Yesterday during the final round of coverage we saw DJ hit a ball OB. This of course leads to a different penalty than that of the water hazard. One ball was playable, one was not.
There was a social media firestorm with tweets such as this and many others like it.
Now clearly this tweet forgets that sometimes OB is set in place, because it means no longer on the property of the golf course. Retrieving one’s ball might not be applicable in these instances.
Yet that still brings many questions regarding the rules. Should they be changed? Sound off below.
The 2 stroke penalty is for stroke and distance, it’s 1 stroke penalty if you re-hit from the original spot.
Just like the lost ball penalty.
You chose to live in a golf course! Accept the consequences!
Right, but the ball isn’t lost a lot of the time, so why not allow it to be dropped at the point it crossed the line just as one would do if it is hit in the water or other hazard. It just seems like too steep of penalty in my opinion.
There is a local rule that can be applied using the USGA rules that allows for a drop rather than a re-tee that I don’t mind being implemented – We have it in place at my course. But, two strokes is what it should cost, for sure. OB is OB.
I would bet the railroad’s right of way extends all the way to the out of bounds line, and even though a ball could be playable, it definitely should not be played from their right of way. Not just for safety, but for equity. The ability to play the shot if it was past the stakes shouldn’t be dependent on a train not rolling by when you’re playing.
I think OOB should be split into two categories though – "Dangerous OOB" (houses, roads, people, etc.) should be stroke and distance, while "Non-dangerous OOB" (undeveloped property, railroad tracks, etc.), should be played as a hazard, with the added exception that you cannot play your ball under any circumstances. I think the stroke and distance helps protect property – if you have a lake right, and OOB with houses left, you’re still better off missing right.
The biggest reason, as I see it, is OB is there to remove the option of playing it as it lies. OB protects other people’s property from golfers, like backyards, or parking lots with cars.
I am all for you should use one rule for all OB and lost ball rules like water hazards. Take a stroke and either hit from the location the ball entered or a line backwards no closer to the hole.
So, many lateral hazards/red penalty areas harder, but make OB easier?
I agree with this, but in @McLovin scenario, he is removing the option of hitting it.
I kind of like his take.
I can see this side of it also.
a penalty is a penalty, right? why do we have to complicate it with 3 stupid ways to play each different type of penalty? seems like my way can simplify things, still protect property, keep people safe, and speed the game up. the only thing potential detriment I see is removing the option to hit out of a lateral hazard. in my way, that option is removed so it’s always a one-stroke penalty. one shot in, one penalty shot to drop, hitting your next shot. easy. i’m a genius.
I am fine if you want to treat it like a lateral. If you can identify where the ball crossed you can treat it like a lateral but there needs to be a course boundry defined somewhere. I don’t know that particular course but that very well could have been a course boundry. If that is the case just because you can see it doesn’t mean you can go play it.
I would be okay with changing to a one stroke penalty with a drop or the option to go back and re tee.
What if they cut the grass next to a pond and repaint the red line a couple inches lower down the bank? Now the shot I had to take a penalty for being an inch over the line yesterday is an inch inside the line today.
The devil does not need an advocate – he is pretty good at that himself.
I agree with this.
As sometime who frequently finds OB, I concur. our men’s league that is made up of mid- high handicappers play our scrambles like this.
Sounds like a reasonable, and likely common, course setup change.
OB = 1.5 (I love fractions) stroke penalty with drop just like hazard where ball enters. Big difference is that there is no "hero" shot option to play from OB. OB still keeps a little extra penalty from a hazard.
BUt its not a static OB line like we have. This is a hypothetical situation that Chris has now removed a playable shot from one day to the next. Its not in the water and is playable, and still on property.
Combine these two here, and I think we’ve got a great amendment. I really think it could speed things up when factoring in distance lost.
Besides, when most people I’ve played with hit OB, this is how the balls are played. It’s a common sense approach.
How did anyone remove a playable shot? If it’s dry (or even if it’s wet in some cases), then you still have the option to play it most of the time.
I did. I think we should remove the ability to play the shot. Streamline all 3 penalties into one.
In the example I originally quoted above, McLovin’s suggestion is to make red staked penalty areas played like current OB is played. Hence the "hypothetical situation" qualifier.
not my problem. take it up with the super or the grounds crew. common sense would say they would know the rules and alter their maintenance accordingly. or, you know, don’t hit it where you’re not supposed to.
honestly the same thing happens on tour all the time. one day the rough is long enough to stop a ball from rolling into the hazard. the next day, it’s not.
You don’t hit it where you’re not supposed to…
haha quite the opposite these days. penalties galore.
Gotcha. I missed that you quoted his hypothetical situation. I guess that’s as good a reason as any why that process won’t work.
I think assuming grounds crews know the rules (or maybe assuming they care about them) is going a little far.
I don’t get this. First, what’s confusing now? Second, what’s an irregular round of golf?
Yes Yes Yes