlroy do it during tournaments.  I believe McIlroy did it in Abu Dhabi.

Brandon


.Tiger has done it too, more than once.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

No rule at all. One time it hit a ridiculously high, majestic drive (unintentionally) into an adjacent fairway, and decided to play up that hole to avoid having to hit over the trees between the holes. It was a par-five, and I ended up making birdie. So that was nice.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

google "Hinkle tree, Inverness" and you will find out about playing down/thru the wrong fairway and the extent to which the US Open went to discourage it.

Players play, tough players win!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I had to play down the wrong fairway just a couple days ago, and the guys I was playing with were sticklers for the Rules of Golf and know the rule book better than most PGA officials.  They would have penalized me instantly if it was.   As long as you're not impeding someone on that hole, there's no problems with it at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Good question!! I did that on this past Saturday on the 10th hole. Bad slice and off to the right it went. There wasn't anyone playing on that fairway at the time so I hit it just short of the proper green. Glad to know it's not a penalty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


If the course or committee wants to make it a penalty, they make it OB. Happened at our local muni when they held Western Open qualifying there. Those huge hitters simply played one hole up the wrong fairway avoiding the OB left and the water and trees on the right on their own fairway. Needed to be super long to pull this stunt off so it was not an everyday issue. But if you could carry your drive 275-300 or more over the trees and water, you cut the dogleg and were hitting to the green from a nice lie in the wrong fairway. It was a pace of play disaster and seemed outside the spirit of the hole. Next year, the committee made that other fairway OB and that was the end of that.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Originally Posted by jamo

No rule at all. One time it hit a ridiculously high, majestic drive (unintentionally) into an adjacent fairway, and decided to play up that hole to avoid having to hit over the trees between the holes. It was a par-five, and I ended up making birdie. So that was nice.

I was about to tell the same story.  Mine was in a tournament and I ended up 3rd, so that was even nicer.

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Originally Posted by Wally Fairway

google "Hinkle tree, Inverness" and you will find out about playing down/thru the wrong fairway and the extent to which the US Open went to discourage it.

Brandon a.k.a. Tony Stark

-------------------------

The Fastest Flip in the West

Link to comment
Share on other sites


FWIW, the rules don't really define a "fairway" that belongs to a given hole. There's just a hole's teebox, green, and some "shortly cut grass". The rules don't have official distinctions for which part of "through the green" belongs to which hole.

"Golf is an entire game built around making something that is naturally easy - putting a ball into a hole - as difficult as possible." - Scott Adams

Mid-priced ball reviews: Top Flight Gamer v2 | Bridgestone e5 ('10) | Titleist NXT Tour ('10) | Taylormade Burner TP LDP | Taylormade TP Black | Taylormade Burner Tour | Srixon Q-Star ('12)

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Originally Posted by B-Con

FWIW, the rules don't really define a "fairway" that belongs to a given hole. There's just a hole's teebox, green, and some "shortly cut grass". The rules don't have official distinctions for which part of "through the green" belongs to which hole.

Well stated. In the US, most courses have obvious distinctions between holes. You post reminded me that at St. Andrews (luck enough to play there once), you see no such distinctions on most holes. #1 and #18 are perhaps the most obvious on TV as they are just a big rectangle with no rough between them. But on many holes, you need a caddie to point out where you are aiming as invisible bunkers are the issue and not "your" fairway vs some other fairway.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

Link to comment
Share on other sites


At my old home course, the closest I came to an "earned" par on the 9th hole came from the wrong fairway. It's a ~425 or so, slightly uphill hole with a dogleg left a bit over 200 yards from the elevated green. It used to be a nice par 5 from what I've told, but was modified to keep players from hooking off the course. So now it's a very tough par 4 if you don't have a reliable draw. Anyway, as usual I faded a bit and wound up overshooting the dogleg and into the 1st hole fairway. The line of tall, bushy trees meant that either going over or pitching under was a pretty dicey proposition, so I just took my second shot up the 1st fairway. It left me a nice 9 iron over the last few trees that squarely hit the center of the green, giving me a GIR+1 and a makeable putt for par.

Incidentally, don't ask about that "makeable putt." I'll just note that when I finally did make par on the hole, it was a skulled chip that didn't even hit the lip as it landed squarely in the hole. I felt dirty as hell about it, but a par is a par.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

Link to comment
Share on other sites


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

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 3561 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.
  • Posts

    • Been a bit of delay in updates but I needed to come back east as my mom's health has taken a serious turn for the worse. In a 3 day span we learned she had a tumor to she has stage 4 cancer and stopped eating and drinking for the most part. She has had a rough 3 months but certainly didn't think we'd be at the point of setting up hospice for her. My mom was never into any sports really other than following the Red Sox because my dad was a big fan. She always cared about what we were involved in including asking about how golf went.  I have kept up with my 5 minutes of daily practice and will go to the gym here in NH tomorrow morning. Despite the somber nature of this trip my family has commented more than a few times about my weight loss so it's important to me to keep it up. I know my mom always wanted us happy in whatever we did so I'll continue with my fitness journey keeping that in mind. 
    • Day 109- Putting drills on a putting green for 20 minutes. 
    • Day 252: did a stack session. Did some slow rehearsal swings during breaks. 
    • Day 82: 3/18/24 Tried a Stack session but could not certify my warmup. Finished with indoor chips and putting. 
    • Day 96 (18 Mar 24) - Continued work with the Divot Board with the GW and hard foam balls.  Focused on small target/small miss…setup to hit target about 30yds out - success if it hit within 6’ circle of target, fail if outside.  Had decent success averaging about 3 out of 4 (hitting in groups of four).  
×
×
  • 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...