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2019 OB and lost ball rule changes

Sox_Fan said:
I have read all the new rules, and this one does confuse me a bit in regards to the drop in the fairway part. I understand that this is a local rule and will be adopted by some courses and not by others. In terms of dropping in the fairway, do you go back along the line of flight to where the ball crossed over from the fairway to rough to drop it?
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The language I read (from a magazine article my friend sent me) made it seem like the player had a choiceas to whether they would use the point the ball would have crossed the OB line, or where it likely came to rest. As this is a local rule, I'm assuming this can be clarified by the course adopting the rule.
 
Rule 18.2b states that if your ball is lost or out of bounds, you must take stroke and distance. That is the 2 stroke penalty this rule allows, to save time. Just place your ball by the edge of the fairway, take your 2 stroke penalty and hit away. Otherwise, go back to where you hit your last shot, take 1 stroke penalty and hit again. Unless you hit a really good rehit, the net is about the same, both distance and scoring.
(Our local course rule was always one club length from where the ball went out of bounds plus one penalty shot for the drop.)
 
Chisag said:
... I love the new rule for average golfers. Hitting one potentially OB and taking a provisional means the provisional tee shot is lying 3 which may also be in the woods or a hazard or even OB. Dropping in the fairway you are still lying 3 and hitting your 4th shot. That certainly seems like penalty enough for the average guy that is looking at a triple bogy or worse. I have always hated OB rules as opposed to hazard rules that allow a one stroke penalty and a drop, which again is penalty enough for most golfers. The 2 stroke OB penalty has always seemed random and arbitrary to me.
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Two stroke OB penalty? When was that in play? I always thought it was just one stroke and the distance.
 
ArmyGolf said:
This is the one rule change that I just dont get.

The old system of hitting a provisional when in doubt still seems to me to be massively superior. Players who dont take provisionals are the same players who dont play by the stroke and distance rules anyways.
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I think they just should have converted OB to lateral. You drop where the ball crossed OB, and play your third from there.
 
Thank goodness that those of us in the northeast have plenty of time to get this stuff figured out.
 
Chisag said:
... I love the new rule for average golfers. Hitting one potentially OB and taking a provisional means the provisional tee shot is lying 3 which may also be in the woods or a hazard or even OB. Dropping in the fairway you are still lying 3 and hitting your 4th shot. That certainly seems like penalty enough for the average guy that is looking at a triple bogy or worse. I have always hated OB rules as opposed to hazard rules that allow a one stroke penalty and a drop, which again is penalty enough for most golfers. The 2 stroke OB penalty has always seemed random and arbitrary to me.
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Exactly, fully agree. It moves the game along for those that are only hitting 2 fairways a round to begin with. These players are likely to miss again with their provisional.
 
jints07 said:
Exactly, fully agree. It moves the game along for those that are only hitting 2 fairways a round to begin with. These players are likely to miss again with their provisional.
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I dunno. I'm a little above 2 fairways per round (maybe average around 5-7), but my provisional swing is a plus handicap. :alien:
 
Richard Rodgers said:
Exactly!!!

I can see the reasoning behind the new OOB rule, but it won't speed anything up unless players use a bit of common sense, and we all know that the issue with that is that it is not very common.

When I started playing, when the dinosaurs were around, I was given a few snippets that have stood me in good stead ever since.

If in doubt whether OOB or poss unfindable - Play a provisional.
If you can't score in a Stableford - Pick the darn thing up.
Where possible, play ready golf.
Keep up with the group in front, not in front of the group behind.

All things to keep the game flowing
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Common sense? On a golf course?

A particular hole with an OB at a local course invites players who “think” they’re Cameron Champ to cut the corner. Stakes are clear and plentiful along the inside edge of the dogleg, since there is a green along that edge for another hole at the corner. A slice will always be OB but “findable” which they assume means “playable”. I’ll tell them it’s OB- “huh? Okay...” and play it anyway. Without penalty of course.
I play social golf, so it’s no skin off my nose if strangers have no clue.



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RayG said:
Common sense? On a golf course?

A particular hole with an OB at a local course invites players who “think” they’re Cameron Champ to cut the corner. Stakes are clear and plentiful along the inside edge of the dogleg, since there is a green along that edge for another hole at the corner. A slice will always be OB but “findable” which they assume means “playable”. I’ll tell them it’s OB- “huh? Okay...” and play it anyway. Without penalty of course.
I play social golf, so it’s no skin off my nose if strangers have no clue.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Some people don't care about the RoG. They're just out there beating a ball around the grass. I liken it to putting random letter tiles down on a Scrabble board and counting them as "words" even if they don't spell anything. I mean, who needs rules when it's SO FUN this way?
 
Golf is different for every person and I am glad that the game I love is being enjoyed by people from every walk of life. The rules of golf are important to some on THP but the average golfer you get paired up with are out there to have fun. I believe that you would come off as an A-hole if you pointed out every infraction you observed. Unless you are in direct competition what does it matter.

I do not keep a handicap and I do not hit a provisional after an OB tee shot. I have only been counting one stroke and hitting near where the ball went OB. With the new rule available I will play it from the fairway with a two stroke hickey and be within the rules. I am going to do this for all of my rounds regardless of the courses decision to adopt the local rule. The exception to this would be playing in competition of ANY kind. Can we still be friends?
 
2019 OB and lost ball rule changes

To be clear, I don’t nitpick all “infractions” I see. This particular hole has the OB on that side because it is a danger to the people on the green. I will point out before teeing off that there is OB over there for precisely that reason. And since I’ve been on the receiving end of some of those “pros from Dover” while putting that green who decide common sense doesn’t apply to them, it’s nice to at least try and prevent a situation on our end.


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