What is your opinion on the "Breakfast Ball"?

[Shorty]

Range or no range, there is no such thing as a mulligan or a breakfast ball for people who are keeping scores.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Range or no range, there is no such thing as a mulligan or a breakfast ball for people who are keeping scores.

Exactly this.  Take a few practice swings, or better yet get to the course early enough to warm up if you are someone that typically needs a "breakfast ball".

I always chuckle at threads where people ask if it's acceptable to break this rule or that rule as if any of us have the right to authorize your decision to cheat.  If you're playing for fun you can break as many as you like, heck if you want a vanity cap I don't care if you submit your score (I would never do it, but I don't care what others do).

If you're playing for money or in a tournament you play by all the rules and there's no exceptions, it's that simple.

[WUTiger]

What about local rules? One course I played at had no driving range, and if you duffed one on your No. 1 hole drive, the starter told you emphatically to "hit another one!" Idea was to make sure play didn't bog down on the first hole. Downside, if you hit a bad one into the trees, understanding was you didn't waste time looking for it. The next 17 holes: play that first shot.

The "no driving range" can be an unpleasant surprise. Solution: keep six wiffle golf balls in your bag, and hit a few shots with those. It's amazing how smoothly you swing when you realize your practice ball won't go very far.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by chriskzoo

Personally, I hate it, but it always seems to come up on the first tee when playing weekend rounds with my buddies - especially since we play for some modest stakes.  But even for those that are for the "Breakfast Ball" what is your opinion on how it should be played?

1) Do you just give everyone 2 shots on the first tee and everyone picks their best? or

2) Is it completely optional and if you play a second tee ball, that ball is the one in play?

My stock response has been "Are we playing real golf?" which usually nixes the idea of the breakfast ball, but what irritates me more is a guy who will take one, not hit it nearly as good as his first ball and say "Looks like I'll just play my first."

What's a breakfast ball?

Is it still a breakfast ball if you're playing at 2:00 PM?

Why not call it what it is, a mulligan?  A rose by any other name is still against the rules.  I don't do range warm-ups, and I also don't do mulligans.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by flintcreek6412

Never heard it called that before but we will often allow 2 off the first tee if we can't warm up.

Hence the 8.5 handicap.

You are in no position to "allow" any such thing. Unless you are having a hit and not scoring.

This is why it is a such a joke when people ask - or manufacturers say what "handicap" certain clubs are aimed at.

The guy who thinks he's a 12 but is actually a 32 isn't being helped.

Or the 65 year old in another thread who reckons he's a "10" but openly cheats all day long.

Crazy.

[meenman]

Our club actually condoned the *breakfast ball* when I first joined. It was posted on the rules board on the starter shack. That rule board and starter shack are now gone. The only time I saw it used was Sunday mornings by all of the old couples - they could stripe their first down the middle and would always hit a second. I used to allow one of my friends to use one until he told me he was using it on the seventh hole after a bad tee shot - after that he was banned from using them with me.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Shorty

You are in no position to "allow" any such thing.

This is the part that always gets me, you don't make the rules the R&A; and USGA do.

[Kletus]

In my area, two off of the first tee is the norm.  I'm a member of two different courses and play in 3 to 4 different groups.  Every single one of them plays two off of the first tee except for the one group that plays "hit until you are happy" off of the first tee .   Funny thing is that  the group that plays "hit until you are happy" is the biggest stickler for playing as it lies and putting everything out after that.

Honestly... it doesn't bother me a bit as long as everyone in the group is playing by the same rules.   If you are playing in a tournament or in a group that specifies to play it by USGA rules... then that is what you should do.   If you are playing with a more relaxed group.. enjoy the round.

If money is on the table... then it should be clarified before hand how the round will be played and everyone should follow the same rules.   I know it stands to reason that everyone "should" play by USGA rules... but in my experience that is NOT the norm.   I would guess that on a percentage basis there are very few rounds that are played every day based entirely on the true rules.  Almost every group I've ever seen has some variation that they use.

[flintcreek6412]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Hence the 8.5 handicap.

You are in no position to "allow" any such thing. Unless you are having a hit and not scoring.

This is why it is a such a joke when people ask - or manufacturers say what "handicap" certain clubs are aimed at.

The guy who thinks he's a 12 but is actually a 32 isn't being helped.

Or the 65 year old in another thread who reckons he's a "10" but openly cheats all day long.

Crazy.

Did you even read my original post? I hit drives better cold.   I rarely do so but I let my buddies do so because we golf to have fun. The few courses I golf at without a range are goat ranches that they can afford to play.  They can't afford my course but they are my friends and we like to play together.   When we golf we do so for fun and we play alternate shots, best ball 2 somes or singles scoring stableford allowing guys to pick up after double bogey.  It makes for fast friendly rounds.  Those don't get posted for HC and aren't tournaments.  Before you call someone out about their handicap you might want to inquire further but I'll just assume the number listed for your HC is actually your IQ.

The funny thing is that I'm exposed to lots of different kinds and classes of people in my career.  And the single common denominator I have seen is those that think everyone is cheating or trying to pull something think that way because that's what they are doing.  So unless you are hitting nerf golf balls in your glass house  STFU.........

[MS256]

I hit one ball, no matter what anybody else in my group decides to do (and I couldn't care less what they do).

I usually hit a good shot on the first hole anyway and if I do mess it up there's no guarantee the second one is going to be any better than the first. Only one thing would start my round off worse than a hooking a tee shot 40 yards left of the fairway, and that's to hit another one (that I shouldn't have hit) that goes 40 yards right of the fairway. Walking or driving 500 yards to collect one ball and hit another is not the way I prefer to start a round.

