Will you help me find my ball??????

[limpalong]

The Open Championship course has been closed for play for a couple of months. Two weeks ago, a club membership tourney was held. This allowed the members to experience the course in similar condition to how it would play for The Open. Over 480 golf balls were lost during that single, one-day tourney. So, I got to thinking...

Friday, The Open coverage showed the search for a lost ball of Tiger's. The crowd following TW was so large, it seemed hundreds were assisting in looking for his lost ball. At about the same time, another lesser known player was also searching for his ball. There, due to not as "famous a foursome", it seemed 6 or 8 folks were searching the rough for the ball.

Today, Steve Marino lost a ball on a Par 3. Initially, only a dozen or so were searching the knee deep rough. So, a rope was lowered so the spectators from the other side of the green could assist in the search. Just before the 5 minutes was up, the ball was found.

What's fair?? Is it fair and equitable that dozens search for the lost ball of one player and only a handfull search for the ball of another?? Should the number of those allowed to search for a lost ball be limited? Or, do those players with the larger galleries just have an unfair advantage??

Any discussion???

[Nikonut]

I think only the player should search.

[Wi-Golfer]

I don't get help looking for my ball besides possibly a playing partner or 2. The pro's shouldn't be any different, find your own damn ball.

[nututhugame]

These people weren't born with those fans. I guess what i'm saying is that I wouldn't help Sergio look for his. If I knew where it was i'd step on it.

[FATC1TY]

I think the spotters in that area, and the player and his caddie should only be allowed to look... No help. Keeps it fair.

[xamilo]

There should be a short time limit about a minute or two. If you can't find it by then then shoot another one...

[halifax_golfer]

It's definitly un-fair that one player can have a hundred people looking for his ball, and the other player gets a dozen people.

Players should have to find there ball between them, the spotters and the caddie. It always makes me mad to see so many people looking for a ball. It's just not right.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Legitimate question. I think they should have a designated area where the crowd is allowed to go. If it is outside of that area, I think it should be left up to the fans what they choose to do. If it is inside that area, I do not feel the fans should be permitted inside that area to help.

Granted, it is usually the stray shots that require looking in an area they are permitted. What are you going to do, tell a fan they are not permitted in an area that is designated for the gallery, or simply tell them they must look upwards when a ball comes their way? Also poses a question that weekend golfers face. I have played with guys that were in match or stroke play competition and would not their competition find a ball. Have always felt that if it is in a place where I would look for my own, I would help them look. (... and through experience am very good at finding stray golf balls. :)) If I wouldn't look for my own, I would not. Which for me, unless it is just really ugly or there are some kinds of poison ivy I will look. Have also played against guys that would not go in even a sparse area of woods to help me, then when they do the same they kinda stand around waiting for someone to find their ball, I just stay in the cart and wait. Part of the nature of the sport, where most people in the sport want to win, they also exhibit sportsmanship towards their competitor. Not sure I want to take that away from the sport outside of also using the philosophy of "What comes around goes around" and leave it up to their best judgement with a designated area.

The only way you could logically do this to make it fair for all parties is to not allow a gallery on the course. Although you would then have a sport where they would be asking the question "If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound"

[limpalong]

The only way you could logically do this to make it fair for all parties is to not allow a gallery on the course. Although you would then have a sport where they would be asking the question "If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound"

PAJ, may I respectfully disagree?? Considering tour events.... Many times an errant tee shot lands close to, or in, the gallery. The ball location will be quickly and easily identified by those close to the landing zone. Quite often, we'll see a group begin to surround ball as it lies in an area trampled by the crowd.

Other times, in events like The Open Championship where the rough is a bona fide penalty, the ball disappears from view in an extremely dense "jungle". For the crowd to assist in finding the ball, it will take dozens walking almost every square inch of a rather large area. Here's where I have difficulty.

If the ball is not immediately visible, only the player and his caddie should be allowed to spend the 5-minutes searching. To allow fore-caddies, rules officials, the pairing's players and caddies, and men and women numbering in the general area of Madonna's sexual conquests... should NOT be allowed. As we've heard on this small discussion board, some would assist certain players but not others. We see galleries following certain players that number in the hundreds. In the same tourney, another pairing could have a gallery of half a dozen spectators.

Of course, the ultimate example is the "movable obstruction" issue of the TW boulder. 98% of tour pros would NOT have had a gallery move a boulder. One did. 69 players would not have been given the same advantage as one. Why should one player be given an advantage over another, simply because that player draws a larger gallery?

I see no reason to remove the spectators from the course. I see no reason do anything but restrict those spectators from giving one player a distinct advantage over another.

[zaphod]

I believe the rules should apply to man hours not outright minutes.

5 minutes one person
1 minute 5 people looking
1 second 300 people looking
1 microsecond (1 millionth) 300,000,000 people looking

speeds up the game IMHO

[mont86]

Was it fair when Tiger had the gallery move a boulder for him? It's just the way things
work out.

[playgolf123]

spam......

[fisher]

At the Open it could actually be a double edged sword having so many people looking for the ball. The more people you have looking the greater the likelyhood that it gets further hidden or trampled down deeper. Better to just cut the rough to a reasonable height or plant some trees.

[IrishGolfer]

Better to just cut the rough to a reasonable height or plant some trees.

Or maybe we could just play Crazy Golf instead! Sorta missing the point of Links golf, or indeed just golf.

On a side note I heard an interesting interpretation of the rules last week. Harrington fired his ball into the crap. Instead of walking directly to his ball, he walked over to help with a ruling from his partner. Meatime the caddy, spotters and spectators were lookinng for his ball. His 5 minutes didn't start until he actually reached the spot, so he got an additional few minutes of search time, he probably knew it would take some time to find. The commentator pointed it out and complimented Harrington in playing the rules to his advantage. Hmmm. Professionalism?

Oh, he found the ball.

[Eracer]

Or maybe we could just play Crazy Golf instead! Sorta missing the point of Links golf, or indeed just golf.

On a side note I heard an interesting interpretation of the rules last week. Harrington fired his ball into the crap. Instead of walking directly to his ball, he walked over to help with a ruling from his partner. Meatime the caddy, spotters and spectators were lookinng for his ball. His 5 minutes didn't start until he actually reached the spot, so he got an additional few minutes of search time, he probably knew it would take some time to find. The commentator pointed it out and complimented Harrington in playing the rules to his advantage. Hmmm. Professionalism?

Oh, he found the ball.

R&A rules must be different than USGA rule:

27-1c. If a ball is lost as a result of not being found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player's Side or his or their caddies have begun to search for it, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).