playing the ball 'up'

[CG031]

i almost always play by the rules. very few times will i do anything that's against them. maybe roll my ball in the fairway if I'm in a divot and don't have a good round going or anything. that's rare though.

being a tournament player, it's not going to do you any good if you have a good round going, and you're propping it up in the rough/fairway, or taking putts, etc.

[martytilma]

Your ball's never hit a tree and ricocheted back into the fairway?

What, get some good luck on the course, never

[tulefog]

But the "divots" thing is one that pisses me off. So what if you're in the fairway and ended up in a divot? Your ball's never hit a tree and ricocheted back into the fairway? Play the ball as it lies.

Agreed. Also, repair your divots. If everybody repaired their divots, there would be no issue.

[bplewis24]

I honestly don't care how you play the ball. My only beef is with people who take preferred lies and then talk about what they shot that round. If you play the ball "up", roll it, take preferred lies or whatever the hell else you want to call it, don't keep a score and don't talk about how many birdies or pars you had. Period.

Brandon

[drglew]

I honestly don't care how you play the ball. My only beef is with people who take preferred lies and then talk about what they shot that round. If you play the ball "up", roll it, take preferred lies or whatever the hell else you want to call it, don't keep a score and don't talk about how many birdies or pars you had. Period.

Amen, brother. If you're out there having fun or playing a practice round, that's fine. If you're planning on posting your score for handicap purposes (or boasting purposes), or if you're playing "for something", whether it's a club championship or just beers after the round, follow the rules.

[Fourputt]

I decided to stop being a tough guy about 12 years ago. You'll get there someday too!

What does playing by the rules have to do with being "tough"? It isn't that hard to play from an unrepaired divot. I can't say that I do it all the time, because it's an exceedingly rare event, much more rare than all the crying and hand wringing would have us believe. I play a LOT of golf each year, and I can count on one hand the number of times it's happened in the last 2 seasons. In more than 20 rounds so far this year I've had it happen exactly once. And I stuck the ball on the green from about 140 out. And I don't even profess to have a 6 handicap.

[Incognito]

i ONLY improve a lie if it will be detrimental to my clubs. it's not worth hitting out of gravel to save the "integrity" of my score.

[double_j]

Show me the definition of "fairway" in the Rules of Golf and I'll buy that.

Touche. That would be some interesting course design though..."Number 18 is a beautiful hole, a long par 4 protected by bunkers on the left, water on the right, and buried rocks down the middle".

I don't know, maybe I'm one of those malcontents that is more concerned with adherance to the spirit/intent of the law rather than the written words.

[bplewis24]

I wouldn't consider myself a malcontent. I'm nowhere close to a purist either, but it just seems to me like you're not playing Golf if you're rolling the ball, etc. IMO, it's like the NBA's justification of allowing traveling: if it's breaking the rules, it's not the same game.

If it's just a casual thing for you while you're out working on your game or just trying to enjoy yourself, I understand that. But if you're taking your game seriously, I don't see any room for it.

Brandon

[James_Black]

i ONLY improve a lie if it will be detrimental to my clubs. it's not worth hitting out of gravel to save the "integrity" of my score.

then take a penalty and move the ball?

if you were in a tournament what would you do?

[double_j]

I wouldn't consider myself a malcontent. I'm nowhere close to a purist either, but it just seems to me like you're not playing Golf if you're rolling the ball, etc. IMO, it's like the NBA's justification of allowing traveling: if it's breaking the rules, it's not the same game.

Absolutely - just to reiterate, one of the few conditions in which I will roll my ball is if I'm in what's supposed to be a 'favorable' lie (e.g., fairway), and I find that there are rocks buried where they will obviously damage my club with a full swing. I do not take relief from unrepaired divots or other bad luck on the course, especially if my previous shot put me in a predicament where I was meant to be penalized. Generally, I'd guess I have to think about rolling my ball once every 4 or 5 rounds.

