Cheating or Not?

[Focker Singh]

I'm sure we've all been in this situation before at one time or another. You hit your tee shot only to find out that our ball is lost or OB. Do you play by the rules and drop another ball for your 4th shot or do you actually walk back to the tee box and hit again for your 3rd? I'm sure many of us just drop and play it as your 3rd shot. Either because you don't want to slow down play or because we just want to "cheat" once in a while. Take a vote.

[wcchic]

>> Either because you don't want to slow down play or because we just want to "cheat" once in a while. <<

Oh, I think cheating once in a while breaks the montony. I mean, after you've been playing golf by the rules for a couple of hours it gets kinda tiresome. Cheating once, maybe twice, a round adds a little spice to the game. :rolleyes:

[Ego Woods]

OB areas are a lot more rare than lateral hazards, so affording to cheat once in awhile would be fine.....but on most occasions, no...OB most of the times are clearly seen even from the tee box, so it's pretty much quite obvious if you have to re-tee the ball...I guess maybe I should've voted 'yes' to it then...cuz even cheating once or twice out of many times that may happen is still cheating, right? :rolleyes:

[RidetoGolf]

I'm sure many of us just drop and play it as your 3rd shot.
I thought this is the right way to do ... oh well, it doesn't count as cheating if you don't even know you are cheating.:rofl:

[Focker Singh]

I thought this is the right way to do ... oh well, it doesn't count as cheating if you don't even know you are cheating.:rofl:hahaha....RidetoGolf, under the Rules of Golf, YOU ARE A CHEATER!!! hahaha...

[Ems]

and cheating once or twice out of the whole season is a cheater!

[Ego Woods]

and cheating once or twice out of the whole season is a cheater!
Well excuse me..........

[Queen of the Beach]

I'm sure we've all been in this situation before at one time or another. You hit your tee shot only to find out that our ball is lost or OB. Do you play by the rules and drop another ball for your 4th shot or do you actually walk back to the tee box and hit again for your 3rd? I'm sure many of us just drop and play it as your 3rd shot. Either because you don't want to slow down play or because we just want to "cheat" once in a while. Take a vote.
As a beginner, I try to avoid taking a second shot from the tee. But I have taken a few Mulligans before. When I do hit another shot from the tee I count that as an additional stroke. But hey, I don't carry around a rule book, so I wouldn't even know how many penalties I have incurred by doing that. I don't vote for cheating. But honestly, unless you are a pro golfer, how do you expect not to 'cheat' and still play a decent round?

[wigler]

Depending on the purpose of the game you are playing dictates if dropping the ball is 'ok' or not.

For handicap purposes, if you drop and call it your 4th, or 3rd, odds are you will reach your stroke limit anyway and it will not effect your equitable stroke score. If you happen to hole the 4th for par, or make a bogey, you better mark it as a double, or triple depending on your handicap.

If you are playing in a tournament, definitely not correct to drop. Must rehit.

If playing with your buddies, for money, up to them on the ruling.

But if you just drop the ball and play it as 4, or 3, don't ever come up to me and say you shot a certain score and compare it to my score. It is comparing apples and oranges.

wigler

[Mok]

Depending on the purpose of the game you are playing dictates if dropping the ball is 'ok' or not.

For handicap purposes, if you drop and call it your 4th, or 3rd, odds are you will reach your stroke limit anyway and it will not effect your equitable stroke score. If you happen to hole the 4th for par, or make a bogey, you better mark it as a double, or triple depending on your handicap.

If you are playing in a tournament, definitely not correct to drop. Must rehit.

If playing with your buddies, for money, up to them on the ruling.

But if you just drop the ball and play it as 4, or 3, don't ever come up to me and say you shot a certain score and compare it to my score. It is comparing apples and oranges.

wigler
Hey wigler, welcome to the board...

when i play with my buddies they let me drop...but i am a guy that likes to go by the rules in everything i do whether it's in another sport, board games, card games, anything!!! so from now on, i'm going to follow this rule...

