Do You Improve the Lie of the Ball?

[Groucho Valentine]

Well..dont mind if i do...

[Cantankerish]

I was taught that if the course permits it, you can move a ball out of damaged terrain as long as it is on the fairway.  This does not come up often, but I have moved a ball out of wet areas in the past.  Now that I think of it, I have never checked to see if that is actually legal.  I would never do a Judge Smails though.  You miss the opportunity to learn.

[Nail]

Over here we almost always play in competition so no I don’t improve my lie as that would be cheating. We are however allowed to clean and replace in fairways only in the winter which has come into play the last two weeks. 

I’m actually shocked at the amount of you who do improve your lie. 

[Rkrider99]

When I first started playing I always used to give myself preferred lies. Then as time went on, I realized I was just hurting myself when playing in tournaments or competition that didn't allow that stuff. Sort of like missing that 1' putt, but I would of normally made it, so I'll just put it down as a gimme. Now, I play them all down, putt them all out, even when people say "pick it up". If I'm out for practice by myself, then anything goes, I can't post the score anyway.

[NJpatbee]

It has rarely happened but I have moved the ball off a rock so as to not damage my club or wrists.  I used to live in hilly, rocky NW Jersey but it is not longer an issue near the Jersey Shore.  If I am playing in a $$ match or for handicap I take an unplayable lie penalty.

[NM Golf]

I used to play a lot of golf with a guy who fluffed it all the time. Some years back we got paired together in a club tournament, he hit his drive down the middle and when he got to his ball he moved it. I don't think he was really even thinking about it, it had just become habit. I called him on it and he apologized and tried to put it back. I told him it was still a penalty and he was pissed. We were in the same cart and he literally refused to talk to me the rest of the round (awkward!) Funny thing I ended up beating him by a stroke. 

 

[billchao]

No. There's a reason I'm confident I can hit out of any lie.

It's mostly delusion 😜

[Lihu]

3 hours ago, Nail said:

Over here we almost always play in competition so no I don’t improve my lie as that would be cheating. We are however allowed to clean and replace in fairways only in the winter which has come into play the last two weeks. 

I’m actually shocked at the amount of you who do improve your lie. 

Shocked at the one person? 😂

[jetsknicks1]

When it’s my every weekend group I do, we all do. None of us keep a handicap, we never play for money and we all play the same way. My normal group is my grown son and a good friend of ours, we’re out there to have some fun. Now, Two of us do play in a 2 man scramble league in the summer and we abide by the rules set up by the committee.

[jlbos83]

Never.  I'm not good, but I don't cheat.  When the rules allow, of course, "abnormal course conditions".  But I hit off of desert, rocks, cart paths (if the drop would be worse that the original spot).  If it's too bad, it's a stroke for unplayable, since it's, well, unplayable.  I've hit a few really good chips off cart paths, it makes you focus on ball first, for sure!  I used to carry a "desert club" for that sort of thing.  Now I usually use my oldest wedge, I know I'll replace it if I hurt it too badly, but scraping the cart path on a chip really isn't hurting it.

[gjunkie57]

I know what I normally score because I play it down.  

Edited October 10, 2019 by gjunkie57

[Bonvivant]

Always play it down. I'm surprised when I go to the course the amount of people that don't do this but I am glad to see that almost everyone that has voted does not improve their lies. The only exception I have to this for myself (and even some of the games that I play in for money) is that some of the bunkers here are more mud and rocks than sand. I will not risk damage to my equipment because the course can't afford to maintain the bunkers. If I land in one of these (at one of the courses it is literally every bunker) I will pull my ball, and drop with the bunker between me and the intended target.

Funny story about the last bit. I hit into a bunker the other day at that course, so I pulled, dropped and chipped it right back in. I proceeded to chip the ball into this bunker 4 times before finally clearing it. I don't know what was wrong with me, but even without penalties, I had an 8 on that hole (a quite short par 4).

[Craigers]

I play the ball as it lies. I move the ball around a lot at the range to practice hitting under different conditions.

I like the big R avatar. When people see the Big R they know it's RetiredOldMan!

 

[David in FL]

2 hours ago, Craigers said:

I like the big R avatar. When people see the Big R they know it's RetiredOldMan!

 

The large capital letters are assigned as a default avatar, based on the first initial of their user name, to new members who haven’t yet chosen their own.  As such, it’s not necessarily unique.

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, Lihu said:

Shocked at the one person? 😂

Ok, 2 😱

[mcanadiens]

9 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

Always play it down. I'm surprised when I go to the course the amount of people that don't do this but I am glad to see that almost everyone that has voted does not improve their lies. The only exception I have to this for myself (and even some of the games that I play in for money) is that some of the bunkers here are more mud and rocks than sand. I will not risk damage to my equipment because the course can't afford to maintain the bunkers. If I land in one of these (at one of the courses it is literally every bunker) I will pull my ball, and drop with the bunker between me and the intended target.

Funny story about the last bit. I hit into a bunker the other day at that course, so I pulled, dropped and chipped it right back in. I proceeded to chip the ball into this bunker 4 times before finally clearing it. I don't know what was wrong with me, but even without penalties, I had an 8 on that hole (a quite short par 4).

At Kittyhawk, when the bunkers have been especially bad, KHMA has used a rake-and-place rule. They are actually substantially better now than they used to be, if you can believe that.

Edited October 10, 2019 by mcanadiens

[Bonvivant]

Just now, mcanadiens said:

At Kittyhawk, when the bunkers have been especially bad, KHMA has used a rake-and-place rule. They are actually substantially better now than they used to be, if you can believe that.

The last time I was there I hit out of almost all bunkers I was in. Community is the main offender with this one, I think.

[mcanadiens]

5 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

The last time I was there I hit out of almost all bunkers I was in. Community is the main offender with this one, I think.

Completely agree with that. Community's suck. Funny thing. Our old pro is their new pro.