2 Rules Questions: Drop & Out of Play

[DJYoshi]

I don't keep a rule book on me, and don't know them except for the basics

the other day I was playing a skins game against someone. my drive went right and was borderline out of play. 1/2 was in, and the other 1/2 was beyond the stake marking the out of bounds. He said I had to take a drop and I lost the hole with a 5 and he parred it.

was this correct?

another hole, I spanked my drive down the fairway. his bounced along the cart path and came to rest right in the MIDDLE of the cart path.
The green was about 150 out straight down the middle..so if he dropped left or right..it was no closer to the hole..
the left side was rough. the right side was fairway.
he dropped in the fairway appx 2 club lengths into the fairway which gave him this pretty lie and he got up and down for birdie.

i lost the hole hitting par and he birdied.

was his drop legal?

[sacm3bill]

1/2 was in, and the other 1/2 was beyond the stake marking the out of bounds. He said I had to take a drop and I lost the hole with a 5 and he parred it. was this correct?

Per the definition of OB: A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds. But the OB line is the *inside* part of the stakes defining it. So if at least part of the ball was inside that line, you were not OB. (But FYI, if you *had* been out of bounds you are not allowed to take a drop. You must replay the shot, so taking a drop was wrong either way.)

he dropped in the fairway appx 2 club lengths into the fairway... was his drop legal?

We'd need more information. You need to find the nearest point of relief - that is, the closest point to where the ball lies on the cart path where full relief is obtained for stance and swing, and no closer to the hole. If you're a right handed swinger and the ball is on the path on the left side of the fairway, that prob means the nearest point of relief was on the rough (left) side.

Then the drop is taken ONE club length from that point of relief. (Although that may end up being more than one club length from where the ball originally lay on the cart path.)

[DJYoshi]

Per the definition of OB: A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds. So you were not OB. (But FYI, if you *had* been out of bounds you are not allowed to take a drop. You must replay the shot, so taking a drop was wrong either way.)

he made me take a "unplayable" ball which he said it was ok to drop in bounds. He said: if any part of my ball is touching OB, it's ob. I thought the ball had to cross and rest ob. just like when people hit a ball that skips the water..if it lands in play..then it's in play...or am I wrong?

Then the drop is taken ONE club length from that point of relief. (Although that may end up being more than one club length from where the ball originally lay on the cart path.)

The left side of the cart path where the rough was...had a slight hill..so he said since he wouldn't have a flat lie...he'd be allowed to drop in the fairway since it was flat. I was under the assumption that he was to drop on the left in the rough before the hill began and not on the right side where it was the low cut fairway stuff.

[tjy355]

I don't keep a rule book on me, and don't know them except for the basics

Two thing to note here:

1) Definition of out of bounds The inside (golf course side) of stakes or lines define the boundary and to be out of bounds, ALL of the ball must be out of bounds. By your description, 1/2 the ball was in bounds, if that is the case then you were in bounds. 2) There is NO DROP for a ball out of bounds. Stroke and distance only, means you must return to the tee (or where ever you last hit the ball).

another hole, I spanked my drive down the fairway. his bounced along the cart path and came to rest right in the MIDDLE of the cart path.

A drop from a "immoveable obstruction" is allowed. The drop must be within ONE CLUB LENGTH of the NEAREST POINT OF RELIEF.

For a right handed golfer and assuming the ball lay exactly in the center of the cart path, the nearest point of relief would be to the left side of the cart path. So based on what you have described, the drop was improper. Learning the rules can save you some $$$ !

[n3xt]

Also for his ball, even if there is a hill he should drop it on the hill. Yes it would probably roll down, but after the second time he does this the correct procedure is to place the ball at the place where the ball is dropped a third time. Again, he performed a wrong drop. See Rule 20-2c

[sacm3bill]

he made me take a "unplayable" ball which he said it was ok to drop in bounds.

You cannot declare your ball unplayable when OB. Again, you must replay the shot. Only option.

He said: if any part of my ball is touching OB, it's ob.

As I stated above, that's incorrect. If any *part* of the ball is inbounds, then the ball is inbounds.

But again, it depends on where it was in relation to the stake line. OB is defined as the line defined by the *inside* of the stakes. So some part of your ball had to be inside that line for the ball to be in bounds. If your ball was directly on the line defined by the outside of the stakes, it was probably OB (unless the width of the stake was less then half the width of the ball).

The left side of the cart path where the rough was...had a slight hill..so he said since he wouldn't have a flat lie...he'd be allowed to drop in the fairway since it was flat. I was under the assumption that he was to drop on the left in the rough before the hill began and not on the right side where it was the low cut fairway stuff.

The flatness of the terrain or lack thereof has no bearing whatsover on where the drop is made.

[iacas]

Question

Bookmark

http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/books/rules.html and read it now and then. Will do you wonders. The rules can save you as many or more strokes than they'll cost you. I was behind a tree one day, right against the roots, but the tree also happened to have the 150-yard stake (which at my course aren't movable) right where I'd pitch out. Since I was so close, it affected either my stance or swing. I was able to take a drop and punch out (and did so well enough the ball rolled up onto the green). Sure, that one's a bit of luck, but it pays to know the rules. In your case today - and I don't say this with any lack of respect - it cost you not knowing the rules.