[Hoz-ay]

If you hit your drive OB or close to it & everyone knows it, why not hit a provisional? You're on the tee anyway, right? Thats the way we play. Just a thought.

Cheers!

[Focker Singh]

Depending on the purpose of the game you are playing dictates if dropping the ball is 'ok' or not.

For handicap purposes, if you drop and call it your 4th, or 3rd, odds are you will reach your stroke limit anyway and it will not effect your equitable stroke score. If you happen to hole the 4th for par, or make a bogey, you better mark it as a double, or triple depending on your handicap.

If you are playing in a tournament, definitely not correct to drop. Must rehit.

If playing with your buddies, for money, up to them on the ruling.

But if you just drop the ball and play it as 4, or 3, don't ever come up to me and say you shot a certain score and compare it to my score. It is comparing apples and oranges.

wigler

Well said...hit it right on the button...

[69_Iron]

Well because I don't take golf too seriously I like to cheat once in awhile, especially when I get frustrated. I'll share one of my tricks:

When your ball is under a tree and can't be shot normally, take your foot and kick the ball to an open area. BTW make sure that no one is looking.:D

Once I start to take golf more seriously I will stop cheating.....honestly.

[Mok]

Well because I don't take golf too seriously I like to cheat once in awhile, especially when I get frustrated. I'll share one of my tricks:

When your ball is under a tree and can't be shot normally, take your foot and kick the ball to an open area. BTW make sure that no one is looking.:D

Once I start to take golf more seriously I will stop cheating.....honestly.
definitely don't ruin your nice clubs by hitting at the root of a tree...it's not worth it!!! Just move your ball to a open spot closeby instead.

[Ego Woods]

Once I start to take golf more seriously I will stop cheating.....honestly.
Cheaters never win.......but in golf...once in awhile, is ok in my playbook :D

[Ems]

Depending on the purpose of the game you are playing dictates if dropping the ball is 'ok' or not.

For handicap purposes, if you drop and call it your 4th, or 3rd, odds are you will reach your stroke limit anyway and it will not effect your equitable stroke score. If you happen to hole the 4th for par, or make a bogey, you better mark it as a double, or triple depending on your handicap.

If you are playing in a tournament, definitely not correct to drop. Must rehit.

If playing with your buddies, for money, up to them on the ruling.

But if you just drop the ball and play it as 4, or 3, don't ever come up to me and say you shot a certain score and compare it to my score. It is comparing apples and oranges.

wigler
I think this can be applied to many situations in life outside of golf. nice summary :cool:

[Rocknronny]

With all the talk on cheating I did a little research and found this poll.So lets blow the dust off this one and find out.Oh ya no I dont cheat.
RR

[SW20 MR2]

I usually just take a drop. I'm no expert in the rules, and I probably end up breaking some rules of golf just from a lack of knowledge. With all that being said however, I have never played for money or stakes of any kind except maybe buying a drink after the round. Even then, most of my regular golfing buddies are hacks like me, so they take drops as well. The way I see it, as long as it's not a tourney or playing for money, who really cares what you do?

[el tigre]

It really isn't that difficult to play by the rules. If you don't see the ball land or if you hit it anywhere close to the woods or fescue, hit a provisional. If the ball is hit anywhere in the direction of OB, hit a provisional.

If more people did this, the "moral dilemma" of whether or not to go back to the tee would rarely happen. I'm told that in Europe golfers hit provisionals all the time (in my experience it is very rare on this side of the Atlantic), and therefore the "walk of shame" is extremely rare. On those few occasions when it is necessary, the proper etiquette is to give the group behind you the option of playing through.

And if your ball is under a tree and you don't want to play it, declare it unplayable and drop with one penalty stroke. You won't be cheating, you won't ruin your clubs - and you'll probably be no worse off than trying to pitch it out anyway.

Now that wasn't too hard, was it?

