May a player borrow a ball mid-round (Tin Cup)

[jsgolfer]

I disagree. Pick your ball and play with it. There are still times and holes where I could switch to a spinner golf ball, and others where distance is ideal. Some balls fly better in side winds, etc.

All state amateur tournaments I've played have the one ball rule. The reason i likethe one ball rule is that, it would be a pain to try and remember what ball your playing competitors are playing. I've played in tournament where my playing competitors couldn't remember what number ball they were playing I can't imagine trying to decipher lost balls and such playing many different balls

[iacas]

I said it was my opinion, and it still is. If that was the way the ruling bodies wanted the game to be played, they would make it a Rule, not an optional condition of competition. The Rules themselves permit players to change balls.

Okay. I didn't say otherwise. I simply said that I disagreed and gave reasons why.

I imagine that the Ruling bodies don't see the upside to forcing the 16 handicap playing in his weekly league to play the same kind of golf ball, but in every higher level event in which I've played - the exact events in which the players are good enough to get different things out of different golf balls - it's been enacted.

Which is why that condition exists - if the Rules themselves actually wished to prohibit such a rule from being available to committees, it wouldn't make it an allowable CoC.

[ColinL]

All state amateur tournaments I've played have the one ball rule. The reason i likethe one ball rule is that, it would be a pain to try and remember what ball your playing competitors are playing. I've played in tournament where my playing competitors couldn't remember what number ball they were playing I can't imagine trying to decipher lost balls and such playing many different balls

Don't you guys put an identifying mark on your balls?

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsgolfer

All state amateur tournaments I've played have the one ball rule. The reason i likethe one ball rule is that, it would be a pain to try and remember what ball your playing competitors are playing. I've played in tournament where my playing competitors couldn't remember what number ball they were playing I can't imagine trying to decipher lost balls and such playing many different balls

Don't you guys put an identifying mark on your balls?

That was the first thing that popped into my head too.  I mark my ball for every round, not just competitions.  It's such an easy way to virtually ensure that I never play a wrong ball.

@jsgolfer :  If player can't identify his ball, then it's a lost ball.  Hit them with a few penalties and they might wake up.

[jsgolfer]

I always mark my ball and most people i play with do but I've played far too many rounds when some don't, and changing different balls throughout the round would just be a pain to keep up with during a tournament. IMO

[rogolf]

You only need to keep track of your own - doesn't seem too onerous.

[joekelly]

Gotta agree with Rogolf here. During a round play only conforming balls=ok.  No switching balls during any hole=ok. But i can find no logic or reason (acceptable to me) to insist on the 'one ball rule' during the round.  Could someone offer me an acceptable reason for such a rule.

@iacas so what that you might want to use 18 different conforming balls during the round? You are free to change clubs anytime you like. If all players use the same rule how can one person benefit over the other guy?

How about this rule: on the putting surface only the designated putter may be used or DQ.  I can find some logic in such a rule but none in the 'one ball rule'.

[iacas]

Gotta agree with Rogolf here. During a round play only conforming balls=ok.  No switching balls during any hole=ok. But i can find no logic or reason (acceptable to me) to insist on the 'one ball rule' during the round.  Could someone offer me an acceptable reason for such a rule.

I gave several.

Here's another: you don't get unlimited clubs. You can't say "I'm playing with a driver, two fairway woods, a putter, eight irons, and two wedges. If I randomly switch out which particular six iron I use throughout the round, that's fine, because it's still just a six-iron. I won't switch the particular club once I've hit it on a hole, so that's okay right?"

There's no reason to eliminate the condition. 98% of golfers never encounter it, and generally only those skilled enough to take advantage of it are ever subject to the one-ball rule.

P.S. The fact that you can find logic in a "designated putter" (when no such rule even exists to say that you have to carry a putter, or that you must use a putter at all to putt) but not for a one-ball condition doesn't make you look very good IMO.

[jsgolfer]

Don't you guys put an identifying mark on your balls?

I've played with many players who do not mark their balls.

There's no reason to eliminate the condition. 98% of golfers never encounter it, and generally only those skilled enough to take advantage of it are ever subject to the one-ball rule.

Agree with this, the vast majority of players this doesn't even affect.

You only need to keep track of your own - doesn't seem too onerous.

I disagree that you only need to keep track of only your ball, unless it's a casual round but I'm paying attention to your ball during all tournaments I'm playing in and in high level events I like the one ball rule.  I only play one ball anyway so it doesn't effect me at all.  But switching balls every hole in a tournament seems like it is rife with someone forgetting to note they switched balls, find a ball in the trees or weeds that may or may not be their ball and playing it as they change so often, IMO.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogolf

You only need to keep track of your own - doesn't seem too onerous.

