RemyM

I was a bit off on some of my facts above. I found the story about what really happened. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...pagewanted=all It was at Torrey Pines in 2001. I even found video of it on the USGA website. http://www.usga.org/QUESTIONS/FAQS/r...dx=137&Rule;=28

Phil Mickelson was in a playoff with someone else (can't remember who), the other guy hit his ball left into a ravine where it most likely is lost. Mickelson then hits his shot into the same place. They both play provisional balls and Phil hits his down the middle of the fairway. As they walk up to play their next shots Phil tells his caddie not to look for the original ball as he would rather play the provisional. Before Phil can hit his provisional, which would have made it his ball in play, a spectator or marshal finds his original ball down in the ravine which means that Phil now has to abandon his provisional ball in the middle of the fairway and play with the original ball. He is all pissed that they found his original ball because it is in an unplayable situation and his only relief is stroke and distance so he has to walk back to the tee and hope he can hit that one in the fairway. He did, but that was a situation where you would have preferred not to find the original ball. They both went on to double bogey the hole and the playoff continued.

Actually it's not the USGA that does the course ratings. Your regional or state golf association has a ratings team that does the course ratings for the courses in their area.

You would record a 5. Par plus the handicap stroke you would receive on that hole. If that hole was the 13 handicap hole or higher you would record par.

Was looking at tee times today. They are mostly sold out for opening day and the first weekend. Even had some times sold in September where I was checking. Don't like the fact that they charge your credit card for 20% of the greens fee ($47) at the time of booking. So the guy booking for his group gets hit for everyone ($188 per foursome). Cancellation policy is 5 days in advance and that have some pretty strict language about not necessarily closing for rain.

That's the market they're looking for. They don't want to do 40,000 rounds a year. I heard their goal for this year is only 10,000 rounds. They expect it to be a destination course, one people will travel to play. I figure it will be a place I play once or twice a year. I'll probably wait until September to play it for the first time.

Just got this by email: We are pleased to announce that on Saturday May 24, 2008 Pound Ridge Golf Club will start taking tee time reservations through our on-line booking system. The on-line tee sheet will allow golf reservations for dates starting July 14th and continuing to the end of October 2008. Our golfing rates for weekdays and weekends will be $235 per person including golf or pull cart, and complimentary use of our practice facilities. Twilight rates will be $175 per person and will start at 4:00pm EST from July 14th till the end of August, and 3:00pm beginning in September. Please go to our web site ( www.poundridgegolf.com/bookgolf ) to book your tee time. The staff at Pound Ridge Golf Club can answer any questions you may have about booking a tee time by calling 1-914-764-5771 between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm EST.

The "one ball" rule is usually only in effect in top amateur events and all professional events. It would be listed on a local rules sheet if it was in effect.

Definitely walking

There are a couple of other things that are taken into consideration for the allocation of handicap strokes. The number 1 handicap hole should not be the first or second hole since they are likely used for sudden death playoffs, and it should be before the 8th hole so that a 9 hole match most likely won't be closed out before the stroke is used. Plenty of information on this is available in the USGA Handicap Manual. http://www.usga.org/playing/handicap...al/manual.html

No, if i'm going to bend down to pick up my ball it might as well be from the hole.

I've done it twice. First time on a par 4 I duffed my tee shot into a creek, took my drop and layed up in front of the pond then slam dunked a 110 yard wedge for par. It clipped off a little of the hole edge on the way in. Second time on a 235 par 3. Missed the green wide right then flew a lob wedge from 40 yard straight in for birdie.

If a player substitutes a ball when not permitted and makes a stroke at the wrongly substituted ball, he incurs the general penalty for a breach of Rule 5-3 *PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 5-3: match play — Loss of hole; Stroke play — Two strokes. If you're not playing by the rules you're not playing golf.