[Golfbum]

Well because I don't take golf too seriously I like to cheat once in awhile, especially when I get frustrated. I'll share one of my tricks:

When your ball is under a tree and can't be shot normally, take your foot and kick the ball to an open area. BTW make sure that no one is looking.:D

Once I start to take golf more seriously I will stop cheating.....honestly.

That's called a "Prefered Lie" You would prefer it not to be under that tree:rofl: :rofl:
Actually it is fun to wiggle under the tree branches and punch it out of there, being mindful of roots which can do great damage to your wrists, along with your club.

Why not take the ball out, take an unplayable, one stroke penalty and play away? That way you are out from under the tree and not cheating.

[BladeNV]

Sometimes it is not a matter of cheating but rather just being sensible. The tree root thing is a good example. One time, I found my ball beside a tree in some thick stuff. There wasn't much room to operate but I decide to pull a hero shot and got it on the green. However, I hit into a treeroot I had no knowledge of which jammed my shoulder and strained my wrist - no golf for 3 weeks :(

Don't believe in cheating but if you're playing recreational golf, it is sometimes more sensible to protect your health, equipment, and ego :$

[smartgolfer]

Well I really don't know who your cheating other than yourself,unless your in a game or tourny then it's cheating someone else.with the speed of play being such an issue these days sometimes you just have no choice, but just be honest with yourself......if you can. lol

[Grobar]

It's cheating only if you are keeping the score!!!

If you are playing for fun with bunch of friends and score is not the issue, by all means, take the ball out of rough or bad spot and place it in a playable position.

BUT, if you are actually keeping the score, then its a no no :shhh: Play it as is, and take you penalty shots as you should. I hate playing with people who kick the ball onto a fairway and then record a "par". At the end of a round they are showing their scorecard to everyone :rolleyes:

[Dan_L]

I do not cheat, I dislike very much cheaters. I also dislike people who cant count. People who under/over state their handicap. Anyone who takes too much time, people who rush.

Actually, I think I may just hate everything and everybody. :rofl:

[Big Shooter]

Half of you voted NO?????
....must be the one's who go back to the Tee, and SLOW down everyones rounds!!!!? Um, thanks!! Not.

....or more likely, selected NO, but didn't read the 'qualifier', but can't change their vote, thus making THIS POLL INACURATE!!! :$

[KingCobra]

I think some of you take this game way to serious. Unless your playing for money, on tour, etc..... which I can see painstakingly sticking to the rules.
BUT in the big picture for the average or weekend golfer try to keep the PACE of play moving, so you move your ball away from the tree root, you don't walk back to the tee to hit a second shot, it's all a wash. I can gurantee that most times the pace of play is effect by some weekend golfer trying to stick to the rules, and I've witness this, someone taking 5 putts on the green because you can't just pick the ball up when your within a foot. Pick the god damn ball up and move on, 4.5hrs is the time you should be on the course, most amatuers put way to much pressure on themselves trying to be as honest as they can. Lets face it unless your playing in tourneys or for money..... your only playing against yourself!

:DHAVE FUN:D

[el tigre]

If there is one thing that all cheaters have in common, it is an abundance of EXCUSES.

At the top of the list is the PACE OF PLAY EXCUSE. Its all a bunch of BS. The real reason is that they're just too lazy or too stubborn to hit a provisional. It takes about 30 seconds to hit a provisional - I should know since I hit a few every round. But every weekend I get paired up with someone who plays an entire round without hitting a provisional - and yet they lose 5-6 balls in the round. Some of these shots are so hopelessly buried in the bush that they don't even bother looking - but still no provisional. But hey, they say they always shoot in the 80's! Why keep score if you know you're going to ignore the rules?

I understand the CLUB DAMAGE EXCUSE as a reason to take a drop - I have done it myself many times. Playing a shot in a casual round of golf is not worth damaging yourself or your equipment. But there is no reason to not take the penalty stroke that goes along with declaring a ball unplayable. That's just taking unfair advantage of the fact that you are your own referee. Why keep score if you're not going to count all your strokes?

