I Broke 100 . . .Maybe

[LaPuzza]

I need a ruling here. I was playing today and wasn't really expecting a good score. Lots of par puts missed, etc.

Last hole, I put my second shot over and left of the green and, once I get up there, I'm sure I hit it ob into the parking lot area or a vacant lot. I was too lazy to go re-hit, so I dropped around where my ball went out. I chipped on and 3 putted. I scored it an 8, taking the penalty for the OB and assuming that I would have have hit my re-hit 4th stroke to where I dropped. I put an 8 on the card.

With that 8, it turns out I shot a 97 on the day. Can I claim that I broke 100, or is that too big an asterisk to count it?

[Shindig]

I need a ruling here. I was playing today and wasn't really expecting a good score. Lots of par puts missed, etc.

I have to admit, I don't mind if people with handicaps over 30 treat O.B. as a lateral hazard. I can't make the decision for you. Regardless of other considerations, though, you must admit that today's round is strong evidence that you are capable of breaking 100 . So even if you don't count it, that's fine. (Also, the fact that you weren't expecting a good score is a good sign - it means you were out playing golf, not thinking about numbers.) Let me tell you about the first time I got around the course in 89 strokes, but didn't break 90. Maybe what I did will help you with your situation. On the second hole, I pulled my approach shot into a bunker and was short sided. I tried to get too cute with the bunker shot, and ended up leaving the ball in the bunker. I did what I normally do after a bad shot: I take a practice swing. And oops, I hit the sand with the club - while my ball was in the bunker. I somehow managed an up and down from there for a triple bogey: five hitting of the ball (tee shot, approach, sand 1, sand 2, putt) and two penalty strokes for grounding my club in a hazard that contained my ball. Wouldn't you know it? I go and shoot a 91 that day. I took the round as evidence that I COULD break 90, even if I didn't do it that day, and a few weeks later, I found myself with an 87. In short, I don't think it's too big an asterisk for a casual round this early in your golfing career. Just don't try that in a tournament.

[B-Con]

First, I'm not sure you scored that correctly. Assuming you did tee-off to where you dropped you should have:

1st drive + OB penalty + 2nd drive + chip + 3 putts = 7.

Assuming you'd gone back and re-hit, even if you OB'd the second tee-off and only hit the fairway on the third try, you'd still have only increased your score by 2.

So, how often did you hit par 3 fairways in the previous 17? (I'm guessing it was a par 3 since you overdrove the green.) If you think it's very probably you'd have hit the fairway in 3 tries, then I'd say you can say you broke 100.

Debating your exact score may be different, but I would think you can count it as breaking 100. Congrats.

[LaPuzza]

First, I'm not sure you scored that correctly. Assuming you did tee-off to where you dropped you should have:

Let me clarify - I was tired when I wrote the last one. Par 4. Drive was in bounds, second shot went OB, I "pretended" that I hit my 4th stroke (including OB penalty) to the drop point. 5 on, 6 and 7 missed putts, 8 in the hole. I'm confident in posting my score on my handicap, because I believe I provided the evidence for the most likely what-I-would-have-scored standard. Besides, ESC would have made me stop counting at 9 strokes anyway. Yesterday I was excited but worried, in a game of honor, about bragging up something questionable. Today, I'm just excited to get out there and do it again, without the question mark.

[pittpanther]

Let me clarify - I was tired when I wrote the last one. Par 4. Drive was in bounds, second shot went OB, I "pretended" that I hit my 4th stroke (including OB penalty) to the drop point. 5 on, 6 and 7 missed putts, 8 in the hole.

As a high-handicapper, what you did was all good. In fact, giving yourself the 2-stroke penalty may very well be worse than stroke & distance. After all, had you gone back and hit that approach shot again, you may very well have chosen a different club and gotten much closer to the hole. A six would have been a possibility, instead of your resultant snowman.

[Dominic]

You did the perfect thing without re-teeing. Whenever I play with my friends they think that they take a one stroke penalty, and then i say so you hit your drive way up there? I would count that for a casual round.

[Zeph]

If we use the ESC, would he not be under 100 anyways?

You did break the rules, it's not allowed to take a drop from a ball going OB, no doubt about that. Then you'd be playing on an "illegal ball" for the rest of the hole, so I'd say you'd have to use the ESC. If your course handicap is 30 through 39, you'd have to post 9 shots. If it was 20 through 29, you'd post an 8. I doubt it's as high as 40, but if so, it would be a 10.

Seeing as you posted a 97, with writing 8 on that hole, you'd never get any higher than 99, using the ESC. So yes, I'd say you broke 100.

I'm not used to using ESC, don't use it in Norway, so if anyone could confirm it or correct me, I'd aprechiate it.

[chriskzoo]

To be honest, for casual play, I think just dropping and playing it like a lateral hazard with a 1-stroke penalty is fine. There are so many advantages the pros have with people looking for balls, etc. that amateurs have to just take a lost call on that OB stroke and distance should really only be a pro/tournament rule.

[golfaddiction]

To be honest, for casual play, I think just dropping and playing it like a lateral hazard with a 1-stroke penalty is fine. There are so many advantages the pros have with people looking for balls, etc. that amateurs have to just take a lost call on that OB stroke and distance should really only be a pro/tournament rule.

Imagine the horror at a public course if you were waiting on the tee box while the group ahead of looked for a ball, only to have one of them come back to the tee to re-hit.

