Mark your ball, ID your ball.

[Fat Slice]

OK, most people do this all the time. Still, there are times when it might get past you. Here's one of them...

Match play finals last Sunday. 8th hole, it's all square. My drive on a short par 4 goes wide right and I cannot see the flagstick. Shooting blind, I pop up what looks to be a good shot. As I walk up, another player (in our foursome, but not my opponent) tells me 'Great shot, you're just off the fringe about pin high.' I walk over and that same guy is taking his chip shot from not-too-far-away from me. He chips on and I see my ball is a little down in the rough. I take some practice swings and drop it on the green. When I go to mark it, I see that it's NOT my ball...it's the other guy's ball. He chipped MY ball first onto the green.

I call a penalty on myself, immediate loss of match play hole, then move MY ball back to where HE hit it from, take a 2-stroke penalty, and go up and down for a double bogey (instead of a par). My opponent was on in 4 and made his putt for a bogey.

So, instead of being up 1, I am down 1. A 2-hole swing.

Always mark and ID your ball!!!

(Luckily, I won the match 2 and 1 and won't have to kick myself for a whole year...)

[goblue107501]

I will always put some sort of mark on the ball. The best thing to do is to show your playing partners what your mark is so that they will know if they see it. Even when I am just goofing off and using old balls I will put an 'X' over the logo with a Sharpie just so I know it is mine and I don't have to worry about the make and number.

[lobsterzilla]

He chipped MY ball first onto the green.

wouldn't he also incur the same penalty, or be the one to suffer it period ... ?

[Fat Slice]

Yes, he should have replaced and taken a 2-stroke penalty. He was not involved in match play so there was no hole to win or lose for him, just strokes. I didn't even pay attention to what he did as I was focused (although, clearly, not enough!!!) on my own game.

To make it clear, the fault is 100% mine. It's MY responsibility to check to make sure I am playing my ball - always! Still, that guy was ticking me off. I looked for a ball in the Savannah grass and could not find it. We have a tournament rule (lateral drop, 1 stroke penalty) if you cannot find the ball. My partner was trying desperately to find my ball and could not either. Then, this numbskull, who had been TOLD *not* to look for the ball, somehow finds it buried at the bottom of a grass mound. I mean, I could barely see a flicker of white (and my mark). Thanks a lot, pal....hack hack hack. Only later did I realize I could (under those rules) have taken a drop even if my ball was found. There was some confusion over whether it would be treated like an 'unplayable' or if I could take a lateral drop. That argument is still going on. Add to the list: make sure all rules are articulated in writing, down to the last reasonable detail.

[MiniMoe]

you always have the right to identify your ball... now, even in a hazard. You just have to make sure you notify those you are playing with or your opponent as to your intentions.

You want to know the bad part of whole hitting the wrong ball situation? If someone hits your ball and you don't notice it, or the other guys does not fess up, then after 5 minutes, you have a lost ball and you have to take the stroke and distance penalty. It does not happen all that often, but it has happened.

[I <3 Titleist]

I just play Srixon. lol

Not only will they not accidentally play it, but they won't even be able to pronounce it.

[Saint]

I mark mine with a red and blue cross. Looks good and no one uses it.

[Big_M]

I have NEVER seen anyone put blue (41)'s next to the factory number as I do to mark my balls.

[Dub]

This is a great thread topic.

I make it a point to always mark mine. Most all of my golf is simply casual stroke play...however most of us are playing the same brand and type of ball.

Bought 3 dozen new balls last week and marked them while watching a ho-hum NFL game. Nothing elaborate....just a red dot by the number on both sides of the ball. I keep a spare sharpie in my bag if additional marking is needed.

[lumpuckeroo]

This is a great thread topic.

First thing I do when I buy new balls is mark them, 3 blue dots under the number. Lately I have been playing TaylorMade TP Red's with a number 58 that helps some also.

Kind of anal, but usually at the begining of the season I buy 4 dozen balls, put all the 4's in one box, 3's, 2's 1's. Start playing with the 4's, that way I will play awhile with the same number so it makes it easier for me to know, for sure, what number I was playing.

[Fourputt]

OK, most people do this all the time.

The trouble is that far too many players DON'T do this all the time. I know guys who don't even bother with it for tournament play, and I find that to be quite risky.

A fellow competitor says "I'm playing a Pro V1x number 3". How many other competitors are playing Pro V1x (in my club at least 30% of the field), and how many of those balls are a number 3? How can he ever be certain that he has his own ball when playing from deep rough, or any other situation where he didn't see the ball come to rest? Why wouldn't a player take the time to put a distinguishing mark on his ball just to ensure a quick and certain identification? I use my initials "RP" above the logo on one side and below the logo on the opposite side. I've gotten so used to playing a ball with that ID on it that I feel funny hitting a ball without it. Even when I'm the only player in sight, I'll still mark my ball for identification... it may seem a bit extreme, but it's just what I've gotten used to.

[Yukari]

Regardless of whether it is a casual round or a tournament play, I always mark mine with three green dots near the logo and the number. And during a tournament play, I always inform my playing group how my golf ball is marked on the first tee.

I am always perplexed why majority of the people don't mark their ball.

[pxc]

I like things to look shiny and new so I don't like marking my ball but I do it. My daughter's name is Evelyn, we call her "Evie", so I just put the letters "EV" somewhere on the ball.

What is the rule about moving the ball around to identify the ball you think is yours? IE sometimes I'll come up on a ball that only has a patch of nondescript white showing, and to see what type it is I'd have to move it around or at least disturb the surrounding grass.

[rebby]

I have NEVER seen anyone put

I've never seen any marked like mine either. I mark mine in one of 2 ways...

- 4 dots (purple, yellow, green, blue) on 2 "sides" of the ball (where it says B330-S and opposite side). - 4 dots (purple, yellow, green, blue) on 1 "side" of the ball (where it says B330-S) and "rebby.com" in script on the other side. This way I can ALWAYS see at least one of my marks unless the ball is totally buried (in which case, there is a rule that will allow me to ID my ball, w/my marks very little "material" needs to be moved). Furthermore, it's going to be very difficult for anybody else in the group to claim one of my golf balls as their own. It takes time to "dot" the golf balls so I usually do this while I have time to kill (ie: watching TV).

[goblue107501]

One other thought is to find out what mark/ball your playing partners are using. It helps when you are looking for a ball so you know what you are looking for. It also prevents them from claiming something that isn't theirs just because a ball was found (it happens quite a bit).

[zeg]

What is the rule about moving the ball around to identify the ball you think is yours? IE sometimes I'll come up on a ball that only has a patch of nondescript white showing, and to see what type it is I'd have to move it around or at least disturb the surrounding grass.

You're allowed to do this, but IIRC you must notify your opponent (or fellow competitors I guess) and allow them to watch if they so desire. After it's identified, you need to put it back as you found it.

[Fourputt]

I like things to look shiny and new so I don't like marking my ball but I do it. My daughter's name is Evelyn, we call her "Evie", so I just put the letters "EV" somewhere on the ball.

Notify your fellow competitor as to your intentions, then mark the location, lift the ball, identify it, and then replace it. Do NOT clean it except as much as is absolutely necessary to see the ID mark.

[iacas]

You're allowed to do this, but IIRC you must notify your opponent (or fellow competitors I guess) and allow them to watch if they so desire. After it's identified, you need to put it back as you found it.

Plus, I'll go down on my knees and squat and look all around to see if I can identify the ball without moving it. I do everything I can to avoid having to touch the ball in order to identify it.