C'mon guys, it is not difficult to play a round of golf according to the rules AND play at a good pace AND not wreck yourself or your clubs doing it. That is what the majority who voted in this poll do - and you can too.

[NCGA Golf]

Let's assume you did not do a provisional and you have lost your ball in the rough BUT you do not want to spend the alloted time looking for it because the course is backed up and you want to play fast for the benefit of all golfers.

In addition, you do not have the benefit of forward caddies like the pro tours where they essentially find your ball before you arrive - big difference compared to how we play.

Under this logic, I would think taking one stroke is completely fair. I know this is not consistent with the rules of golf but the majority of my lost balls whould be found if there was a forward caddie, I had my own my own caddie and I wanted to spend the time to look for it.

Either way - when I play with my group we all play by the same rules - 1 stoke, no provisional - becuase we want to play quickly.

[el tigre]

Under this logic, I would think taking one stroke is completely fair. I know this is not consistent with the rules of golf but the majority of my lost balls whould be found if there was a forward caddie, I had my own my own caddie and I wanted to spend the time to look for it. Who said golf was supposed to be fair?

Either way - when I play with my group we all play by the same rules - 1 stoke, no provisional - becuase we want to play quickly. Mark an "X" on your scorecard and you'll play even quicker!:D

[Kelner]

If you "Cheetah all da time" you are never going to get better.
It is right to play 'sensibly' when you are not in a tournament or handicapped game.

I drop or foot-wedge when its sensible !

[intherough]

There's clearly a dichotomy between "casual golfers" and "freaks who take the game, and probably everything else in their life, way too seriously." ;)

Personally, I think pace of play is a perfectly legimate excuse to "cheat." If I hit an errant tee shot, there's no guarantee that I'll find it, nor is there a guarantee that my provisional tee shot will hit the fairway either! It seems to me a fair compromise to spend a minute or two looking for the ball, then taking a drop and hitting 3. I've then incurred a penalty (stroke and distance), while allowed for the pace of play -- for my playing partners, as well as the groups behind! -- to continue.

From my perspective, I'm only ever really measuring my performance on the golf course against myself and my previous play. As long as I'm consistent in how I keep score for myself, my score is always an indication of the level of my play.

[sharkhark]

I cheat.
When I hit a ball that is into the woods and possibly findable, I trundle off, look for it, and if not found drop a ball taking a stroke and play on.
I would however prefer to hit a provisional, then take my allotted 5 minutes to find it, etc, but with people up your butt, I cheat.

Now not in a tourney, and I do know the loss of distance rule. But I also realize with overcrowded tee times that we play a different game than the pro's.

[bogeynuts]

I agree with the above poster. If a shot is hit just off the fairway but near a tree line, and somehow can't be found, on a busy course NO ONE is going to walk 200 + some odd yards to the tee again to hit a provisional because they thought they'd find their ball. This is technically considered cheating, but you'd probably be hated by everyone on the course if you made the "walk of shame" back to the tee.

I try my hardest not to 'cheat', but sometimes under the circumstances, it's the only feasible thing to do. Maybe the problem today is not that we are cheaters, but that golf courses try to drive too many people through the course in too little time.

[el tigre]

I try my hardest not to 'cheat', but sometimes under the circumstances, it's the only feasible thing to do. Maybe the problem today is not that we are cheaters, but that golf courses try to drive too many people through the course in too little time. Bogeynuts, trying your hardest not to 'cheat" is all that anyone CAN do - and it is all that anyone is really being asked to do.

Yes I know that there are occasions when a ball is lost that should be easy to find - when nobody would even think to hit a provisional. It happens to me about once every 4-5 rounds (and I'm not a low-handicapper by any means). If taking the "walk of shame" is not practical, I mark "X" on the scorecard and move on. For handicap purposes, my score for the hole is my ESC limit.

