Golf Rules Question!!!

[804golfer]

Lets just say for example I hit my tee shot into the woods. To conform to USGA rules, do i take a 1 stroke penalty and play the ball from where it went into the woods or do i take a 1 stroke penalty and rehit the tee shot?

Also can someone explain water hazards and drop areas

[kafka01]

If you hit it in the woods and it is NOT out of bounds you have 3 options:
- Find the ball and play it as it lays
- Find the ball and declare it unplayable and drop it straight back to the flag as far as you want or within - 2 i think - clublengths not nearer to the pin
- Declare the ball unplayable and rehit it the shot from where you where

If you hit the shot in the woods OOB you only can use the last option.

You cant treat woods like a water hazard and drop one from where it might went into the woods if you dont find it anymore - then its a lost ball and you have to hit a provisonal from your original position.

[804golfer]

so if you hit it into the woods and you find the ball you can take a 1 stroke penalty and a drop from where it went out

and if you cannot find the ball you have to take a stroke penalty and play with your provisional golf ball

is this correct?

[iacas]

- Find the ball and play it as it lays

And if you can't find your ball, yeah, you have to re-hit from the tee again. You're hitting your third shot at that point. It's a "lost ball."

An unplayable ball is a different situation. You have to be able to find your ball to declare it unplayable (but if you do find it, yeah, you can go the unplayable route).

[804golfer]

what if you hit your first ball in the woods and your provisional in the woods and you probably cant find either one of them

do you take another provisional from the tee and play that ball where it lands as your fifth shot

[Craig Mac]

what if you hit your first ball in the woods and your provisional in the woods and you probably cant find either one of them

yes, that is correct, see rule 27-2

http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/pdf/2008ROG.pdf

[Harry Longshanks]

Always hit another provisional if you suspect the last ball you hit is lost or OB (out of bounds). Do it

before you leave the area to look for your balls. Just because the ball is in the woods does not mean you have to take a penalty stroke - unless the ball has gone OB, in which case you must re-hit the ball from the last position and take a penalty (i.e. "Stroke and Distance" penalty). You can always play the ball from the woods. Or you can declare your ball unplayable under Rule 28 and take relief as allowed in a, b, or c below:

Definitions All defined terms are in italics and are listed alphabetically in the Definitions section. The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable. If the player deems his ball to be unplayable, he must, under penalty of one stroke: a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped; or c. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole. If the unplayable ball is in a bunker, the player may proceed under Clause a, b or c. If he elects to proceed under Clause b or c, a ball must be dropped in the bunker. When proceeding under this Rule, the player may lift and clean his ball or substitute a ball.

[martin00015]

so if you hit it into the woods and you find the ball you can take a 1 stroke penalty and a drop from where it went out

I'm not sure what you mean by 'where it went out', but it doesn't sound right.

If you are deeming your ball unplayable and choosing not to return to the tee, then either you drop the ball within 2 club lengths of where it is laying, not nearer the hole (rule 28c), or you take a line from the flag, through the spot where the ball was lying and drop the ball back on that line as far as you like (rule 28b). The first option is unlikely to get you out of the woods, while the second may if you can go back far enough but the woods will always stand between you and the green.

[sacm3bill]

Everything depends on how "the woods", or the area the ball ended up in, was marked. Allow me to summarize the options:

Unmarked: 1) Play as lies. 2) Declare unplayable and a) retee, b) drop within 2 club lengths no nearer to hole, or c) drop on a line back from the pin.

Marked as OB: Retee is only option.

Marked as lateral hazard: 1) Play as lies. 2) Declare unplayable, with option a, b , or c as above. 3) Use lateral hazard options of a)reteeing, b) take a drop within 2 club lengths of where it last crossed the hazard line no nearer the hole, c) take a drop on a line back from where it last crossed the hazard line, d) take a drop on the other side of the hazard from where the ball crossed, equidistant from the hole, within 2 club lengths of that point, no nearer the hole.

Marked as water hazard: 1) Play as lies. 2) Use water hazard options of either a)reteeing, or b) take a drop on a line back from where it last crossed the hazard line.

Rules gurus, do I have that correct?

[madcityscott]

You can also hit a provisional and declare the first ball lost, with or without actually searching for it (unless the rule book I have is outdated.) So you could hit your second ball beautifully and just decide that it's worth the penalty stroke to not search for the first one. Seems like it's not in keeping with the spirit of the rules, but good to know.

[sacm3bill]

True, you can simply not look for the ball, but technically you can't "declare" it lost - you can't stop competitors, officials, or even spectators from looking for it, and if anyone finds it within the 5 minutes allowed, it is in play. If you didn't want to use it at that point, you would need to then declare it unplayable, and either take the drop or go back to the tee.

[iacas]

Unmarked:

You left out if the ball was lost, but yeah, that's fine if you find the ball.

Marked as lateral hazard:

You cannot declare your ball unplayable in a lateral (water) hazard.

You can also hit a provisional and declare the first ball lost

No, you can't. You can hit declare the first ball unplayable and hit your third shot from the tee immediately, but you can't declare it lost.

In such a situation everyone should hit a provisional IN CASE the original ball is lost, but you have to state the reason why. Also, you can't say "I'm hitting a provisional in case the original ball is lost OR I declare it unplayable."

If you didn't want to use it at that point, you would need to then declare it unplayable, and either take the drop or go back to the tee.

Right. Which is why you can't do "OR" thing I mentioned above.

[sacm3bill]

You left out if the ball was lost, but yeah, that's fine if you find the ball.

True, I assumed we were talking about a found ball.

You cannot declare your ball unplayable in a lateral (water) hazard.

As you know, lateral and water are two different hazards, with different rules applying to each. Given that, I've always assumed this wording, from Rule 28:

"The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard." ...means you *can* declare it unplayable in a lateral hazard. Is there a specific decision or rule that contradicts that?

[Alex B]

"The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard."

I think there is. The Rules of Golf define a lateral water hazard as "

a water hazard or that part of a water hazard so situated that it is not possible or is deemed by the Committee to be impracticable to drop a ball behind the water hazard in accordance with Rule 26-1b. " I interpreted this to mean that a lateral water hazard is a subset, or a specific type, of a water hazard. Under my interpretation, therefore, the "water hazard" mentioned in the rule you quoted includes both lateral and regular water hazards. Remember, however, I could be wrong.

[sacm3bill]

Aha... That sounds correct.

[iacas]

Aha... That sounds correct.

So far as I know, it is. In other words, there's no such thing as a lateral non-water hazard.

[Harry Longshanks]

Isn't "lateral hazard" vs. "ball unplayable" kind of a moot point, in that the relief available for a lateral hazard encompasses the relief available for an unplayable ball? (Except for the point from which the 2 club lengths are measured, in which case, the lateral water hazard provides more complete relief anyway.)

[iacas]

Isn't "lateral hazard" vs. "ball unplayable" kind of a moot point, in that the relief available for a lateral hazard encompasses the relief available for an unplayable ball? (Except for the point from which the 2 club lengths are measured, in which case, the lateral water hazard provides more complete relief anyway.)

Well, those two club lengths matter, don't they? Since it's from the place the ball last crossed the hazard line, it could also severely affect the distance you are away as well, and the line "away from the hole" too.

So yeah, not so moot.