How many of you "fluff" your ball or play 6"/winter rules all the time?

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Ok... It's a 1 stroke penalty, but there is nothing in Rule 28 that mentions one clublength.  The rule reads:

Thanks for the clarification (I need to get a rulebook)

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by tiger187126

i better go back and add 36 or so strokes to every round i've played by myself where i don't take the stick out on a putt or erase any score i had from a gimme put that's not in match play.

if it's not a tournament or for money and it doesn't affect you, then why do you care?

if you were a tournament golfer or playing for money wouldn't you want the guy you're playing against fluff all the time so when the bright lights are on and he has to play down he's not comfortable?

LOL yes me too. I have never pulled a stick when playing alone. Ill start doing it when after I break 80 or something, I'm at 91 right now .

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

LOL yes me too. I have never pulled a stick when playing alone. Ill start doing it when after I break 80 or something, I'm at 91 right now .

There is no penalty for not pulling the flagstick when putting.

Just for hitting it.

[Jimbo Slice]

I ran into a bad lie today and almost took a drop. The ball was pretty much unplayable, but I went at it anyhow with my sand wedge. It came up and out, traveling about 15 yards. This was some sticky mud. It covered the entire club head front and back. The ball was completely covered in it after the shot, and there was a half inch layer of it on the bottom of my shoes. I made the next two shots with a dirty ball and cleaned it after I hit the green. Actually I switched to a new clean ball after I got on the green.

I'll swing at anything. No "Fluffin" here ha ha.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I ran into a bad lie today and almost took a drop. The ball was pretty much unplayable, but I went at it anyhow with my sand wedge. It came up and out, traveling about 15 yards. This was some sticky mud. It covered the entire club head front and back. The ball was completely covered in it after the shot, and there was a half inch layer of it on the bottom of my shoes. I made the next two shots with a dirty ball and cleaned it after I hit the green. Actually I switched to a new clean ball after I got on the green.

I'll swing at anything. No "Fluffin" here ha ha.

So you play it as it lies from a virtually unplayable lie, then cheat when you finally get on the green? Why exactly?

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

So you play it as it lies from a virtually unplayable lie, then cheat when you finally get on the green? Why exactly?

I was under the impression you could clean or change your ball with the same model after you hit the green. The reason being that a ball on the green may be picked up and marked or rotated. I was under the impression it may also be cleaned or replaced with a ball of the same brand and model.

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I was under the impression you could clean or change your ball with the same model after you hit the green. The reason being that a ball on the green may be picked up and marked or rotated. I was under the impression it may also be cleaned or replaced with a ball of the same brand and model.

OK, I read about it. I can pick up my ball and clean it, but I cant replace it with a ball of the same make and model. I was cleaning the ball when I realized I had another one just like it, in my pocket and thought it was legal to use it. Lesson learned.

I was not cheating on purpose Sean ha ha, I was just misinformed.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

OK, I read about it. I can pick up my ball and clean it, but I cant replace it with a ball of the same make and model. I was cleaning the ball when I realized I had another one just like it, in my pocket and thought it was legal to use it. Lesson learned.

I was not cheating on purpose Sean ha ha, I was just misinformed.

lol Sorry, but this one had me laughing and Sean beat me to it!

Sounds like my buddy who played a shot out of a puddle (ball completely submerged below water), only to replace his ball when he made it to the green as well. He wound up being docked a stroke and was soaked from shoe lace to nose in mud and water. He did have a hell of a shot though! Hilarious for me to watch from the cart too...

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I ran into a bad lie today and almost took a drop. The ball was pretty much unplayable, but I went at it anyhow with my sand wedge. It came up and out, traveling about 15 yards. This was some sticky mud. It covered the entire club head front and back. The ball was completely covered in it after the shot, and there was a half inch layer of it on the bottom of my shoes. I made the next two shots with a dirty ball and cleaned it after I hit the green. Actually I switched to a new clean ball after I got on the green.

I'll swing at anything. No "Fluffin" here ha ha.

Good on you for trying to play it straight (although as pointed out you blew it on the green) but bad on you for course management.  Without violating any rules you could have taken an unplayable lie.  For the one stroke penalty it would have cost you would have been able to lift and clean your ball and drop it either 2 club-lengths away, no nearer the hole, or on a line keeping the original spot between you and the hole as far back as you want.  It is hard to imagine that this option would not have been more stroke-effective.  Sometimes the rules are your friend and taking a penalty stroke is the best option.

[daniel2852]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I ran into a bad lie today and almost took a drop. The ball was pretty much unplayable, but I went at it anyhow with my sand wedge. It came up and out, traveling about 15 yards. This was some sticky mud. It covered the entire club head front and back. The ball was completely covered in it after the shot, and there was a half inch layer of it on the bottom of my shoes. I made the next two shots with a dirty ball and cleaned it after I hit the green. Actually I switched to a new clean ball after I got on the green.

I'll swing at anything. No "Fluffin" here ha ha.

This is my style too.

I'll take shots from dirt, rocks, knee high native grass and pretty much anything as long as I can find the ball. My closest moment to this would be a shot from the pebbles around a tree, laid it up on the green as well with my SW.

Great shot and props to you. Screw the "rule nazis" just because you used a different ball on the green, same to me.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

I ran into a bad lie today and almost took a drop. The ball was pretty much unplayable, but I went at it anyhow with my sand wedge. It came up and out, traveling about 15 yards. This was some sticky mud. It covered the entire club head front and back. The ball was completely covered in it after the shot, and there was a half inch layer of it on the bottom of my shoes. I made the next two shots with a dirty ball and cleaned it after I hit the green. Actually I switched to a new clean ball after I got on the green.

