Question about OB markers

[$2 Nassau]

Do courses usually follow some unwritten rule regarding OB markers? Or are they at liberty to just stick them wherever they please? I realize local rules allow them to do so, but is there a point where it doesn't make any sense?

I played a course last weekend, where the 9th is adjacent to the 7th (when you are playing up the 9th, people are playing down the 7th). There is about 15 yards of rough that separate the 2 holes.

OB markers were placed in the middle of the rough between the 2 holes, but were only active for 9th hole. (the side of the markers that face the 7th hole were painted black and we didn't even notice them as we played the 7th).

Does that seem strange to just stick OB markers in a random spot like that? My friend descibed it as being "hokey." None of us hit our ball OB according to those markers, but we noticed it walking up the 9th fairway and it sparked a conversation.

I understand hitting the ball off club property, onto a practice range, into someone's backyard etc....but OB markers between 2 fairways just for the hell of it?

But I tend to lean towards feeling that a course can put them where they please (local rules) and you play by course rules.

Thoughts?

[hurley9192]

I've seen it like that on longer par 5's where there is a big dogleg and they essentially make driving down an adjacent fairway a penalty shot or OB to prevent people from cutting the hole down. I do think it is slightly hokey, but I grew up on a course where there was a high 500's yard par 5, but it horseshoe'd a little and you could turn it into a 450 yard hole by cutting down the 3rd fairway. It was a penalty to drive in the fairway on 3 and you had to hit your second shot off the tee. Essentially a 1 stroke penalty with no distance penalty.

[$2 Nassau]

  hurley9192 said:

I've seen it like that on longer par 5's where there is a big dogleg and they essentially make driving down an adjacent fairway a penalty shot or OB to prevent people from cutting the hole down. I do think it is slightly hokey, but I grew up on a course where there was a high 500's yard par 5, but it horseshoe'd a little and you could turn it into a 450 yard hole by cutting down the 3rd fairway. It was a penalty to drive in the fairway on 3 and you had to hit your second shot off the tee. Essentially a 1 stroke penalty with no distance penalty.

That makes sense.

These 2 holes were pretty much straight. No big deal I guess, but if I hit it OB it probably would have bothered me. But such is golf.

[aceadair]

Here is what I know. If there is any weird placements for OB sticks then it should be on the scorecard. If it isnt then shame on the course for being stupid and putting them and not telling you. As far the OB markers being in between holes, this is probably used because they are trying to keep the two holes seperate. They dont want somebody on #9 pulling a driver and hitting it into the other fairway. Then if the timing is right (which in golf it normally always is) you have to wait for that guy who decided to hit it 40 yrds. left to go get his ball and then play it. Another reason courses do this is very simple.....they want to. A course desighner when he does a course makes it harder several ways placeing trees and traps in certain areas. Those OB stakes can just be another element to make the hole harder. Glad you werent the victim this time!

[kklick]

Here is what the rules say.

  None said:

33-2a/14 Internal Out of Bounds Applying to Stroke from Teeing Ground Only A Committee may make a Local Rule under Rule 33-2a declaring part of an adjoining hole to be out of bounds when playing a particular hole, but it is not permissible for a Committee to make a Local Rule placing an area of the course out of bounds to a stroke played from the teeing ground only.

Same thing at course I play regularly. # 2 a dogleg left par 5 runs parallel to hole #4. Its out of bounds for either hole. There is another hole on the back that is the same way. The course if a firing range though. You really need a hard hat out there.

[lamebums]

I find something like that to be incredibly hokey, especially if it's a tight course. I've never had an actual experience with this, but I'd be pretty unlikely to golf at that place twice if there were such OB markers. (I would be all day on the tee box--my game consists of a drive finding the wrong fairway, a 3 wood or long iron back to the right one, and then a chip and putting, or something like that.)

[$2 Nassau]

  None said:

33-2a/14 Internal Out of Bounds Applying to Stroke from Teeing Ground Only A Committee may make a Local Rule under Rule 33-2a declaring part of an adjoining hole to be out of bounds when playing a particular hole, but it is not permissible for a Committee to make a Local Rule placing an area of the course out of bounds to a stroke played from the teeing ground only.

Okay, so if I am reading the last part of that rule correctly (please correct if I am not) it basically states that if an adjoining hole is to be deemed OB, then the entire hole/area adjacent should be OB, not just the area where the course thinks people might hit their tee shots.

In this case, it was just a stretch of about 100 yards or so that was marked out of bounds, so basically the course was just making the area OB where they think people might hit their tee shots. HOKEY and it appears to be against the rules as well (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). I have the scorecard with me right here, and regarding OB it says "hole #9 on the right, defined by stakes, tee shot only." So wouldn't "tee shot only" be a direct violation of that rule?