Play it where it lies? Or OK to move to a preferred lie in the fairway?

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Rules of Golf say play it as it lies so ... that's what I do, whether the fairways suck or not. I'm pretty sure when they played in the pastures in Scotland their lies pretty much sucked all the time.

If you're up against rocks or tree roots or whatever and don't want to risk injury or damage to your club you always have the option of declaring it unplayable and taking the appropriate drop and penalty.
 
I play by the rules of golf - that's just how I'm wired. If the lie is bad enough that I can't make a stroke at the ball, or can't without risk of damage, then I'll drop under Rule 28 and take the penalty. Taking a free drop to get out of a problem that my poor play got me into just isn't right.

In a competition, I would hope that damaged areas in the fairway would be marked as ground under repair, but I won't make any such assumption if they aren't marked. Like someone said above, it's a good opportunity to learn to play from difficult lies. I don't get those breaks in competition, so I'm not about to cheat myself out of any handicap strokes that I deserve.
 
I play by the rules and will take an unplayable if needed. More or less all of my rounds are counting towards HCP as well as being friendly competition with my mates. Only exception may be if I play some holes by myself. Then I really do not count strokes at all and will play two balls on some shots etc, just for practice. In those "solo-training-rounds" I may move the ball (or use the bad lie as training oppurtunity)
 
I will usually play the ball down, but sometimes the group will play winter rules ( Usually in the winter ) I have no problem with that. Most of the courses around here are Bermuda and once a divot is taken there is rarely any grass left to replace it. Most players walk on my home course and have no access to sand fill. There are divot holes everywhere in landing areas and chances are pretty good that you can end up in one. I have no problem with someone rolling there ball out of a divot hole that has no means to be repaired otherwise. Anything out of the fairway is played down. If your on a root or rock, we either play it or take a drop.
 
I play them as they lie if I'm doing a handicapping round for GHIN. I take the unplayable and drop penalty if it is on rocks and tree roots. Other times I'll make a little punch backwards or sideways if the tree roots are aligned where I need to put it. Sometimes that will lead to another punch out or going over something. Two strokes on the books! Out in the fairway it's go down and get it with preferably a shorter club in hand. I know one thing I did when first starting out is thinking that I had to play everything. I was putting myself and clubs at great risk by doing that. It seemed like I didn't know what a fairway looked like or for that matter what it felt like to hit from one. Like it was going to matter if my 138 was really a 140. What I should have done is move the ball to a little better spot to get more practice hitting the ball. When new or practicing, fluff it up a little or move it a foot. Your in the same general area so that tree in your way is still in your way. You actually learn to hit. As you get better and hopefully don't put yourself in those positions outside of the fairway, take your penalties like your are supposed to.
 
I only move it if there's roots or rocks that will hurt me or damage my clubs.
 
unless it's in a mud hole or something, i play it where it lies, regardless. I do this even though my league had 'winter rules' the whole time.
 
I play it down if the round counts for handicap. If I need to take a penalty, I take a penalty.
 
Rules of Golf say play it as it lies so ... that's what I do, whether the fairways suck or not. I'm pretty sure when they played in the pastures in Scotland their lies pretty much sucked all the time.

If you're up against rocks or tree roots or whatever and don't want to risk injury or damage to your club you always have the option of declaring it unplayable and taking the appropriate drop and penalty.

Agree here ^^^^
As long as your posting the round towards your handicap you play it as is and if for whatever reason you feel you cant because of club damage or injury then you do have the option but must then take the penalty.
 
I'm a "play it as it lies" guy, as I want to be able to judge my progress (or lack thereof) by playing a "legitimate" round. If you're just looking to have a good time, though, do whatever facilitates that.
 
If you're just out having fun and don't plan on counting it for a score on your handicap, it's whatever you want. However, if you get use to playing it as it lies, you'll start to become a better golfer overall. BUT like other have said, don't destroy your club or hurt yourself in doing so...that's just common sense.
 
If you are playing a handicap round, would you risk your expensive equipment or would you take a penalty to move? This is assuming the rule states to play it as it lies (cart path, rocks, tree root, swing that would hit a tree etc etc).

I don't think as a amateur that I would ever risk my equipment for my handicap score, I would rather not post.

