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Home Owner Moves Ball

WLG1952

WLG1952

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Didn't want to mess with another member's thread, and didn't readily find this scenario previously posted..

You are golfing on a course where the fairways are surrounded on both sides by people's homes.

You hit a ball into a home owner's, "fenced" back yard. You know it landed OB. You saw it land there.

The disgusted home owner picks up your ball, and throws it back into the fairway.

How do you play/score it ?

Another scenario. The disgusted home owner keeps your ob, back yard ball, and tells you to piss off.

How do you play/score your next shot?
 
 
Should it not be played where it last crossed the penalty no closer to the hole, 1 stroke?
 
For me once the ball exceeds 200 yards in distance it’s more of a “I think it went here”. I’m often wrong. So if it’s in the fairway when I get to it I’d assume a ricochet. If he kept it? It’s on his property which means I donated it by not keeping it in bounds.
 
I would have hit another ball from the position if I saw it go OB and that would have been the ball in play. I would have drove up to the fence and complained about my playing partner Bob’s wild shots and tell him I would give the ball back to Bob.

I scenario 2, I would play it the same but probably say something to the grumpy homeowner living on the golf course and getting pissed about golf balls in his yard.

Edited to add: had I not saw it go OB, I would hit a provisional and probably assume I got a lucky bounce if it was safe when I drove up.
 
WLG1952 said:
Didn't want to mess with another member's thread, and didn't readily find this scenario previously posted..

You are golfing on a course where the fairways are surrounded on both sides by people's homes.

You hit a ball into a home owner's, "fenced" back yard. You know it landed OB. You saw it land there.

The disgusted home owner picks up your ball, and throws it back into the fairway.

How do you play/score it ?

Another scenario. The disgusted home owner keeps your ob, back yard ball, and tells you to piss off.

How do you play/score your next shot?
Click to expand...

Stroke and distance penalty for the OB ball. If a playing partner or spectator inadvertently or intentionally moves a ball at rest the player is obligated to return the ball to where it lay before the interference. In the case you described the ball came to rest out of bounds.
 
Ball is OB, take penalty and go from there. Then pick up your ball in the fairway later and be happy they didn't keep it!
 
If you know the ball landed OB you are obliged to treat it like any other OB shot, no matter what the homeowner does.

If you didn't see it land OB then I suppose you'd have to play it from the fairway because you wouldn't know...

But as the responses to this thread show, the vast majority of USA golfers would just drop one where ever they like, add a stroke and pretend they ended up with a double instead of a triple on the hole!:sneaky:
 
Played with a guy who tried hard to argue the opposite a couple years ago in a cheap skins game. His argument being his ball was in when he got to it. He had hooked his second on a par 5 over a chain link fence and a lady watering her flowers tossed it back over the fence. All of us, including him, saw it transpire. We told him just be happy you got your ProV1 back. 1st ball = OOB.
 
Same in either scenario - either stroke and distance for an OB ball, or two strokes and drop in the fairway, no closer to the hole. The only difference would be whether or not you have to go to your bag for a replacement ball.
 
Snowman said:
Same in either scenario - either stroke and distance for an OB ball, or two strokes and drop in the fairway, no closer to the hole. The only difference would be whether or not you have to go to your bag for a replacement ball.
Click to expand...
I’m going to agree here, if you know it went OB these are your options.
 
Ball is OB. Proceed accordingly.
 
Snowman said:
Same in either scenario - either stroke and distance for an OB ball, or two strokes and drop in the fairway, no closer to the hole. The only difference would be whether or not you have to go to your bag for a replacement ball.
Click to expand...
The caveat, here, being that the course that you are playing has adopted the OB rule in which you can drop in the fairway and add two strokes. Many people assume that it is a given that the drop rule is an option. It's actually a local rule that has to be adopted by the course, itself.
 
As others have said it is OB. If the did not know that the homeowner threw the ball back then good for them but since you said the golfer saw it land OB then it is OB. I have yet to see any golf course put on the scorecard that they are playing the local rule that you can drop in fairway.
 
echico said:
As others have said it is OB. If the did not know that the homeowner threw the ball back then good for them but since you said the golfer saw it land OB then it is OB. I have yet to see any golf course put on the scorecard that they are playing the local rule that you can drop in fairway.
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Most courses are too cheap to reprint all their scorecards just to include one local rule. :ROFLMAO: Although they could just as easily post it in the clubhouse/pro shop to invoke it.
 
ApexFan said:
For me once the ball exceeds 200 yards in distance it’s more of a “I think it went here”. I’m often wrong. So if it’s in the fairway when I get to it I’d assume a ricochet. If he kept it? It’s on his property which means I donated it by not keeping it in bounds.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. If I actually saw the ball go OB and the homeowner throw it back I'd play it as OB, but honestly there's a good chance I'd be oblivious to it. I already have a hard time seeing my balls in the fairway finish.
 
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Knowing it is OB I play my third from the tee or take my 2 stroke penalty and drop in the fairway. And I don’t go onto their property to get my ball regardless.
 
Binictican Golf Course, Subic Bay Philippines. Lots of jungle adjacent to fairways. I hit deep into the jungle and proceeded to handle as OOB. My caddy said, No, just wait a few seconds. Lo and behold, the ball magically jumped back into the middle of the fairway. (a little help from the long tailed inhabitants of the "Gobat".). Nobody actually saw them though. Another spot, small marshy area. My ball went in, caddy refused to go look. Turns out, that was the habitat of an Anaconda.
 
Et Tu Brute? said:
If you know the ball landed OB you are obliged to treat it like any other OB shot, no matter what the homeowner does.

If you didn't see it land OB then I suppose you'd have to play it from the fairway because you wouldn't know...

But as the responses to this thread show, the vast majority of USA golfers would just drop one where ever they like, add a stroke and pretend they ended up with a double instead of a triple on the hole!:sneaky:
Click to expand...
Indeed I will!
 
Unless the course has adopted the drop and penalty rule, the standard OB rule applies.
If there is ever a question at all on a shot OB or lost, I always hit a provisional. It doesn't take much time and if the ball is out or lost, it saves a bunch of time.
 
Scenario one, I'm glad I don't know the rules all that well. I would have treated it as a ricochet. Now, I guess it's a 3 stroke penalty... 2 for the ball being OOB. 1 for not going all the way back to the tee box becasue I'm not playing the "stroke and distance" penalty.

Scenario 2, same thing only I declare the ball lost and drop in the fairway.

Regardless of the outcome, my card will show double par since, once I reach that, I stop counting.:ROFLMAO:
 
Hitting OB sucks, always has. Worst shot in golf.

Some random guy picking up a OB ball and tossing it doesn't cure the suckage, unfortunately.
 
pinseeker said:
Binictican Golf Course, Subic Bay Philippines. Lots of jungle adjacent to fairways. I hit deep into the jungle and proceeded to handle as OOB. My caddy said, No, just wait a few seconds. Lo and behold, the ball magically jumped back into the middle of the fairway. (a little help from the long tailed inhabitants of the "Gobat".). Nobody actually saw them though. Another spot, small marshy area. My ball went in, caddy refused to go look. Turns out, that was the habitat of an Anaconda.
Click to expand...

I think your caddie was either mistaken or just pulling your leg. Anacondas live in South America. Maybe he was thinking of pythons.
 
Its OB either way. Play it as if it went into the woods and you cant find it. If he throws it back out he saved your ball. If he keeps it, you shouldnt of hit it in his yard
 
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