But if someone is faced with the "walk of shame" dilemma 4-5 times in a round - they're not even trying to play by the rules. They're using the "pace of play" excuse to rationalize cheating. And unfortunately, this seems to be far more common.

There's clearly a dichotomy between "casual golfers" and "freaks who take the game, and probably everything else in their life, way too seriously." Its kinda sad that golfers who play the game with honesty and integrity are labelled as "freaks", while those who simply make up their own rules and record whatever score they can get away with are referred to "casual golfers".

[Dan_L]

Its always busy in the summer and its always backed up. There will always be someone on your butt so next time we show up, lets just pencil 72 into the scorecard and go home. Just so everyone else can have a fast pace of play. :rofl:

[nuffstyle]

Personally, I think pace of play is a perfectly legimate excuse to "cheat." If I hit an errant tee shot, there's no guarantee that I'll find it, nor is there a guarantee that my provisional tee shot will hit the fairway either! It seems to me a fair compromise to spend a minute or two looking for the ball, then taking a drop and hitting 3. I've then incurred a penalty (stroke and distance), while allowed for the pace of play -- for my playing partners, as well s the groups behind! -- to continue.



Not to pick nits, but if you lost your ball and hit your third shot from a dropped ball...then you are not taking a penalty for stroke and distance. only stroke since you haven't penalized yourself for distance since you didn't go back to the spot of your last shot.

Usually, if we've lost a ball, and we haven't hit a provisional for whatever reason (e.g. your ball seemed to land clearly in the open, but when you get there, you can't find it for the life of you) - to save time, we'll take a drop, but you should be hitting your fourth shot, not your third.

Secondly, the excuse that it's okay to cheat because it's going to waste time because your ball is in a weird spot (e.g. under a tree root - mentioned in an older post) doesn't make sense. Just call unplayable and take a penalty stroke. You don't save time by cheating - just your score.

The way that I see it - it's not that some people are overly uptight about the rules - it's just that golf is so difficult and sometimes frustrating that it's a lot easier to justify cheating to yourself. "well...if my ball had bounced two feet to the left i would have had a clear shot anyways so...."

I think that there are rules, so they should be followed. Of course, this doesn't mean we need to spend five minutes over each putt - but once you're playing at a level where you are comparing scores to other golfers then you should play to a universal standard as far as rules were concerned.

if I drew a three point line 5 feet away from the basketball net, then I'm sure I could be a better three point shooter than anyone in the NBA, but the point is that that's not basketball.

It's a measuring stick that's all. If penalty strokes mean you shoot 125 or keep you from shooting scratch, that's just the way the game is. The distance of a three point shot prevents me from being an awesome three point shooter, but I don't complain and then change the rules!

anyways...perhaps I am an uptight freak, but I personally think that if you've ever told anyone in the world what score you shot the other day...you should be following the rules.

if you always play alone and never tell anyone what you score....give yourself 0.5 strokes for each swing you make...who cares??

anyways...that's my two cents!

[Bellyhungry]

Well thought through and well said....

I especially like the point about for lost balls, drop one, hitting 4th, rather than 3rd. This more or less deal with the 'not wanting to back up the pace of play', yet more accurately reflect the distance & stroke penalty.

Not to pick nits, but if you lost your ball and hit your third shot from a dropped ball...then you are not taking a penalty for stroke and distance. only stroke since you haven't penalized yourself for distance since you didn't go back to the spot of your last shot.

Usually, if we've lost a ball, and we haven't hit a provisional for whatever reason (e.g. your ball seemed to land clearly in the open, but when you get there, you can't find it for the life of you) - to save time, we'll take a drop, but you should be hitting your fourth shot, not your third.

Secondly, the excuse that it's okay to cheat because it's going to waste time because your ball is in a weird spot (e.g. under a tree root - mentioned in an older post) doesn't make sense. Just call unplayable and take a penalty stroke. You don't save time by cheating - just your score.

