Sun in your eyes rule?

[Hacker]

I would like opinions on what to do when the sun is in your eyes...

Today I was playing late and the sun was very low. On two holes I lost the ball on my tee shot. I know I made great contact with the ball but I could not find either ball to save my life. Going back to the tee box and re hitting would have not been any good beacuse of the sun. So based on my past experiance with these holes I estimated where I have drivin the ball before and droped there. I did add a stroke for dropping and played on. But I got to thinking..

1) whats the official rule say?

2) and in the absence of a rule book how would you have played it?

[CheeseWedge]

great question, I have no idea. It could depend on the group you are playing with!

[Cooker]

Official rule: If a ball is lost or is out of bounds, the player must play a ball under a penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played.

Like you said though the sun would have obstructed your next shot as well. Maybe have the others help you to watch your ball in flight or get someone to stand farther down course to watch it with their back to the sun.

[Hacker]

Yea, normally between my normal group one of us can keep an eye on it but i was playing by myself tonight. I think I played it right considering the circumstances.

[CheeseWedge]

Maybe next time you should choke up on the club and skull the crap out of it so it only gets about a foot of the ground!

[Hacker]

Man I do that sun or no sun!

[CheeseWedge]

I usually only do it right after I have switched to a brand new ProV1.

[lamebums]

I would like opinions on what to do when the sun is in your eyes...

You shouldn't even have added a stroke, I don't think. It would have easily been a findable ball otherwise, I'm assuming. If you know you hacked the ball off-line, then go ahead and take a stroke. I think. But that's just me.

[Shindig]

I would like opinions on what to do when the sun is in your eyes...

Officially, if you didn't find your ball, you have to go back, re-tee, hitting 3. You could play a provisional before leaving the tee, marked clearly, so at least you'll find one. What would I do? Find someone who will probably find his ball. Have him hit first. Have him take the cart, or walk, out to where the likely landing areas are for you guys. Quickly, even if this means one of you takes his clubs when you go catch up with him. Have him wave to you when he's ready; he takes cover in the tree line, and you guys hit. He watches you hit and where the landing areas are to detect tee shots. I've forecaddied for my friends before when we play into the sun. If I'm playing a course I've played before, I likely know where mine landed. I'm not perfectly consistent, but I can generally figure it out. Some of my friends spray it, and generally need someone to watch the in-bounds area, just in case

[Lihu]

This happended to me yesterday evening. In addition to this the ball and the sky were about the same color, if that makes any sense. What happens is the ball goes up in the air, and it disappears above the horizon line. I looked for about 5 minutes for a ball I couldn't have hit more than 180 yards with roll. There was a cleanly mowed area about 200 yards around the green. Yet, I could not find my ball. Nor could anyone else. Should I have replayed the ball or taken a drop?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Lihu

This happended to me yesterday evening. In addition to this the ball and the sky were about the same color, if that makes any sense.

What happens is the ball goes up in the air, and it disappears above the horizon line. I looked for about 5 minutes for a ball I couldn't have hit more than 180 yards with roll. There was a cleanly mowed area about 200 yards around the green. Yet, I could not find my ball. Nor could anyone else.

Should I have replayed the ball or taken a drop?

It's a lost ball, regardless of the reason.  Rule 27-1 applies.  Play another ball from the same place with a penalty stroke added.  If you were playing from the tee, you are now hitting 3, if playing your second shot from the fairway, you are now hitting 4.

[TJBam]

It wouldn't be too hard to find it.  Based on your feel when you hit the ball you know that it is X distance from the tee box straight, drawn, or faded X yards.

"Sun was in my eyes" is about as classic of a childhood sports excuse as it gets.  Next best is "my shoe was untied."  Maybe you should give yourself a free "do-over"!!

[luu5]

Originally Posted by Lihu

Should I have replayed the ball or taken a drop?

If the drop is not an option?

[JaapB]

The drop is always the option it just is the question if you want to move back to the teebox to do the shot again.

I play a lot alone myself and it is annoying but for me best solution on the couple of holes it is really annoying is to just shoot it short, if you play alone scoring isnt the biggest factor for me anyway it is about if i make the shots good.

Or if you don't want to loose the balls just don't play that hole but i'd imagine if you have several holes facing same way it is a bigger problem.

At the club i play there is only 1 hole and driving range when you look straight in the sun at certain times...

[Rulesman]

Why oh why when someone asks what the rule is, do people have to tell us what they do to avoid playing by the rule?

If there is a rule, follow it.

Telling everyone that you do something else is condescending. You are suggesting your action is better than anything anyone else might suggest that would breach the rule. I'm sure everyone one could come up with novel ways of ignoring the rules. But none are particularly helpful to the questioner.

And yes I know. The questioner asked how for suggestions on to break the rule also.

That should be in the other forum.

[luu5]

Originally Posted by JaapB

The drop is always the option it just is the question if you want to move back to the teebox to do the shot again.

Of course dropping is a option, but not according to rules. So I can not understand why to ask in the first place.

[Lihu]

Of course dropping is a option, but not according to rules. So I can not understand why to ask in the first place.

So, as there was no one behind us replay was an option. It was a third shot on a long par 5 againt the wind, next time a provisional or replay? My kids thought it went into the ditch 240 yards from where I hit it, but that would be a heck of a 4 hybrid shot. I did nail it, but no way.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by TJBam

It wouldn't be too hard to find it.  Based on your feel when you hit the ball you know that it is X distance from the tee box straight, drawn, or faded X yards.

"Sun was in my eyes" is about as classic of a childhood sports excuse as it gets.  Next best is "my shoe was untied."  Maybe you should give yourself a free "do-over"!!

This isn't exactly fair though. I didn't lose my ball due to sun in my eyes, however it was twilight and I nailed my drive. Even mid-day you can lose sight of a ball when you hit it really good. Either way, it started down the right center of the fairway and disappeared from view. I know I hit a draw on most every good drive and figured it would have landed and rolled left center/left edge of the fairway about 270ish or better from the feel. Unfortunately never found the ball. I didn't drop or anything just called it a night since it was getting pretty dark. My best guess is that I hit it even better than I had assumed and the ball went around 300 and rolled out of the left side of the fairway into a bunker that was holding water *which would lead to another question about standing water in a bunker*. I've seen plenty of drives take crazy bounces and shoot off in a direction that you'd never even think to look, or shots that fly 20+ yards further than expected and you don't find them until you are driving to the next hole. While it's no doubt an escape excuse for some, that doesn't change the validity of it being true in others.