Provisional if tee shot is OB/lost

[Nyper]

There are lots of people who simply don't know the rules. I don't think it's a matter of misunderstanding or being confused.. they just don't read the rules. Lots of people just play golf for the enjoyment of getting away from work and enjoying the weather or something.. and that's fine. I could care less if somebody plays by the rules as long as they keep up the pace of play and exercise proper etiquette (assuming it's not a tournament, etc).

I played several tournaments last year.. and in each tournament I was with at least one person who didn't know the proper ruling for a lost ball, out of bounds, hazards. I admit I don't know the proper ruling for every single scenario, but I do make an effort to know & learn as much as possible.

[zeg]

No, you are not allowed to repair your divot prior to drop - doing so is a penalty (I believe 2 strokes, but I'm not sure of the top of my head). The exception to this is if you hit your shot, repair divot then go to your ball only to find it's lost/OB/unplayable. If that occurs, you are not penalized upon returning to previous spot which you have already repaired. I do not agree with this rule, but I understand why you're not allowed to fix the divot. It falls under the 'improving your lie' rule. It's not as bad a rule as not being allowed to fix spike marks on green, but it's still kind of a bad rule.

I think it's a ridiculous decision that the rule about fixing your pitch mark is different whether you knew ahead that you were going to take the drop. There are other rules/decisions that specify you actually get to rebuild a similar lie or take a drop within a club length,

I don't have the citation, but eg, if someone puts a pitch mark through the green interfering with your stance, you are allowed to repair it or take a drop within a club length (not nearer, etc). The logic is that you're entitled to the lie that existed when your ball came to rest, so you get relief from the change. It seems to me that it's a violation of equity to say you have to take stroke + distance + a provisional out of a #$@#% divot. ESPECIALLY since the guy who didn't play a provisional gets the chance to improve his lie...

[Brakkus]

This is a simple issue for me.Usually off the tee it's very easy to determine here in the uk with lots of trees in my county when you have hit OB.It's the stroke and distance,if I think i'm sure i can find the ball when hitting in the fairway or off the tee,and the course is full then if I can't find my ball when I get there,instead of holding everyone up by returning to the original location I will take a 2 stroke penalty to make up for the distance gain.

[boogielicious]

I think a lot of people are just playing a casual round of golf and to keep play moving do a drop.  If we are playing in a league, then alway hit a provisional.  If we are playing a casual round and the course is crowded, then we drop.

[user9800]

I always hit a provisional just in case. I would rather hit the provisional if my ball "might" be O/B. It is so much easier and if your original ball in not O/B then just pick up the provisional and continue on.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

I think a lot of people are just playing a casual round of golf and to keep play moving do a drop.  If we are playing in a league, then alway hit a provisional.  If we are playing a casual round and the course is crowded, then we drop.

This makes the most sense. As long as the "casual round" habits don't carry over to league play, but in most leagues there are so many hardcore cheaters and sandbaggers that an honest mistake on a drop wouldn't even cause a ripple.

This past summer I had someone scold me for hitting a provisional, and since I'd taken much less club off the tee, they scolded me for playing it from the fairway before reaching where the original ball was presumed to have been potentially lost. I found the original, and when I played it, I was scolded again and called a blatant cheater. This was from the same guy who called me a cheater when I took an unplayable lie (ball in the crook of a willow tree) even though I took my drop (and my penalty stroke) about 75 yards farther away from the green (on a direct line from the flag through my original ball position). His argument was that it's your playing partner/opponent who has the final say on whether or not your ball is unplayable. What?

Some people are generally clueless and some people cheat. Some people follow the rules and are accused of being clueless cheaters.

[walk18]

His argument was that it's your playing partner/opponent who has the final say on whether or not your ball is unplayable. What?

Well that's absolutely not true at all.