P. S. No driving range where I usually play. Sometimes I hit a few balls at home before I go to the course and sometimes I don't. I haven't seen any evidence that it helps the first tee shot either way, although if I hit some short irons at home (and happen to be hitting them well) that does seem to carry over to those shots early in the round. Probably a confidence thing as much as anything else.

[Mr. Desmond]

If I am a guest, I say nothing.

If we are not playing for anything, I say nothing.

In the past, if I haven't warmed up or the range is closed, I may take a mid iron and hit 3 balls off the tee as a warm up, and collect them after my tee shot. It all depends on the circumstances and if no one is waiting. In the past, if the range is closed or no warm up, I would also us a hybrid as my tee shot.

Now, as my swing returns, I warm up with the Orange Whip, and if no range time, I grip down on a driver, and make certain my tempo is smooth.

My opinion?

I keep my score and don't do a breakfast ball.

If others do so, and we're playing for nothing, or close to nothing, I say nothing.

But if we tie, I will bring it up.

I win.

[SloverUT]

I don't play for any stakes and generally I am just playing with buddies for run.  Due to it not being to serious I have no problem at all with a breakfast ball.  It would only ever bother me if it was a tournament or a stakes match.

[rwfastrax]

I'd love to hit 20 balls and then on to the first tee w/o breakfast ball, but alas no driving range on my home course. Breakfast ball is widely used. If the first one is good...you play it.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by flintcreek6412

Did you even read my original post

The funny thing is that I'm exposed to lots of different kinds and classes of people in my career.

Sure did.........and I didn't miss the bit I just highlighted either.

[Chilli Dipper]

The Krusty Burger stops serving breakfast balls at 10:00. One time I made it to the drive-thru lane with two minutes to spare, but President Bush was holding up the line.

I'll play two balls off the first tee if I didn't have time to warmup before the round. I'll still play my first ball, so long as it's playable.

[turtleback]

Quote:

I always chuckle at threads where people ask if it's acceptable to break this rule or that rule as if any of us have the right to authorize your decision to cheat.  If you're playing for fun you can break as many as you like, heck if you want a vanity cap I don't care if you submit your score (I would never do it, but I don't care what others do).

Yup, the age-old question:  how do we play by the rules when we aren't playing by the rules?

Quote:

Originally Posted by WUTiger

What about local rules? One course I played at had no driving range, and if you duffed one on your No. 1 hole drive, the starter told you emphatically to "hit another one!" Idea was to make sure play didn't bog down on the first hole. Downside, if you hit a bad one into the trees, understanding was you didn't waste time looking for it. The next 17 holes: play that first shot.

The "no driving range" can be an unpleasant surprise. Solution: keep six wiffle golf balls in your bag, and hit a few shots with those. It's amazing how smoothly you swing when you realize your practice ball won't go very far.

I would refuse and point to the place on the scorecard where it says that play is governed by the rules of the USGA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kletus

In my area, two off of the first tee is the norm.  I'm a member of two different courses and play in 3 to 4 different groups.  Every single one of them plays two off of the first tee except for the one group that plays "hit until you are happy" off of the first tee .   Funny thing is that  the group that plays "hit until you are happy" is the biggest stickler for playing as it lies and putting everything out after that.

Honestly... it doesn't bother me a bit as long as everyone in the group is playing by the same rules.   If you are playing in a tournament or in a group that specifies to play it by USGA rules... then that is what you should do.   If you are playing with a more relaxed group.. enjoy the round.

If money is on the table... then it should be clarified before hand how the round will be played and everyone should follow the same rules.   I know it stands to reason that everyone "should" play by USGA rules... but in my experience that is NOT the norm.   I would guess that on a percentage basis there are very few rounds that are played every day based entirely on the true rules.  Almost every group I've ever seen has some variation that they use.

Which makes your handicap meaningless.

[Kletus]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Which makes your handicap meaningless.

From the strictest point of measure I would agree with you.  Since most of my rounds aren't played to the letter of tournament rules.  That means I guess.. that my handicap isn't "official".  By that measure though it is my opinion that 99% of all handicaps out there are aren't official.  Just like everyone here hits a 7 iron 200 yards, I'm sure everyone plays every ball down on every stroke.  Never plays a practice ball. Knows all of the rules to the letter of the rule book etc...  There are lots of people who try to play it correctly that don't know the rules... which also makes their handicap unofficial.  It would be nice to be able to say that I had a perfect xx.x tournament handicap.   I don't play tournaments... so it doesn't matter.

I would argue though that there is a huge difference between "meaningless" and "not official".  My handicap does what it is supposed to do.  It gives me a point of reference to compare myself to the other golfers that I play with in order to create a fair game between us.  Everyone in all of my groups basically plays the ball as it lies but we give 2 off of only the first tee and we play inside the leather (measured) as good.  Would I shoot a stroke or two higher in a true tournament.... most likely.. but that would only hurt me.   My handicap is close enough to correct that If I play someone of equal handicap then I'll compete with them if I play normal, will probably beat them if I play well, and I'll lose to them if I play poorly.   I would also prefer that any error in my handicap vary to the vanity side vs. the sandbagger side.  If I'm playing a match against someone I would rather be at the disadvantage than to know that I cheated them.  As I said before... it's far from meaningless and it is within a stoke to 2 strokes max of where I would be if I were trying to be perfectly official.  That's good enough for me.

[David in FL]

We have a pretty good sized group that we play with regularly.  Some of us are serious about the game and maintain handicaps, some others, not so much.  Over the years we've allowed the not so serious golfers to take a breakfast ball if they like.  Those of us who are serious about the game......never.

Interestingly, more and more seem to be self-transitioning to the serious side.....especially those that are working towards "threshold" personal best scores, because we are very clear, that a score with any kind of asterisk doesn't qualify as breaking that threshold......period.