Fall Leaves / Lost Golf Ball Question

[nevets88]

You try to find a used version of this: http://www.radargolf.com/

Slather your ball in bacon grease and bring your dog? IT's BACONNN!!

[sacm3bill]

..and the round is still 100% postable for handicap, as long as you don't do this (or similar) on more than 5 holes, since you are permitted to estimate your score for a hole you did not complete according to the RoG.

That's incorrect:

A player who starts, but does not complete a hole or is conceded a stroke must record for handicap purposes the most likely score...

What you may be thinking of is, you need to have at least *started* 13 holes in order to post an 18-hole score.

[Shorty]

If you are going to keep score, you should follow the rules as much as practical.

I'm not sure where the "as much as practical" bit comes in.

If you can't follow the rules, for whatever reason, it becomes a practice round. You don't have a score. As for estimating scores on holes you don't finish, that's just ridiculous. Even if it's permissable under your handicapping system, it might explain why so many "12" markers ask questions and tell stories that one would expect a rank beginner to. Like creating a thread to say how "cool" backspin" looks, or to ask which is the "longest" driver. How can anyone in good conscience say they had x when they didn't play 18 holes? God... if I could "estimate" scores I'd be a whole lot better.

[sacm3bill]

As for estimating scores on holes you don't finish, that's just ridiculous... How can anyone in good conscience say they had x when they didn't play 18 holes? God... if I could "estimate" scores I'd be a whole lot better.

I don't think you understand the purpose or application of the "estimated score" procedure. Surely you realize that if someone wanted to falsify their handicap, they could do so without using the estimated score rule - the rule assumes the premise that the people keeping a handicap wish to do so accurately, just as any other USGA handicapping rule/policy also assumes.

The actual definition of the estimated score is the score you'd expect to get more than 50% of the time, if you were to hole out a ball that's already in play. I think most people have an accurate enough assessment of their own game to be able to estimate that within a margin of error that couldn't possibly incorrectly skew their handicap very far in one direction or the other. It certainly makes someone's handicap much more accurate than it would be if they entered no score at all for the entire round, simply because they didn't play all 18 holes to their completion for whatever reason. And no one is saying "I shot X" if they have any estimated holes. It's just what they enter for handicapping purposes.

[alf174]

That's only if you smack it into the trees though.

A typical Michigan golf course fairway in the fall. You tell me you can find a yellow ball in that mess lol.

[James_Black]

A typical Michigan golf course fairway in the fall. You tell me you can find a yellow ball in that mess lol.

lol, fair enough.

[Ignorant]

A typical Michigan golf course fairway in the fall. You tell me you can find a yellow ball in that mess lol.

If that grass is cut to fairway height I wonder what the rough looks like....

One good reason more NOT to golf in Michigan

[Alley Cat]

A typical Michigan golf course fairway in the fall. You tell me you can find a yellow ball in that mess lol.

This is the image that popped into my head when reading the yellow ball suggestion... LOL

[alf174]

If that grass is cut to fairway height I wonder what the rough looks like....

Your screen name is spot on when it comes to Michigan. There is a reason why Michigan has 800 golf courses, 700 of which are public.

(ps, no its example of the leaves not the fairway)

[Fourputt]

I'm not sure where the "as much as practical" bit comes in.

How about a little understanding here. Yes you can have a score for handicap as long as at least 13 of 18 holes were finished. You can have an estimated score for a hole where you picked up. The USGA handicap manual tells us to mark the score which we would most likely have made had we finished play from the point where we picked up the ball. This is so that scores for match play can still be returned for handicap, but it also applies to casual rounds where the scores are returned. If this is done for a couple of holes here and there, and if the player is honest in his estimate, then it won't have any real impact on his handicap.

If I'm on the green 15 feet from the hole in 3 when my opponent holes his 3rd shot, and then I pick up, I would give myself a 5 because I'm unlikely to do worse than 2 putt from that point. Certainly it's possible that I might hole the putt for a 4, but my likeliest score would be 5. Taking a 2 stroke penalty for a lost ball is a similar "estimate".

[zeg]

What you may be thinking of is, you need to have at least *started* 13 holes in order to post an 18-hole score.

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction.

[Amstarvid]

Nothing worse than losing a ball in the middle of the fairway that's covered with leaves...happened to me last week...it sucks to lose one in the leaves in the rough, but right in the middle of the fairway is just cruel...