I'll swing at anything. No "Fluffin" here ha ha.

Well, for one thing, that ball appears to be embedded in it's own pitch mark, so you should have taken a free drop, and you would also be allowed to clean the ball under that rule.  If the ball embeds when dropped, you get another drop, then if the same thing happens again, then you get to place the ball.  However that only gets you out of the pitch mark, not out of the mud.  To get out of the mud, you would have to take Turtleback's advice and declare the ball unplayable and receive the one stroke penalty for getting out of the mud.  Sometimes it really is easier on your score to take a penalty than it is to play the ball as it lies.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Well, for one thing, that ball appears to be embedded in it's own pitch mark, so you should have taken a free drop, and you would also be allowed to clean the ball under that rule.  If the ball embeds when dropped, you get another drop, then if the same thing happens again, then you get to place the ball.  However that only gets you out of the pitch mark, not out of the mud.  To get out of the mud, you would have to take Turtleback's advice and declare the ball unplayable and receive the one stroke penalty for getting out of the mud.  Sometimes it really is easier on your score to take a penalty than it is to play the ball as it lies.

I thought you only got the free drop if the ball was embedded in a closely mown area?

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Well, for one thing, that ball appears to be embedded in it's own pitch mark, so you should have taken a free drop, and you would also be allowed to clean the ball under that rule.  If the ball embeds when dropped, you get another drop, then if the same thing happens again, then you get to place the ball.  However that only gets you out of the pitch mark, not out of the mud.  To get out of the mud, you would have to take Turtleback's advice and declare the ball unplayable and receive the one stroke penalty for getting out of the mud.  Sometimes it really is easier on your score to take a penalty than it is to play the ball as it lies.

Originally Posted by turtleback

Good on you for trying to play it straight (although as pointed out you blew it on the green) but bad on you for course management.  Without violating any rules you could have taken an unplayable lie.  For the one stroke penalty it would have cost you would have been able to lift and clean your ball and drop it either 2 club-lengths away, no nearer the hole, or on a line keeping the original spot between you and the hole as far back as you want.  It is hard to imagine that this option would not have been more stroke-effective.  Sometimes the rules are your friend and taking a penalty stroke is the best option.

Yes, I was trying to play by the rules with the green situation . Now thinking about it taking a stoke and dropping would have been just as good if not better. The reason for the conditions is that the ball is actually in a lateral water hazard that is somewhat dried up at the moment. I don't think free drop was an option at all.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

Yes, I was trying to play by the rules with the green situation. Now thinking about it taking a stoke and dropping would have been just as good if not better. The reason for the conditions is that the ball is actually in a lateral water hazard that is somewhat dried up at the moment. I don't think free drop was an option at all.

In that case you wouldn't get a free drop.  I was for some reason assuming that it was a muddy spot in the fairway.  I'd have taken the penalty under Rule 26-1 and dropped out of the hazard.  The discussion about declaring it unplayable is no longer valid either, since you can't use Rule 28 for a ball which lies in a water hazard.  The only options were to proceed under 26-1a, b or c, or to play as you did.  One benelfit of that is that you get to clean the ball and probably drop in a better lie.

I don't like hitting from mud for two reasons - one is that you rarely make a decent shot; and two is that you usually end up wearing a lot of the mud for the rest of the round, especially if you hit even a little bit fat.

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

In that case you wouldn't get a free drop.  I was for some reason assuming that it was a muddy spot in the fairway.  I'd have taken the penalty under Rule 26-1 and dropped out of the hazard.  The discussion about declaring it unplayable is no longer valid either, since you can't use Rule 28 for a ball which lies in a water hazard.  The only options were to proceed under 26-1a, b or c, or to play as you did.  One benelfit of that is that you get to clean the ball and probably drop in a better lie.

I don't like hitting from mud for two reasons - one is that you rarely make a decent shot; and two is that you usually end up wearing a lot of the mud for the rest of the round, especially if you hit even a little bit fat.

That is my bad, and you had every reason to assume the ball was in a normally playable area. I'm still new at posting and most times don't get the entire story across. I will work on my posting skills and remember to post all the valid points that go along with what I'm trying to say at that moment lol. That way I don't confuse allot of people and then have to re-post explaining the valid points.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

That is my bad, and you had every reason to assume the ball was in a normally playable area. I'm still new at posting and most times don't get the entire story across. I will work on my posting skills and remember to post all the valid points that go along with what I'm trying to say at that moment lol. That way I don't confuse allot of people and then have to re-post explaining the valid points.

I wouldn't worry about it too much.   This place thrives on confusion.

[GlobalGolf]

I can see both sides of this discussion.  On the one hand, I play golf to enjoy myself, if I am having a bad round where making clean contact seems to be escaping me, “fluffing my ball” to assist me in getting back in a better more confident groove, and get back to enjoying my round, is not something I am against.

On the other hand, if there is money involved, or any type of serious consideration involved, right down to whether I will post this score for handicap purposes, then no, it is not within the rules and should not be done.

It really comes down to what you are trying to get out of your round.  If it’s a leisurely game for pleasure, then by all means do whatever makes you enjoy your round of golf.  If it’s a competitive, or “official” round of any kind, then play by the rules.  It’s just that simple.

[Jimbo Slice]

This commercial has been out for seven months, but I just saw it today on golf channel. I was cracking up.

Barclays Commercial with Phil Mickelson.... Dude, come on.