Hit Toward Tee Box

[Hohjoe]

Monday, I had a terrible lie. The ball was on the slide of a slope facing a pond, 15-20 yards from the pond and I had to hit the ball 50 yards or so just to clear the pond and some trees. I couldn’t hit forward or sideways to get a better lie because of the slope\hill I was on.

So, is it allowable that I could hit the ball back towards the Tee box for a better lie, take the stroke and then hit over the pond?

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Hohjoe said:

Monday, I had a terrible lie. The ball was on the slide of a slope facing a pond, 15-20 yards from the pond and I had to hit the ball 50 yards or so just to clear the pond and some trees. I couldn’t hit forward or sideways to get a better lie because of the slope\hill I was on.

So, is it allowable that I could hit the ball back towards the Tee box for a better lie, take the stroke and then hit over the pond?

Stroke and distance is just where you played your last shot from so I’m not sure what you mean here.

If you hit a shot regardless of direction, S&D is replying it… from roughly the same place with the awkward lie.

If that was your tee shot you could re-tee and hit your third.

[klineka]

53 minutes ago, Hohjoe said:

So, is it allowable that I could hit the ball back towards the Tee box for a better lie, take the stroke and then hit over the pond?

What do you mean by "take the stroke"? 

If your tee shot put you in the position you described, then just hit backwards for your 2nd shot, and hit your 3rd shot over the pond. 

No need to "take the stroke" which assumes you're talking about adding a penalty shot onto that.

Why wouldn't you be allowed to hit towards the tee box? If you hit the ball over the green, your shot back onto the green is also going to be hitting "towards the tee box" so why wouldn't you be able to do so in order to get out of trouble?

[Hohjoe]

46 minutes ago, iacas said:

Stroke and distance is just where you played your last shot from so I’m not sure what you mean here.

If you hit a shot regardless of direction, S&D is replying it… from roughly the same place with the awkward lie.

If that was your tee shot you could re-tee and hit your third.

It was my third shot on a par 4, I had already hit the ball twice.

I'm asking if it is against the rules to hit the ball away from the green and back toward the tee box for a better lie and then hit toward the green. Can I hit in the direct opposite direction of the green? I realize the stroke counts.

[klineka]

1 minute ago, Hohjoe said:

I'm asking if it is against the rules to hit the ball away from the green and back toward the tee box for a better lie and then hit toward the green. Can I hit in the direct opposite direction of the green? I realize the stroke counts.

There is no penalty for punching out sideways like 90 degrees into the fairway so why would there be a penalty for hitting backwards?

[Hohjoe]

2 minutes ago, klineka said:

What do you mean by "take the stroke"? 

If your tee shot put you in the position you described, then just hit backwards for your 2nd shot, and hit your 3rd shot over the pond. 

No need to "take the stroke" which assumes you're talking about adding a penalty shot onto that.

Why wouldn't you be allowed to hit towards the tee box? If you hit the ball over the green, your shot back onto the green is also going to be hitting "towards the tee box" so why wouldn't you be able to do so in order to get out of trouble?

I counted the hit as a stroke. I didn't take a penalty.

I wasn't over the green and was in the fairway, so I wasn't sure if I could hit back toward the tee box from the fairway. I don't know why I wouldn't be allowed to hit toward the tee box, I'm asking if it is a rule violation to hit back toward the green from the fairway.

[klineka]

You're allowed to hit backwards when against the lip of a fairway bunker, why wouldn't you be allowed to do it just because you're in the fairway?

[Hohjoe]

2 minutes ago, klineka said:

There is no penalty for punching out sideways like 90 degrees into the fairway so why would there be a penalty for hitting backwards?

I have no idea why there would be a penalty for hitting it backwards. I don't know all, or probably, most of the rules and I'm simply asking if the ball can be hit backwards towards the tee box from the fairway, yes or no.

[Zippo]

10 minutes ago, Hohjoe said:

I have no idea why there would be a penalty for hitting it backwards. I don't know all, or probably, most of the rules and I'm simply asking if the ball can be hit backwards towards the tee box from the fairway, yes or no.

The answer, as I'm sure you know now, is "yes". It's just another stroke so if you were laying 2, after hitting backwards, you'd be laying three. And away you go.

[Hohjoe]

43 minutes ago, Zippo said:

The answer, as I'm sure you know now, is "yes". It's just another stroke so if you were laying 2, after hitting backwards, you'd be laying three. And away you go.

Thank you.

 

[iacas]

The rules of golf don’t really care what direction you hit the ball.

I misread your original post in thinking you were asking about a stroke and distance penalty, but I see now you were just asking if it was a penalty or allowed, and of course it is allowed.

[Vinsk]

If hitting the ball in the wrong direction was a penalty, I’d never break 100.