different balls on same hole?

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by iacas

When in doubt, assume that you're ****ing crazy.

Thanks, Erik.  I just woke my daughter up when I fell off of the barstool laughing hysterically.

But to get a serious point out of this nonsense, how "damaged" does a ball have to be to warrant replacement under the rules?  I play Penta; it's a great ball, but it has one major flaw.  One solid wedge shot from a fairway lie puts a 3-groove scuff on the cover.  You can actually see tiny bits of cover sticking up off of the side of the ball.

Would this not be sufficiently damaged to warrant replacement under the rules?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by tiger187126

trust me, i've tried. i've smacked a ball off a 3H into a tree with quite a bit of force and you couldn't tell at all when it bounced back past me.

Even bouncing one off a cart path won't qualify, as it only scuffs the cover.  I've seen overly sharp clubface grooves do more damage, and that doesn't qualify either.  If you choose to use such a club, then you take the consequences.  Rule 5-3 says:

5-3. Ball Unfit for Play

A ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked or out of shape. A ball is not unfit for play solely because mud or other materials adhere to it, its surface is scratched or scraped or its paint is damaged or discolored.

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by k-troop

Thanks, Erik.  I just woke my daughter up when I fell off of the barstool laughing hysterically.

But to get a serious point out of this nonsense, how "damaged" does a ball have to be to warrant replacement under the rules?  I play Penta; it's a great ball, but it has one major flaw.  One solid wedge shot from a fairway lie puts a 3-groove scuff on the cover.  You can actually see tiny bits of cover sticking up off of the side of the ball.

Would this not be sufficiently damaged to warrant replacement under the rules?

No, cuts in the cover isn't enough to do it... the ball would have to be cracked with the cover coming off to the point you can see the other layers.

[B-Con]

I don't even see what benefit there would be in switching balls (of the same model) to putt. I find it hard to believe that a wedge mark or two is going to alter the ball's roll. After you remove any shards off the ball there's just a very slight imperfection on the surface, and you're putting on a soft cushy surface (the tops of grass), so I would think that the minor blemish would be further rendered irrelevant.

[Dormie1360]

Originally Posted by k-troop

But to get a serious point out of this nonsense, how "damaged" does a ball have to be to warrant replacement under the rules?  I play Penta; it's a great ball, but it has one major flaw.  One solid wedge shot from a fairway lie puts a 3-groove scuff on the cover.  You can actually see tiny bits of cover sticking up off of the side of the ball.

Would this not be sufficiently damaged to warrant replacement under the rules?

No this would not warrant replacement under the rules.  The last workshop I went to we actually saw pictures of balls that would qualify.  Let me just say it's really hard to cut or crack a ball to meet the requirements for a ball unfit for play.......let alone deform one.

I play 80 - 100 rounds a year, and in the last 5 years I can not remember damaging a ball to the extent that I could take it out of play under the rules. Today's balls just don't cut or crack like the old days.  Think lawn mower running over it.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Dormie1360

No this would not warrant replacement under the rules.  The last workshop I went to we actually saw pictures of balls that would qualify.  Let me just say it's really hard to cut or crack a ball to meet the requirements for a ball unfit for play.......let alone deform one.

I play 80 - 100 rounds a year, and in the last 5 years I can not remember damaging a ball to the extent that I could take it out of play under the rules. Today's balls just don't cut or crack like the old days.  Think lawn mower running over it.

Young golfers can't really appreciate this much. Us older folks can remember when a bladed wedge shot resulted in a ball that smiled at you.  LOL

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Young golfers can't really appreciate this much. Us older folks can remember when a bladed wedge shot resulted in a ball that smiled at you.  LOL

I used to face that situation often back when I played Titleist balatas.  I have had exactly one time when this came up with a modern ball, and it was a playing companion whose ball cracked halfway through on a drive, playing in mid-winter fairly early morning while the temperature was still around 40.  The ball had been left in his car, parked outside overnight, and was much colder than the air temp when he hit his drive on the first hole.

[Paradox]

I can't really think of anything that would damage a modern ball enough.  Maybe if it bounced off of a boulder of hit a sharp edge of one while still in flight.  Even then, I don't know which would break first, haha.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by Rulesman

You cannot be serious. If this was ever found the player would never play a pro event again. A couple of days ago a caddie was banned for life for hiding an extra club.

Indefinitely, not for life.

And while they would get a suspension, to say they would never play a pro event again is a bit beyond reality. They would get a fair suspension, and be watched in the future. Hell, the pro could easily say he didnt know his caddie switched balls. but yes, we know patrick isa moron who pulls his ideas out of his ass.

[ApocG10]

That said, I only saw a ball get overly damaged once. A friend hit his ball and the cover completely seperated from a brand new ball. It was a Callaway Warbird 2.0, nobody can explain what happened. We found the cover and the core. He actually brought it to the pro shop where he bougfht them that morning, and Callaway comped him a dozen new balls, which was cool of them. He wasnt even complaining, just wanted to show the pro, who then called the rep that told him to give the customer a dozen.

[Mattplusness]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

If I use a yellow ball it would be this one...

HAHAHA

I found one of these helping my playing partner look for a ball in the tall grass the other day.

Classic.

[Timothy Voyles]

haha this thread has so much win in it... this is the first thread i've come across with patrick57 in it... effin funny stuff

[stealthduffer]

Some of the more "senior" members of the forum are right - back in the day it seemed like you could put a smile in a ball just by looking at it wrong. It was pretty easy to need to replace a ball in those days. But nowadays it would be a pretty radical event to cause that much damage. Though there was one tournament when Phil was trying to convince the officials to let him replace his ball before putting. The official kept looking at the ball and his look was priceless - definitely wondering what Phil was seeing that he wasn't.