That said, I realize that this practice is totally unacceptable for serious (e.g., tournament) play and would never touch the ball outside of the written rules in that circumstance. It just so happens that most of my rounds/matches are casual with friends.

[Bump-n-MI]

I only improve my lie if I have a bad one













Um, no. Play the ball down (period), your conscious will thank you and so will your wallet…………………..with-that-said, vanity cappers are welcome in my group anytime .
Those that "almost always" play the ball down "almost" have an accurate handicap.

[Shanks A Million]

I can't even remember a time when I've actually moved the ball, even in the fairway, even in wet conditions. I've moved it for ground under repair, of course, and I've moved in on the green when a huge chunk of the green was absolutely dead and like a dog's mange, but that's it.

Well actually, I have topped it out of a bad lie, which then left it in a better lie... does that count?

[Kieran123]

I only move it when it will damage my club. I played in the Dominican in February and the bunkers were pretty much gravel ( don't know why, beach was about 400 yards away ). Some are like that here in Calgary too.

I take the drop and play from somewhere in the sand that is actual sand, or further back on the grass if that isn't possible.

[Devo]

I like to keep a proper handicap, which means I play it down. I don't care if someone chooses to 'fluff' their lie, or pull a ball out of a divot when they are playing on their own (no money on the line, no tournament, not going to post score towards handicap) just as long as they understand what they are doing is technically wrong and shouldn't be done in 'real' conditions.

[popeyegolfer]

The pros do play lift clean place in certain circumstances. When it rains a lot they usually play this. When this is in effect even if their ball doesn't get muddy or plugged I still see them lift clean and place it anyway. Also when there are badly damaged areas on the course I have seen them marked and when their ball ends up in this spot they get a free drop. I have seen this in some tournaments in the middle of fairways. Obviously this does not happen often because a lot of time and money is put into making the course nice for them. I don't see how it is any different when someone on this forum hits a perfect drive into a badly damaged fairway and you get mad at them for putting it in a nice spot in the fairway. The only difference is there isn't someone going out and specifically marking the spot, but it is essentially the same. Just my opinion because the pro's don't always play the ball down all the time. The pro's are my diva's than anybody here. They are always asking for rulings to try and improve their lies when they are in tough spots.

[Fourputt]

The pros do play lift clean place in certain circumstances. When it rains a lot they usually play this. When this is in effect even if their ball doesn't get muddy or plugged I still see them lift clean and place it anyway. Also when there are badly damaged areas on the course I have seen them marked and when their ball ends up in this spot they get a free drop. I have seen this in some tournaments in the middle of fairways. Obviously this does not happen often because a lot of time and money is put into making the course nice for them. I don't see how it is any different when someone on this forum hits a perfect drive into a badly damaged fairway and you get mad at them for putting it in a nice spot in the fairway. The only difference is there isn't someone going out and specifically marking the spot, but it is essentially the same. Just my opinion because the pro's don't always play the ball down all the time. The pro's are my diva's than anybody here. They are always asking for rulings to try and improve their lies when they are in tough spots.

But the pros still play by the Rules of Golf. If they are getting to lift clean and place, then it's because the

preferred lies local rule has been invoked by the committee for that round. This is a local rule that has been approved for use by the USGA when conditions are so bad that it's warranted. They aren't making that decision by themselves just because they think that they got a bad deal. The only time they get relief is when the rules say that they do, not just because they're in a "tough spot". Granted that they have the luxury of calling a rules official over to help them determine if relief is allowed, but if you know the rules yourself, you shouldn't need someone to tell you these things. But all of that aside, the pros play the ball as it lies 99% of the time, as should all who play the game as it's intended to be played.

[BallStriker]

I just love the self-righteousness going on in this thread........if you aren't playing in a tournament or for money, where does ANYONE get off telling someone else how they should play their game?

I understand there are some competitive people out there, but if you aren't playing against others and trying to make a living at this game (i.e. pro golfer), lighten the FU*K up....seriously.