The way that I see it - it's not that some people are overly uptight about the rules - it's just that golf is so difficult and sometimes frustrating that it's a lot easier to justify cheating to yourself. "well...if my ball had bounced two feet to the left i would have had a clear shot anyways so...."

I think that there are rules, so they should be followed. Of course, this doesn't mean we need to spend five minutes over each putt - but once you're playing at a level where you are comparing scores to other golfers then you should play to a universal standard as far as rules were concerned.

if I drew a three point line 5 feet away from the basketball net, then I'm sure I could be a better three point shooter than anyone in the NBA, but the point is that that's not basketball.

It's a measuring stick that's all. If penalty strokes mean you shoot 125 or keep you from shooting scratch, that's just the way the game is. The distance of a three point shot prevents me from being an awesome three point shooter, but I don't complain and then change the rules!

anyways...perhaps I am an uptight freak, but I personally think that if you've ever told anyone in the world what score you shot the other day...you should be following the rules.

if you always play alone and never tell anyone what you score....give yourself 0.5 strokes for each swing you make...who cares??

anyways...that's my two cents!

[Queen of the Beach]

It really isn't that difficult to play by the rules. If you don't see the ball land or if you hit it anywhere close to the woods or fescue, hit a provisional. If the ball is hit anywhere in the direction of OB, hit a provisional.

If more people did this, the "moral dilemma" of whether or not to go back to the tee would rarely happen. I'm told that in Europe golfers hit provisionals all the time (in my experience it is very rare on this side of the Atlantic), and therefore the "walk of shame" is extremely rare. On those few occasions when it is necessary, the proper etiquette is to give the group behind you the option of playing through.

And if your ball is under a tree and you don't want to play it, declare it unplayable and drop with one penalty stroke. You won't be cheating, you won't ruin your clubs - and you'll probably be no worse off than trying to pitch it out anyway.

Now that wasn't too hard, was it?

El tigre, I love to take the 1 penalty and call an unplayable lie. I do this whenever:
My ball is at the lip of a bunker (I will move the ball back to the centre of the bunker and add 1 stroke),
My ball is beside a tree root, underneath a pine tree, or in the rocks/ gravel beside the cart paths (I will move it 1 club length back and add 1 stroke),
My ball is next to a water hazard and I can't hit it with out a left handed club. (I will move it 2 club lengths back and add 1 stroke)

Since I've been playing more golf and learning the rules, I realize that I am much harder on myself and try to follow the rules more than a lot of my other gfs who also play golf. And even I don't follow it to the book. Because I thought I only needed to count 3 if I lose my ball and play from the spot where I think it may have landed. I gotta admit it is pretty tempting to cheat. Because, my friends would tell me their casual golfer score at the end of a round (meaning they count their strokes without including their mulligans and gimme putts) and their score will always be 10 to 15 strokes better than me.

But as someone else said on this thread, you won't ever improve if you cheat and you are only cheating yourself.

One more thing, if you playing with your friends who are only playing for fun and not keeping score, then do not pressure them about following the rules.
However, for those who insist on counting and cheating, then just ask them to tell you their fairways hit, # of GIRs, or # of putts a round. You'll quickly find out if they are telling the truth.

[goshawk]

Queen, I agree with you. Most new golfers don't realize that they can declare an unplayable lie at any time on the course from tee to green, no matter where the ball is located (except in a water hazard) and the player is the sole person to make that judgement. And you make the proper drop by keeping the ball in the bunker. But, if you're not in the bunker, you have the option of dropping within 2 club lengths OR going back as far as you like, keeping the original spot between you and the hole.

