Do You Improve the Lie of the Ball?

[lastings]

Today is 65 degrees in minnesota.  However, it snowed last week.  I’m playing golf today, and I’m pretty sure it will be my last round of the year.  I will enjoy it.  And, thus, the chances that I play a ball out of a bad lie in the fairway are 0%.  

[RickK]

I only move the ball if the play for that day is allowing it otherwise I play it down.  One of the tournament leagues I play in sometimes is a little too generous, or so I think, with playing LCP thru the green especially this time of the year.  But, I am not dumb enough to not take advantage of it if the rest of the field is going to play LCP.  

[shanksalot]

After reading some of the last posts, they reminded me of a situation I faced some years ago. Playing the 17th hole, the hardest hole on the back nine, I was sitting at -4. The hole is a dogleg right at 150 yards from the green. Water all the way down to the green on the right. I hit a really good drive down the left side to the dogleg. Got to the ball and it was sitting in a deep divot. I had never broken 70 before so instead of just laying up I gambled and tried to knock it on the green. I failed and hit it into the water Ugh. Fourth shot into the green side bunker. I got it up and down for a double. To this day I beat myself up for not laying up to the left of the water and try to get it close to the pin and make par or bogie.  Since then I have broken 70, but to this day when ever I got a bad lie I tried to play it conservatively. I ended up shooting 70 and that was the lowest score I ever shot on that course as we moved to a new city two years later.  Sorry for the long post.  

[DrvFrShow]

Between June 21 and Sept 20? No. Unless we've had a few days of heavy rain and the courses were a mess like it was this year in early September.

Between Sept 20 and June 21? Local lift and clean rules are in effect. 

[SteveH]

Our course is now lift,clean and place and it will likely stay that way till spring

[David in FL]

On 10/19/2019 at 12:19 PM, lastings said:

Today is 65 degrees in minnesota.  However, it snowed last week.  I’m playing golf today, and I’m pretty sure it will be my last round of the year.  I will enjoy it.  And, thus, the chances that I play a ball out of a bad lie in the fairway are 0%.  

I played 3 rounds last week.  The only stroke that stands out is an approach that I hit to 20’ from 160 yards and the middle of a deep divot.
 

 If that were my last round of the year, it would be a shame not to be able to smile at the memory for the entire off season because I had kicked it out of that divot.  Just sayin’...

[lastings]

20 hours ago, David in FL said:

I played 3 rounds last week.  The only stroke that stands out is an approach that I hit to 20’ from 160 yards and the middle of a deep divot.
 

 If that were my last round of the year, it would be a shame not to be able to smile at the memory for the entire off season because I had kicked it out of that divot.  Just sayin’...

fortunately, as it turns out, course was in great shape.   never even came across a bad lie in the fairway.  

[David in FL]

3 minutes ago, lastings said:

fortunately, as it turns out, course was in great shape.   never even came across a bad lie in the fairway.  

Here’s hoping you get another round or two in.  October can be a great month for golf up there if the weather cooperates!  

[Darkfrog]

I will occasionally improve my lie when there is potential for wrist/hand injury or to damage a club from the lie as found.

For example, my home course has quite a few redwoods which have shallow roots, sometimes just below the surface of the soil. I'm not remotely interested in slamming my club into a buried root and breaking my wrist, so if I find my ball in an area near one of these trees, I'll tap the ground around the ball and see if I can feel a root, and move my ball away from it as needed.

Outside of that type of very rare scenario, I am a golf masochist and will play every ball as it lies.

[bkuehn1952]

I will not move the ball during our handicap season.  After the end of our handicap season (11/1) and before the start (4/1), depending on the conditions, I will do whatever makes the game most playable, including "lift, rake and place" in the bunker.

Rolling the ball is a bad habit if one expects to play competitive golf, whether a tournament or just a match with some friends.

p.s. Yes, in my avatar, I moved the ball to the top of the snow.  Guilty as charged!

Edited October 25, 2019 by bkuehn1952

[The Flush]

Jordan Spieth attempts to hit off a root, fails to move ball a single inch

 

 

[Missouri Swede]

14 minutes ago, The Flush said:

Jordan Spieth attempts to hit off a root, fails to move ball a single inch

 

 

I wince when I see them try that. Rory did it a few years ago (at the congressional?) and then walked away holding his wrist.

 I don’t think they realize how close they are to a career-ending injury.  

Take an unplayable lie. Or a soft chip or punch to the fairway. Something. Just recognize it will cost you a stroke, and yeah that’s money, but better that than a carpal bone fracture. Ouch.

Do you see these, @Vinsk?

Edited October 25, 2019 by Missouri Swede

[Vinsk]

14 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

I wince when I see them try that. Rory did it a few years ago (at the congressional?) and then walked away holding his wrist.

 I don’t think they realize how close they are to a career-ending injury.  

Take an unplayable lie. Or a soft chip or punch to the fairway. Something. Just recognize it will cost you a stroke, and yeah that’s money, but better that than a carpal bone fracture. Ouch.

Do you see these, @Vinsk?

I see many Colle’s fractures but usually from falling with an outstretched hand. The vast majority of issues I get with golfers is medial epicondylitis. Carpal fractures often go untreated because so often the X-ray is done too soon and the non-displaced fracture is missed. One can still have significant use of their hand/wrist despite actually having a fracture.

[billchao]

23 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

I wince when I see them try that. Rory did it a few years ago (at the congressional?) and then walked away holding his wrist.

 I don’t think they realize how close they are to a career-ending injury.  

Take an unplayable lie. Or a soft chip or punch to the fairway. Something. Just recognize it will cost you a stroke, and yeah that’s money, but better that than a carpal bone fracture. Ouch.

Do you see these, @Vinsk?

I'm no doctor but I would think hitting a root with a golf club would more likely result in soft tissue damage rather than a fracture.

[ghalfaire]

No I don't with the exception of when the course has "winter rules" (around here that is usually means over seeding and in the mountains it means aeration). 

[Vinsk]

On 10/26/2019 at 11:07 AM, billchao said:

I'm no doctor but I would think hitting a root with a golf club would more likely result in soft tissue damage rather than a fracture.

More common yes. Funny though..a pro’s hands at impact are less likely to cause a fracture than an amateur’s. The dorsiflexed trail wrist and the straight lead wrist is a much more protective position than our wonderful reversed position at impact. The downside for pros is their considerably faster speed.

Edited October 30, 2019 by Vinsk

[Mr Puddle]

My club has a pick and place policy from October through to April. We can place the ball 6 inches either side or backwards on fairways only, and this includes competitions. When things are really bad we allow it in the rough as well. Preferred lies during the winter is the norm in the UK