getting around the golf course, literally.

[mirv]

last sunday i played in a foursome and was rather amused by how one fellow (unintentionally) played the fourth hole.  it's a pretty straightaway par 4 about 330 yards long and is bordered on the left side by a highway, and across the highway, a cemetery.  this guy snap hooks his tee shot, ricochets off a rock or something, bounces across the road and winds up at the edge of the cemetery.  being an informal group, and none of us being any more than recreational golfers out to enjoy a round, we looked around and declared "well, we don't see any out of bounds markers, you can get a club on it, and it doesn't appear to be on anyone's grave (it wasn't actually IN the cemetery, it was in the grassy area between the road and the cemetery proper)... you can bring it back over here and take a stroke penalty or go hit it as it lies."  well, he went over there to hit the ball and topped it.  it went bouncing merrily down the middle of the road about 150 yards (there wasn't any traffic at the time, fortunately) and wound up right next to a highway marker just about pin-high.  he hacks it out of the grass there, getting onto the green about 35 feet from the pin, and proceeds to sink his putt for a "par."  i couldn't help but laugh and said to him "your ball never even saw this hole.  it went from the box to entirely off the course, STAYED off the course, and then got on the green in time to save par.  that's what you call getting around the course."

[TXjammer]

Originally Posted by mirv

it went bouncing merrily down the middle of the road about 150 yards

LOL!!!!!  Priceless!

[1par2win]

That's pretty good! Beats what I had done a few years back in Alabama. I hit a tee shot with a brand new ball that landed straight into a fairway bunker. Then hit my second on the fly into a greenside bunker. My third flew over the green straight into another bunker. Fourth went sideways into a 3rd bunker. Then of course I hit the flagstick about 2 feet up and it dropped straight down into the cup for a bogey 5. Not once during the entire play of the hole did that ball touch a blade of grass. You just never know what your going to see on any given round.

[saevel25]

i can't believe there isn't any out of bounds markers, thats nuts. I mean he is off course property, you think that in itself is considered out of bounds.

But hey, if not, pars a par. though if he tops alot of shots, a par might not be worth the price of a wind shield.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by saevel25

i can't believe there isn't any out of bounds markers, thats nuts. I mean he is off course property, you think that in itself is considered out of bounds.

But hey, if not, pars a par. though if he tops alot of shots, a par might not be worth the price of a wind shield.

The back of the scorecard might say something like "the road bordering holes #3, #4, and #8 defines out of bounds." I've seen things like that plenty of times.

[jamo]

The back of the scorecard might say something like "the road bordering holes #3, #4, and #8 defines out of bounds." I've seen things like that plenty of times.

I see that a lot, especially at a few courses that are in more urban areas (streets and houses really close to the course) and suburban housing developments where the course basically winds through backyards. Some say simply "anywhere off course property is defined as out of bounds."