I would take a stroke penalty and play it as unplayable before risking equipment. I wouldn't move it to the fairway or anything like that. I have fun with the random shots that you create by being in tough situations.
 
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If you are playing a handicap round, would you risk your expensive equipment or would you take a penalty to move? This is assuming the rule states to play it as it lies (cart path, rocks, tree root, swing that would hit a tree etc etc).

I don't think as a amateur that I would ever risk my equipment for my handicap score, I would rather not post.

Not exactly sure what your saying. If your playing a round you plan on posting and you get into a situation such as this, you will move the ball and simply decide not to post the round? If that's what you mean, then your not really being honest with your cap. I understand the situation seems unfair and one doesn't want to risk injury or the cost of a club. I am with you on that. But still we did hit the ball there and is what it is. Why not just take the penalty for the are times this happens? After all its our own fault for hitting the ball under trees or whatever we did. Just my feeling on it. But to be honest its only a rare occasion anyway so a stroke once in a while not counted due to this situation is not really affecting our caps much at all and even if it does its only working towards lowering it a fraction and that isn't going to ever hurt anyone except that person. It would be different if it raised your cap because then it would be like sandbagging. But this sort of works the opposite way. If it happened often enough than it would create a tiny bit of a vanity cap but again that hurts no one else.
 
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If you are playing a handicap round, would you risk your expensive equipment or would you take a penalty to move? This is assuming the rule states to play it as it lies (cart path, rocks, tree root, swing that would hit a tree etc etc).

I don't think as a amateur that I would ever risk my equipment for my handicap score, I would rather not post.

I would take a stroke penalty and play it as unplayable before risking equipment. I wouldn't move it to the fairway or anything like that. I have fun with the random shots that you create by being in tough situations.

I will first try to find a way to play the ball as it lies... always. I've played from a lot of dicey lies without hurting myself or my clubs - in 40 years I've never broken a club making a swing.

I've played from roots and rocks and gravel, often just a pitch or punch out, but which still resulted in a better situation than taking the penalty (no law says you have to take a full swing and risk injury). I've played from concrete and asphalt cart paths when the free drop was in a location where the lie would be difficult or unplayable, maybe in deep rough or bushes (correctly dropping from an obstruction does not guarantee you a good lie).
 
I only move it if there's roots or rocks that will hurt me or damage my clubs.

Same here.....will take the penalty anytime all the time.
 
Locally here, probably 99% of the courses play winter rules.

If it is a tournament, I play it as it lies (unless stated otherwise).
 
I play where it is only play for money.
 
I play it where the ball lies, regardless of turf conditions. You name it, I've been there. Concrete, mud, water, roots, hardpan. The only exceptions I make is winter rules, potential for injury or club damage, and poop.
 
Not exactly sure what your saying. If your playing a round you plan on posting and you get into a situation such as this, you will move the ball and simply decide not to post the round? If that's what you mean, then your not really being honest with your cap. I understand the situation seems unfair and one doesn't want to risk injury or the cost of a club. I am with you on that. But still we did hit the ball there and is what it is. Why not just take the penalty for the are times this happens? After all its our own fault for hitting the ball under trees or whatever we did. Just my feeling on it. But to be honest its only a rare occasion anyway so a stroke once in a while not counted due to this situation is not really affecting our caps much at all and even if it does its only working towards lowering it a fraction and that isn't going to ever hurt anyone except that person. It would be different if it raised your cap because then it would be like sandbagging. But this sort of works the opposite way. If it happened often enough than it would create a tiny bit of a vanity cap but again that hurts no one else.
If you play a hole not by the rules all you need to do is giver yourself the expected score for your handicap and the hole rating, put an x by it and turn it in with the other 17 holes played by the rules.
 
We have placing at my course and a few around here 6in, as our course dries out alot in the summer and we get quite a bit of dry/dirt patches we are aloud to move slightly. No fairway watering here.
But what ever the local rules say is what you do.
 
I grew up playing a small nine hole course where we moved it around for a better lie. Although most of the courses I play aren't much better today those aren't the local rules so I try not to do that since you can't in league.


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I play it as it lies. It really sucks sometimes but can be rewarding to myself. This past Sunday I hit a great drive on #18, the toughest hole on our course, and ended up in a unfilled divot. My partners all told me to move it. I left it lie, and hit a solid approach over water that found the green. That felt great.
 
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