Do you honor this rule?

[lendaddy]

I know what you are supposed to do, but hear me out, I'm just looking for what you do do, not what you should do.

You're playing a round on a forest lined course. You over draw or fade your ball into the woods at about 260 yards. You saw it bounce in and you know where it is within 5-10 yards, no out-of-bounds on the hole. You get there and look and look and look, but no ball! Hmm, none of the woodlines are red staked and the card says nothing of the woods being hazards! Lost ball, go back and retee @ 3, or drop at point of entry (play as hazard) hitting 3. Again, what do you and your group do?

[Montagle]

Same as you do. Drop at the point the ball entered the woods. I will try my very best to find it and then proceed from there as unplayable (or punch out), but if the ball is not to be found I have my partners assign me a place they felt it went in, and play three from there.

Except my balls tend to hop into forests at about 245. Montaglish, don't ya know....

[bdcrowe]

I'm just looking for what you do do.

The do do is on another thread.

Seriously, though. I drop where it went out and assign the appropriate penalty strokes.

[lendaddy]

See that's just it. We do the same thing using the theory that we don't have a dozen marshalls watching our ball. However in a big tourney I was leading and got to the 12'th hole and promptly put one in the woods. We noticed that there were no red stakes, so I hit two more(yea that's right, 2 more ) from the tee until I got one in play. At that point I was done and just played for skins from there on out. The tourney was "strict rules" so I think I did the right thing, but I did ask the course owner (a buddy) if he wanted me to buy him some red stakes afterwards.

[VTDivot]

You can hit a provisional there and play 3 from the tee... this way you don't have to walk back to the tee. If the woods are not staked, then you cannot play from point of entry. Is a stroke and distance penalty... I know you said you knew the rule, but it just makes sense to hit a provisional ball if you are certain there is no hazard stakes where your ball went in.

This is just how I would play it... hitting 3 from the tree line is a full stroke of cheating. You should be htting your provisional ball as your 4th shot... there are a dozen ways to skin it.... I know some guys that will hit 2 from the tree line

[fred3]

Well if it's in a tournament I go back and retee. If it's with friends and the score isn't getting turned in for hndcp I do what you do.

[Bravo35223]

See that's just it. We do the same thing using the theory that we don't have a dozen marshalls watching our ball. However in a big tourney I was leading and got to the 12'th hole and promptly put one in the woods. We noticed that there were no red stakes, so I hit two more(yea that's right, 2 more ) from the tee until I got one in play. At that point I was done and just played for skins from there on out. The tourney was "strict rules" so I think I did the right thing, but I did ask the course owner (a buddy) if he wanted me to buy him some red stakes afterwards.

len:

The red stakes define a lateral hazard. Woods are not a hazard.

The most suitable way for your golf courseownerfriend to stake the woods would be white stakes for OOB.

And they are right, any time you have any reason to believe you will not be able to find your ball - you hit provisional.

Lost Ball - Stroke and Distance from point of prior shot.

Lateral Hazard - drop the ball at the point of entry to the hazard and take one stroke penalty.

[lendaddy]

I probably dramatized it a little, I did hit provisionals, 3 of em I was trying to make a point and I do know the rule. I did not however know that woods are never hazards? Are you sure you're right on that? I could swear I've read cards that say something like "woods right on 4,8,11,and 13 are lateral hazards. Maybe I'm out of it, it has been over a month.

[Montagle]

If you hit a provo from the tee, you are hitting your third, not fourth shot.

it's always best to play a provo, but in some instances balls dissappear in places where you never thought they could. So you get there, to the edge of the trees, and your ball cannot be found.

Of course you should go back to the tee, but if it is a crowded day and there is a group waiting it just does not make sense.

I won't go back to the tee and say "Sorry guys, couldn't find my first tee ball, sorry you had to wait while I walked back here after searching, and now you have to wait for me to hit again, and then wait for me to walk back to wherever this one goes"

That's not particularly cool regardless of the rules.
The USGA changed the OB rule 2 years ago to prevent this very thing from happening.

[lendaddy]

Yep, 3 from the tee, I must have said it wrong. My little experience ended up being 7 from the tee. No we never found any of the first 3 as there was heavy ground cover in the woods.

What I was getting at, is that I have played with plenty of people who consider a woods ball an automatic drop from the edge, even when it went in so deep it put their a$$ to sleep, with nope hope of finding it. Just wondered if that was common play?

[VTDivot]

If you hit a provo from the tee, you are hitting your third, not fourth shot.

it's always best to play a provo, but in some instances balls dissappear in places where you never thought they could. So you get there, to the edge of the trees, and your ball cannot be found.

Of course you should go back to the tee, but if it is a crowded day and there is a group waiting it just does not make sense.

I won't go back to the tee and say "Sorry guys, couldn't find my first tee ball, sorry you had to wait while I walked back here after searching, and now you have to wait for me to hit again, and then wait for me to walk back to wherever this one goes"

That's not particularly cool regardless of the rules.
The USGA changed the OB rule 2 years ago to prevent this very thing from happening.

When I said hitting his provisional ball as his 4th, I was referring to his ball once it was in play after he teed it. I could have worded that better I suppose