fnufan You can only hit a provisional ball for a potentially lost ball or out of bounds. If you find your ball and declare it unplayable, you have the three options. Go back to original shot location, take a drop two club lengths from where the ball is and go back directly keeping the location of the ball and the hole in a straight line.
Can I still go back to the tee?
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In our group we may adopt the proposed new local rule the USGA announced where one of the options for hitting a ball out of bounds is to walk on a slight diagonal (not closer to the hole) from where it went out of bounds until you reach the fairway and then take a two club length drop in the fairway with a 2 stroke penalty.
There's a couple of other options I believe, but this one seems the best IMO. Basically it's the same as hitting a provisional and you're still lying 3 in the fairway after the drop.
This saves time and possibly golf balls. Great rule change IMO and like I said we may adopt this early rather than wait until next year.
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Sneakylong In our group we may adopt the proposed new local rule the USGA announced where one of the options for hitting a ball out of bounds is to walk on a slight diagonal (not closer to the hole) from where it went out of bounds until you reach the fairway and then take a two club length drop in the fairway with a 2 stroke penalty.
I would like that rule if it only gave a 1 stroke penalty similar to a red stake boundary. Determine where it crossed the line, drop one within two club lengths with a single penalty stroke and hit your third. I don't see the wisdom in taking a 2 stroke penalty at a shorter distance than you probably would get it you hit another shot from the tee box. I think it might take more time instead of less.
I'd like one stroke as well. However, I'm guessing they can't treat it like a red stake hazard because in that case you would have the option on hitting out of Mrs. Brown's flower bed (destroying private property) or near a busy street (possibly getting hit by a car). They could just say you have to take a drop with no option of hitting it from outside the out of bounds stake.
As I remember there were 3 options. I liked the drop in the fairway because of the time factor and you could very well drill your provisional out of bounds as well.
Sneakylong I'd like one stroke as well. However, I'm guessing they can't treat it like a red stake hazard because in that case you would have the option on hitting out of Mrs. Brown's flower bed (destroying private property) or near a busy street (possibly getting hit by a car).
Simple fix. Add a new stake color. Blue, black, whatever. Play it like a red stake hazard but you have no option of hitting it.
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I agree. My home course like many Florida courses has a lot of out of bounds because of homes on the golf course. The 2 stroke penalty isn't the issue as much with me. The option to take a drop 2 club lengths once you reach the fairway no closer to the hole is a nice option that saves time. IMO.
It saves time because you don't need to hit a provisional and are guaranteed to be lying 3 in the fairway. It's still a stroke and distance penalty, but takes away the possibility of hitting another bad tee shot and getting a huge number.
We play a Quota game and pick up after a double anyway, but this new rule is a good option. Again, without looking it up there were 3 options. This was the best option IMO.
Also, this rule change is not a blanket new USGA rule. It's an option that your course can adopt as a local rule. I think any course with a lot of out of bounds it's worth considering.
I was reading golf course reviews about courses in reasonable distance from my home and most of the low ratings where about slow play, five hour rounds and inactive rangers. Any rule that slows play is detrimental to the success of golf courses, many that are already struggling to make it.
Under equitable scoring control rules for keeping handicaps, the big number usually won't count, anyway. Pick up and move on.
I'm sure that's what most people do. But you can't do that in a tournament. Played with a guy who had a 12 on a hole in our Senior Club Championship. Had to count every shot. Realize most probably don't play in tournaments anyway.
Like I said we pick up after a double, but there are times when you're not sure your shot went out of bounds. So you hit a provisional. We have several holes with out of bounds that still could be reached in 2 shots after taking a drop in the fairway.
So a 5 on a par 4 or a 6 on a par 5 is possible. Anyway, not looking for an argument. I like the new option myself. Like I said my course has lots of out of bounds and water, so losing golf balls is an issue. Anytime I can save on possibly losing a golf ball I'm all in favor of that.
You'd better not try that if playing with me. Your score for HC purposes has nothing to do with your score in my match. You play by the ROG or forfeit.
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I was reacting to this post:
"perfectly fine as long as the score is not entered for handicap purposes. I have many friends who don't keep one and will play by whatever rules they make up."
My only point is once you have exceeded your ESC score for that hole it would not change how the score was entered for handicap purposes.
atticusfinch You'd better not try that if playing with me. Your score for HC purposes has nothing to do with your score in my match. You play by the ROG or forfeit.
And you'd better not allow taking 10 shots to get out of a creek bed if you are the group in front of me. By the way, my post was not in reference to match play.
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And my point is having the option of taking a drop instead of hitting a provisional is a good thing. I guess I just don't understand the pushback against having this option.
Maybe if you play a course with parallel fairways and no out of bounds it isn't an issue. But my course has no parallel fairways and 15 holes have out of bounds.
The equitable score thing isn't really an issue here. I'm above a 9 handicap now so I can take up to a 7 on a hole. And even though we pick up after a double bogey in our Quota game I'd still like the option of not hitting a provisional and taking a drop to have the chance at a bogey.
IMO anytime the USGA gives you more options that's generally a good thing.
Sneakylong
I was not pushing back on the suggestion. I agree with it as long as it's an additional option and not in place of stroke and distance.
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According to the video it is an additional option. So you still can hit a provisional. Once you hit a provisional though then this option is no longer an option. Although in most cases I'd think this would be the safer option. It also includes a lost ball as long as it's not in a penalty (hazard) area.
Here's a link to the USGA video explaining the new rule that a course can adopt as a local rule.
The slowing-down-play excuse is a cop-out and always has been. It takes a maximum of 30 seconds to hit a provisional ball. I realize that we've all hit a shot that we expected to find and didn't. But if there is even a chance that my ball could be lost or OB, I hit a provisional. Its not that big a deal, and in fact the sole purpose of hitting a provisional is to save time.
What takes forever is someone hitting a ball in the woods or likely out-of-bounds, refusing to hit a provisional ball because they swear they know exactly where it is and/or it will miraculously ricochet back onto the course, then spending 5 minutes looking for a ball 50 yards ahead of where it is likely to be and finally declaring that it is much too late to go back to the tee now so they might as well drop one here. And sadly, this is what has become the new normal.
That being said, I've always felt that stroke-and-distance for OB is too severe a penalty. I have played many golf courses where a ball could land on the fairway or even on the green but end up OB. I believe a penalty stroke and drop under the water hazard rule for environmentally-sensitive areas would be more appropriate (i.e., playing from OB is prohibited - you must take a penalty stroke and drop a ball under the water hazard rule). But I actually have no problem with stroke-and-distance for a lost ball - how can you drop a ball within 2 club lengths of an unknown location? So there will still be a reason for hitting a provisional ball.
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You're not limited to 2 club lengths for a lost ball from where it was lost. You have an imaginary line from the hole to where you believe it is lost. Then you have an imaginary line from the hole to the edge of the fairway. You can take a drop anywhere in between those two lines and 2 club lengths on either side (or outside) of those two lines.
Nobody is forced to use this new rule. We'll be adopting it in our Quota game.