[el tigre]

Well done QOTB! Goshawk is correct that you can actually drop with two clublengths if you wish, not just one. And he is also correct that you can also go back as far as you like (whether you're in or out of a bunker), as long as you drop in the bunker if your ball is in a bunker. Just remember:

Penalty Stroke = two clublengths
Free Relief = one clublength

Another option if you are under the lip of a bunker (or you really don't like bunker shots) is to declare the ball unplayable, take a penalty stroke and play from the spot where your previous shot was made (which can be outside the bunker). This can be a good choice if you chipped or pitched into the bunker from close range and ended up under the lip or with a "fried-egg" lie.

[goshawk]

Tigre, you're right about the third option. It's the only time (I believe) that you can take a ball out of a bunker to play it.

Side question Tigre. I'm going to be in Ottawa on Friday and may be able to squeeze in 9 holes. Any suggestions?

[el tigre]

Tigre, you're right about the third option. It's the only time (I believe) that you can take a ball out of a bunker to play it.

Side question Tigre. I'm going to be in Ottawa on Friday and may be able to squeeze in 9 holes. Any suggestions? If it was 18 holes I would say Eagle Creek in Dunrobin, but I don't think they have a 9-hole rate. So your best bet is probably Emerald Links near Greely. Have fun!

[goshawk]

Thanks!

[TourIQ]

I think some of you take this game way to serious. Unless your playing for money, on tour, etc..... which I can see painstakingly sticking to the rules.

Sorry KingCobra :rolleyes: BUT I CHEATED :eek: when I completed your online survey ... :rofl:

[landlord]

More people would take the 1-stroke unplayable if they knew you could drop anywhere behind the unplayable spot, keeping the unplayable spot between you and the hole. Same with water hazards.

Especially on doglegs, you'd be surprised how much this knowledge helps you.

[nuffstyle]

More people would take the 1-stroke unplayable if they knew you could drop anywhere behind the unplayable spot, keeping the unplayable spot between you and the hole. Same with water hazards.

Especially on doglegs, you'd be surprised how much this knowledge helps you.

I was under the impression that you had to stay on a line between the unplayable spot and the spot where you last hit from, not the hole.

Am I wrong on this one?

I always thought that it didn't make sense that you could make a bad shot then follow a line between the unplayable spot and the hole, potentially giving you a really big advantage on certain dogleg holes.

Also, if you're allowed to move backwards on an imaginary line between the unplayable spot and the hole... I can imagine a scenario like this:

You hit to the right side of a tree lined fairway on a pretty straight hole. Imagine that the hole is in the very center of the green. You get to your ball and it is unplayable....if you had to move backwards on a line between the unplayable spot and the hole...wouldn't you just keep moving farther into the woods??

Can anyone clarify this?:help:

[goshawk]

"Rule 28b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped."
RCGA Rules of Golf, Ball Unplayable.

In your scenario, you have 2 other options: stroke and distance (hit your next shot as near as possible to your previous spot - 1 stroke penalty), or drop within 2 clublengths of the unplayable (no nearer the hole). One of these 3 methods should give you a playable shot, if not at the green then at least back to the fairway.

[Grobar]

The way I see it, there are NO "lost balls"! If you hit the ball in the bush and can't find it, don't worry, simply put another one besides the bush, take one penalty stroke and move on.

Your ball will eventually be found by someone else, so in essence it no longer is a "lost ball" but a "STOLEN BALL" thus you are off the hook and never should have been penalized TWO strokes, or at the very least (if you did mark two stroke penalty), now erase one stroke from your score card.

How's that for logic, not to mention "excuse". Any rules about stolen balls?? :help:

[nuffstyle]

"Rule 28b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped."
RCGA Rules of Golf, Ball Unplayable.

In your scenario, you have 2 other options: stroke and distance (hit your next shot as near as possible to your previous spot - 1 stroke penalty), or drop within 2 clublengths of the unplayable (no nearer the hole). One of these 3 methods should give you a playable shot, if not at the green then at least back to the fairway.

Thanks Goshawk! I don't know why, but I always feel so much more secure when someone on TGN answers my questions!! I'll have to keep that in mind next time out...(hopefully I won't have to use that rule though...)