Are you allowed to play on the wrong fairway?

[Dormie1360]

OB everywhere robs me of that opportunity.

OB on #6, a long Par 3, has robbed me the opportunity to win the club championship......twice.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

OB everywhere robs me of that opportunity.

OB on #6, a long Par 3, has robbed me the opportunity to win the club championship......twice.

OB on 18 on my home course robbed me of the chance for a personal best.  I was standing on the tee at 1 under par, hooked my tee shot into the 9th fairway, which at that time was marked OB (they have since removed the OB and grown up a row of trees that makes playing up 9 most unfavorable).  I made bogey with my second ball to finish with a triple... the 74 was one higher than my PB.  Even a bogey would have put me at even par.

[CarlSpackler]

OB on 18 on my home course robbed me of the chance for a personal best.  I was standing on the tee at 1 under par, hooked my tee shot into the 9th fairway, which at that time was marked OB (they have since removed the OB and grown up a row of trees that makes playing up 9 most unfavorable).  I made bogey with my second ball to finish with a triple... the 74 was one higher than my PB.  Even a bogey would have put me at even par.

Wow! I've never seen a situation where you are OB and still on the course. One of our city courses has two regulation courses and you are on if you cross from one to the other, but not on the same course.

[turtleback]

This is kind of interesting. I play on some packed golf courses most of the time. As much to stay out of the way as anything else, I'll pick up the ball if I land in an adjacent fairway and drop it in the near rough of my own hole. When I do this, I count the penalty stroke.

I can see no rule requires this, but it ought to be common sense to some degree. Obviously some guys have no such compunctions. I recently had a guy drive up to my tee box to play his shank as I was starting my back swing. Could of skulled him.

Once you aren't going to play by the rules it really doesn't matter what you do.  But given that this is the Rules forum you are unlikely to garner any support for your procedure.

[mcanadiens]

Alright. Thank you gentlemen (and ladies?). Obviously I'm still learning.

From this point forward on adjacent fairways, I'll try to play my shot when possible and chalk up two penalty strokes when I can't. Most of the time when I hit to the wrong fairway, there are two to three groups already on the hole. As I indicated, I would certainly be holding them up if I played my shot in most of these situations.

Really, this is probably another good reason I ought to just throw my driver in the trash.

[CarlSpackler]

Alright. Thank you gentlemen (and ladies?). Obviously I'm still learning.

From this point forward on adjacent fairways, I'll try to play my shot when possible and chalk up two penalty strokes when I can't. Most of the time when I hit to the wrong fairway, there are two to three groups already on the hole. As I indicated, I would certainly be holding them up if I played my shot in most of these situations.

Really, this is probably another good reason I ought to just throw my driver in the trash.

Nah. Don't trash it. Just learn to love it. It can be your best friend if you let it. Temporary delays are just part of the game. Slow play is caused primarily by players who are not ready to hit their shot when it is their turn to go. If you play ready golf, you will close the gap in no time. You live just up the road. We should play sometime.

[bplewis24]

I want to play my ball from the weeds and woods when possible, not be stuck constantly dropping and rehitting.  Talk about a quick way to inflate one's handicap.  A course can be a challenge while still allowing the player to play his ball.  I don't like courses which are overly penal with water hazards or other features either.

Same.

Wow! I've never seen a situation where you are OB and still on the course.

There's only one course I've promised myself never to play again (save a qualifying tournament being held there, which is unlikely).  Two of the main reasons why are because there is a par 3 that has OB about 15 yards left of the green (and water hazard all along the right), which is still on course property and about 15 yards right of where the row of trees begin that separate the course from the adjacent property.  The other reason is on-course OB separating the 10th and maybe 13th fairways.  Many other reasons I hate this course because of the poor use of the real estate and the way they crammed a bunch of holes into areas with OB/hazards and other areas that aren't staked off but you have no chance of finding your ball in there.

[turtleback]

Alright. Thank you gentlemen (and ladies?). Obviously I'm still learning.

From this point forward on adjacent fairways, I'll try to play my shot when possible and chalk up two penalty strokes when I can't. Most of the time when I hit to the wrong fairway, there are two to three groups already on the hole. As I indicated, I would certainly be holding them up if I played my shot in most of these situations.

Really, this is probably another good reason I ought to just throw my driver in the trash.

Again, if you aren't going to play by the rules it really doesn't matter what you do and that is fine.

But you should also realize that adding 2 strokes doesn't make your procedure conforming.  If you do not want to play the shot from the adjacent fairway then I believe the only option the rules give you is to replay the shot (at a penalty of stroke and distance) that put you into the adjacent fairway.