Two rulings need help with...

I played a nine hole round last night.  The weather was getting pretty nasty with dark clouds and winds picking up.  I started to pick up the pace around hole number 5.

1)  I tee off on number 8 and the ball lands in the middle of the fairway right next to the 150 yard stake.  If I was a lefty, I could have taken a swing no problem.  Being a righty, I pulled the stake up because it either would have either been altering my stance or having the possibility of hitting it with the shaft.  My brother who is not into golf says I cheated by pulling it up and not taking a penalty.  I'm not risking ruining equipment with graphite going against pvc.  Who is right or how is this played out?

2)  The next hole the winds are something fierce.  I backed off a few times waiting for a little break.  None to be had and I took a crack at it and it really affected my swing.  I pulled it to the left side and down along the sparsely populated trees lining that side of the fairway.  I did not bother to hit a provisional because it was so nasty out.  I walk down there and think I see my ball but it is some Nike with its top cut from a mower.   It is so windy and dark and the trees are turning inside out.  Yeah, I know!   Well I decide to chalk it up as a lost ball and see another ball farther down the hill.  It is my Top Flite Gamer.  I deciding to finish this hole out or getting out of there.  I tag my 5 wood for an attempt between a vary narrow window of trees and leaves.   My hat blows off as I'm about to take a swing.  I retrieve it as it's blowing down the fairway.  I get back to my ball and tag again because I forgot if I did or not.  Meanwhile, it starts to pour and I see a flash.  Enough of that!  I put a tee in the ground next to the ball and pick up.  My hat flies off again and I'm giving chase in some half assed trot with one leg.  It is close to the parking lot so I only got 90% drenched.  Ok, is it legal to play from there the next day?   Do I take a drop or set the ball down by the tee?  Are their any penalties involved?

Oh, it probably will be my best nine hole round if I par or bogie the hole.  It's a par 5 by the way.  I'm sitting at 6 over par with the drive which is not too shabby for this 30 handicapper.  When I took the clubs out of the car later that night, I noticed I lost my 3 hybrid cover.  I did not use it so I was hoping it came off in the last hole debacle.  I'm out and about at 1:00 am and decide to take a wander to find it with flashlight in tow.  It looked like a mini war zone with all the little branches and water runoff.  I retraced all my steps from hat chasing to the vicinity of where the drive landed.  No hybrid cover to be found.  Oh well, chalk it up and hope someone finds it the next day.  I turned the flashlight off and was using the light coming from the parking lot and stumbled on something.  It's my soaking wet hybrid cover.

I'm sitting 354 yards out with no chance of advancing directly to the hole.  Maybe a 5 Wood isn't the best club to use if it comes out too high as I sit here waiting to go back over to finish out the hole.  Besides the stupidity of not quitting sooner, is it legal to change clubs or be viewing distances to the edges of the fairway or water hazard out there while I'm at home without being subject to penalties?  If it is then I will not sign the round today for the Sand Trap Challenge and do it after the competition is over.  I would still like it for the stats in the end.

What if I cannot find my tee?

1)  The pole is a movable obstruction.  No penalty.

2)  You should be able to finish the round the next day since it's not a competition and there is no committee to say you can't.  This is done in tournaments all the time.  If your tee goes missing, then estimate as closely as possible and drop at that point.

Thanks for the reply!

Well I'm glad that little ordeal is over.  I went back out and found the spot.  I thought I would play it conservative and hit a little 3 hybrid shot into the middle of the fairway.  Then it would be 3 wood time to run it up to the green.  I hit the hybrid 70 yards too far and it made a bee line right into that red staked water hazard I damn well knew was there.  I found the ball and dropped it a club length from where it entered.  Now that I think about it, I should have dropped it in the fairway instead of the high grass.  I hit another hybrid with a half hearted shot just to get it too the fairway on the other side of the road for an easy pitch home.  The pitch was way short and then the sand wedge thumped the ground behind the ball and went to a different part of the green.  Two putts later and a big snowman is on the board.

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/srx700xxx/round/364354?hole_id=17123731

Unless there is a local rule which states that these distance poles are immovable obstructions. Some (many?) courses have that in effect.

But then you get relief in the form of a drop without penalty.

I've never seen a course where they were removable where they weren't movable obstructions.  If they are anchored or embedded in some way, then  they are immovable obstructions.  Many that I've seen have them installed in a sleeve of some kind so that they are designed to be easily removable.

Ditto.

I'm confused why anyone would think that moving a yardage marker would be a penalty. Now, I've had to put up with people in my "golf league" breaking branches under trees and stuff which is a rule violation I believe, but that's not even enforced. *which is why I put quotes around golf league, they break so many rules what they do is hardly golf* As for the second part, isn't that basically what they do when they have to call play due to rain/darkness on the tour? Mark with a tee and come back the next day to play from that spot?

I think the rules for this apply to hazards?

OTOH, I think the course might kick them off for vandalism. . .

To the OP, the first one was fine, you just need to put the marker back. I think you could also take a drop?

The second one was a penalty for not going back and re-teeing.

He's talking about branches on live trees - that applies anywhere.  You aren't allowed to bend or break anything like that except in fairly taking your stance.  "Fairly taking your stance" means taking the least obtrusive way to get set.  You can't deliberate move into a bush from a direction that would bend a branch out of the way if there is a more direct way to take your stance.

I'm just cracking up you went back at 1AM to find your hybrid cover! That's dedication, my friend.

Why would he have to take stroke and distance when he found his original ball in play?

He wouldn't.  Lihu is a bit confused on several counts -

the breaking of branches  - which has already been answered;

the suggestion that you can take relief from a movable obstruction with a drop as an alternative to moving the obstruction - you can't;

and penalising the OP for not playing again from the tee - he found his ball presumably within 5 minutes of searching.

The procedure when resuming play after a discontinuation is to replace your ball where it was marked or if your marker has disappeared to estimate the spot and place the ball there.

In Finland the National Golf Union has implemented four local rules which are in effect on all (couple of exceptions) golf courses in Finland. One of them is that "All distance measurement markings are immovable obstructions, relief according to rule 24-2." So even if you could remove them, better leave in place.

Oops, I've probably let more than one playing partner do these things. . .but I've never had issues with having to bend branches nor to not move a moveable obstruction.

Resuming play is not something I've considered in the past. Didn't know you could. . .

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/~/media/RandA/Related%20Documents/2011/2012%20Rules/72580_ROG_CLUBHOUSE_with%20cover.ashx

It's only 1/2 mile from the house.  I usually don't get up with the early birds and did not want it to become one of the missing.  I could of waited and asked the pro shop if someone brought one in.  Someone might decide it is their very own or it could meet its demise at the hands of a mower deck.

Thanks for the replies.