I disagree that you only need to keep track of only your ball, unless it's a casual round but I'm paying attention to your ball during all tournaments I'm playing in and in high level events I like the one ball rule.  I only play one ball anyway so it doesn't effect me at all.  But switching balls every hole in a tournament seems like it is rife with someone forgetting to note they switched balls, find a ball in the trees or weeds that may or may not be their ball and playing it as they change so often, IMO.

Really?  You play with so many cheaters that you can't relax and just play your own ball?  I find that to be a sad situation.  I have never played in a tournament with anyone who even tried to cheat.  When we head off into the rough or trees on a ball search, the first thing asked is "What are you playing?"  That eliminates your scenario of playing anything he finds.  If he can't say what he's playing, then the ball is lost and he either plays on with his provisional ball or he heads back to the tee.  The rules are very clear on that - the player is responsible for playing the correct ball.

[rogolf]

I've played with many players who do not mark their balls. Agree with this, the vast majority of players this doesn't even affect. I disagree that you only need to keep track of only your ball, unless it's a casual round but I'm paying attention to your ball during all tournaments I'm playing in and in high level events I like the one ball rule.  I only play one ball anyway so it doesn't effect me at all.  But switching balls every hole in a tournament seems like it is rife with someone forgetting to note they switched balls, find a ball in the trees or weeds that may or may not be their ball and playing it as they change so often, IMO.

A player is not obligated to notify anyone when he changes the ball he is playing. It's often done as a courtesy, but there is no obligation to do so.

[jsgolfer]

Really?  You play with so many cheaters that you can't relax and just play your own ball?  I find that to be a sad situation.  I have never played in a tournament with anyone who even tried to cheat.  When we head off into the rough or trees on a ball search, the first thing asked is "What are you playing?"  That eliminates your scenario of playing anything he finds.  If he can't say what he's playing, then the ball is lost and he either plays on with his provisional ball or he heads back to the tee.  The rules are very clear on that - the player is responsible for playing the correct ball.

I relax and play my own ball when it's a casual round.  And no I don't play with that many people who cheat, but I have lost matches to people who have cheated, and therefore I typically do not give people I don't know the benefit of the doubt.  I've played with too many people that can't even add their score correctly on the hole.  So if I'm playing for money or in a tournament, I'm typically paying attention to everything that is going on.

[jsgolfer]

A player is not obligated to notify anyone when he changes the ball he is playing. It's often done as a courtesy, but there is no obligation to do so.

That's why I prefer the one ball rule in a tournament.

[David in FL]

Really?  You play with so many cheaters that you can't relax and just play your own ball?  I find that to be a sad situation.  I have never played in a tournament with anyone who even tried to cheat.  When we head off into the rough or trees on a ball search, the first thing asked is "What are you playing?"  That eliminates your scenario of playing anything he finds.  If he can't say what he's playing, then the ball is lost and he either plays on with his provisional ball or he heads back to the tee.  The rules are very clear on that - the player is responsible for playing the correct ball.

I'll go one further.....if someone is do dishonest and bent on cheating that they'd play a ball that isn't their own, they're equally likely to drop another ball (of the same type and mark that they originally played) and pretend to have found the original ball.

Like you, I've never run into blatant cheating in a tournament I've played.  I'm sure it happens, but not so much that I'm going to lose sleep over it.

[rogolf]

That's why I prefer the one ball rule in a tournament.

That really doesn't help anything either, as the player is under no obligation to tell you what ball he might be playing. Again, it's often done as a courtesy, but the Rules don't require it. It just seems to me that it's a lousy reason to suggest using the one ball condition!

[bubble]

I said it was my opinion, and it still is. If that was the way the ruling bodies wanted the game to be played, they would make it a Rule, not an optional condition of competition. The Rules themselves permit players to change balls.

Play on tour could be even slower than it already is if on each tee they could make a ball type selection. I think the rule may be established on tour for this purpose.

most amateurs cant even control a shot, so I dont imagin myself choosing specific balls per tee.

[ColinL]

I've played with many players who do not mark their balls.

Indeed, I have too.   I have even partnered a guy who a) didn't mark his own ball;  b) made a silly joke to everyone that I must be writing my name and address on my ball when I was marking mine; and c) managed after a few holes to play my clearly marked ball by mistake.

[joekelly]

Oops, Erik. getting a little personal aren't you?  Why run me down with comments like that?  Frankly, the 'reasons' you gave for your preferences regarding the one ball rule don't look like 'reasons' to me, but only innate bias. Bias, because only folks like you, the highly skilled, are subject to this rule, under all circumstances i have read about. And of course, you want to preserve this CoC so that all will know that you are subject to a special rules the commoner does not experience.

This one ball BS may have had a real reason ages ago when various gutta percha ball makers could offer very different balls to use but today, i say let those skilled players use those balls that float high and soft, whenever they want. The opponent can use the same or any other ball. Just coz you're amongst the 1% who sometimes shoot par, doesn't give you special qualities, except golf skill.