I remember a professional (forget who) was asked if he had any problems with the rules of golf, and he said he didn't understand why you couldn't treat OB as a lateral hazard and take a drop.

[$2 Nassau]

I think you're good and wouldn't sweat it. Plus, you shot 97, not like you were at 99.

If you went back to rehit- now you're hitting 4. Let's say you miss the green, chip on and then 3 putt again that would still give you an 8. You could have carded a 10 and still broke 100.

Congrats.

[David in FL]

If we use the ESC, would he not be under 100 anyways?

ESC has nothing to do with how many strokes you can take on an individual hole, nor on your score for the full round. It

only limits how many strokes you can post for handicap reporting purposes only. The fact that someone is only allowed to post a 96 due to ESC, in no way changes the fact that they actually shot a 102 as an example.

[Iowa Hawkeye]

What you did was fine if you just play for fun and not for anything official, as I see it. Drive (1) OB (2) PS (3) "replay"/drop (4) Chip (5) 3Putt (6,7,8), correct? You still broke 100 for the round, dont let one little thing ruin that for you. Good job.

[iacas]

Imagine the horror at a public course if you were waiting on the tee box while the group ahead of looked for a ball, only to have one of them come back to the tee to re-hit.

That's why they have the option for provisionals. Do we really need to have this conversation again?

I remember a professional (forget who) was asked if he had any problems with the rules of golf, and he said he didn't understand why you couldn't treat OB as a lateral hazard and take a drop.

Because it's not a lateral hazard. It's out of bounds, which carries a stiffer penalty.

[LaPuzza]

If I had it all to do over again, of course, I'd have hit a provisional. I didn't know that the course parking lot juted out so far, and it didn't cross my mind - very uphill 18th hole. Between the fact that my playing partner had his day go to hell and he just wanted to get in the clubhouse (he chipped and putted out while I was looking for my ball) and the fact that I figured I was having a horrible day anyway, I didn't do the smart thing and rehit.

I tried to "simulate" what would have happened if I had played out. What I did was designed to produce a reasonable worst-case so I could put a number on a card and report it for my handicap. I would have rehit, I think I would have put it on or close with my 4th, leaving me with a 6 or 7.

The moral of the story, I guess, is not to get lazy when it comes to the rules. I'm guessing I'm going to suffer a horrible accident, never golf again, and bore my grandkids with the story of "did I ever tell you about the last time I played golf and almost broke 100?"

[golfaddiction]

If I had it all to do over again, of course, I'd have hit a provisional. I didn't know that the course parking lot juted out so far, and it didn't cross my mind - very uphill 18th hole. Between the fact that my playing partner had his day go to hell and he just wanted to get in the clubhouse (he chipped and putted out while I was looking for my ball) and the fact that I figured I was having a horrible day anyway, I didn't do the smart thing and rehit.

From the rulebook: PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1 (Stroke and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes):

Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes. Maybe someone could clarify whether the breach of rule penalty applies in this case, but if you tack on another 2 strokes you're still at 99!

[iWALK18]

If I had it all to do over again, of course, I'd have hit a provisional. I didn't know that the course parking lot juted out so far, and it didn't cross my mind - very uphill 18th hole. Between the fact that my playing partner had his day go to hell and he just wanted to get in the clubhouse (he chipped and putted out while I was looking for my ball) and the fact that I figured I was having a horrible day anyway, I didn't do the smart thing and rehit.

You did the right thing, given the situation. You have my full permission to say you broke 100.

[LaPuzza]

From the rulebook: PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1 (Stroke and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes):

By the rules I think I'm peanlized for playing a wrong ball, and because I absolutely knew it was a wrong ball, DQ'd for serious willful breach of the rules. I guess I should instead say that I had an 89 on the card going into the 18th and got DQ'd. That might be more accurate and more impressive.

[David in FL]

I need a ruling here. I was playing today and wasn't really expecting a good score. Lots of par puts missed, etc.

First of all, you can decide for yourself whether you broke 100 or not. A lot of people ignore a large majority of the rules every day, don't lose sleep at night and still celebrate individual milestones as they occur. Although it was a loooooong time ago, I suspect that the first time I "broke 100", my round wasn't in perfect compliance with the rules. So all I'm going to do is to use the scenario as an exercise in rules interpretation as best I can given the circumstances you describe. If my ruling is incorrect, I welcome correction from anyone more knowlegeable than I am. Here goes....... Since you never found your ball, it should have been deemed "lost" as defined under Section 2. As you know, you should have taken your stroke and distance penalty as required by 27-1. Decision 27-1/3 specifically addresses the situation as follows: Q. A player, unable to find his ball, drops another ball in the area where his original ball was lost and plays that ball. What is the ruling? A. In stroke play, the player incurs the stroke-and-distance penalty prescribed by Rule 27-1 and an additional penalty of two strokes for a breach of that Rule. If the breach was a serious one, he must rectify the error as provided in the second paragraph of Rule 20-7c; otherwise, he is disqualified. By violating rule 27-1 you incur the 2 stroke penalty and are still required to rectify your error by taking the original stroke-and-distance penalty. By failing to do both, IMHO you clearly commit a serious breach of the rules and as a result, your round would be disqualified. Rules officials.......did I go wrong anywhere? Again, no real comment one way or another on your milestone.....that's up to you. Simply an exercise in rules interpretation from my perspective.