Play the ball as it lies question

[ClemsonQB]

I know, you are supposed to "play the ball as it lies", but suppose your ball was well struck down the fairway. Even if your ball is in a divot, you should play it there anyway. I often play at courses with poor upkeep, and the divots sometimes are massive...almost holes. I pick my ball up and drop it, does this sound like cheating, or would most of you do the same? Also today, hit it right on the edge of fairway/slight rough, and there is about a 3 foot ditch that is maybe 2-3 inches wide. My ball is in such a way that it is impossible to hit it, and the ditch is just so randomly placed, it almost looks like something that was made by an earthquake, I dropped my ball there too. What do you guys think?

 

[limpalong]

Personally, I play the ball as it lies. We are blessed with a course that has zoyzia fairways and stays in pretty good conditions. But, you can end up in a divot left by an earlier player or any matter of less than "acceptable" lies.

I have played a lot of courses, over the years... many of them not well kept. Playing with "locals", I am often chided for not moving the ball. But, it's just a habit I got in shortly after taking up this game. I don't move the ball and I play it where it lies.

There's a small, brass aligator on my desk. Right on top of his head is a golf ball. On the side of the ball is printed, "Play The Ball As It Lies". I've used that as a motto in life... and in business. You don't get to choose what comes at you... where your ball ends up. Life doesn't give you many chances for "free drops". You have to play it as it lies and deal with the consequences. Knowing that, you will not be as impacted by a "bad lie" since you are used to playing from there and moving forward.

This is a game where it's you and the course. Keep it fun!!!

 

[kwcsports]

I never touch it unless rules allow. I don't care if anyone else does what you did, I just personally don't. I also think that the good lies and bad lies have a way of evening out anyway, as do the good and bad breaks.

 

[twogreen]

I normally play it as it lies. My exception to this is when the ball ends up on a rocky surface that would damage my club and the round I am playing is purely recreational.

 

[FATC1TY]

I play it like it is.. Unless I'm in the woods somewhere, or near where there is a rocky patch of bare ground. I'm no pro, I pay for my clubs, and for a fun round, I'm not about to trash my clubs. I'll move the ball away from the hole, as close as I can to the original area, without having to bash my clubs in to stumps and rocks.

But that is a rarity... If it's something terrible, I've taken a drop, and took my stroke too.

 

[VtDivot]

I play it down all the time. I sawed my 9 iron in half once when playing from a rocky, tree area. Pro sent it to Mizuno and they reshafted it for me for free

 

[wirehair]

Bad lie or divot in the fairway, play it down.

I'm also in the "don't wreck a club" crowd. If I'm in rocky ground because it's the result of a bad shot, I'll take a stroke. If it's the result of poor maintenance, no stroke. I adopted this convention when I put a gash in the sole of an iron.

 

[Tavery1]

Depends, theres a short course(mostly par 3) near me that I play once in a while and some of the fairways have huge holes like can fit a size 11 1/2 shoe in and set down and the lip goes past my ankle.

A diviot or a dead patch of grass I won't move, but something like that where the ball is in play I'll pick it up and move it to the lip of the ditch or hole in the fairway. Or if theres a tree stump in play the usual playing partners say its a free drop since its a "man made hazard"

 

[sssmokin]

My home course gets a huge amount of non-member play on the weekends, and rarely do they repair or replace their giant divots. So on weekends, if your ball is in the fairway, we play "winter rules" where you don't have to hit from these giant holes. But mostly we play it where it lies during the week. Also, I can't afford to be buying new clubs (I'm not WBL for God's sake) so if it's up against tree etc, we move it also, BUT we take a stroke for doing it.

 

[warbirdlover]

If I'm playing with others I try to play the lie. If I'm by myself just working on things I might move it. What makes me laugh is finding tees in the fairway.

 

[WMitch6]

Like most of the other responders it depends. I will usually play it as it lies if I'm playing recreational and not turning in a score I won't hit a ball off rocks or anywhere that might damage me or my club.

A ball in a divot however is a no brainer. Play it as it lies. It's good practice for when it might really count.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I normally play it as it lies. My exception to this is when the ball ends up on a rocky surface that would damage my club and the round I am playing is purely recreational.

With exception to what twogreen just mentioned, I play it as it lies unless there are rocks or such that would affect only the follow through of the club but not my ball. Small imbedded rocks and gravel are commonplace in this area. If they are an obstruction to being able to get the club on the ball or of the ball leaving the clubface, I will live with a penalty, but I will not damage a club if there is say gravel past my shot. Can't afford to buy new clubs each year like the pros. Kinda like if a ball is in a animal hole, and there is a tree in the backswing. The hole is not the only obstruction, so it is not a free drop. I use the same concept in determining if the rocks are an obstruction, or simply a club damaging nuscense.

As far as a divot in the fairway. While I feel it is the worst rule in golf, it is still a rule. Kinda like if my ball lands in a footprint in the sand. Those are the breaks. If a tree kicks what would otherwise be a lost ball back in the fairway, you are not going to see me pick up my ball from the fairway and go drop it in the woods or hit 3 from the tee, because that is what I deserved??? Not a chance. That is a called a "members bounce". A ball in a divot in the fairway is called a "tough break". They usually even themselves out.

In competition, unless the rules state otherwise (which is sometimes the case up here with rocks), I play it down or take a penalty.

 

[VtDivot]

FYI - u guys in tourneys you're going to need to play those crappy lies and maybe *gosh* ding up a wedge

Better to play it down always.

 

[VtDivot]

In competition, unless the rules state otherwise (which is sometimes the case up here with rocks), I play it down or take a penalty.

You mean to tell me you'll take a penalty in competition? Are you mad?

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

You mean to tell me you'll take a penalty in competition? Are you mad?

Probably not. :laugh:

In our last club championship I had a ball lying on a gravel cart path which was considered cart path on the course. I had the option of taking relief from the path, although the closest side I would have had to take relief would have given me an obstructed swing. I ended up playing a 4i Hybrid off the gravel path and getting up and down from there (where I hit it too) to halve the hole, when it appeared to be a lost cause.

The GW I replaced this year was due to a bent shaft. I am convinced the shot where the shaft became bent was when I hit a tree trunk where even had I taken an unplayable lie I would not have had a shot (and they had very lenient rules where you are permit to move a ball in such a case up to the length of the scorecard.). That was in a league championship and I won the hole by 1 as the other guy was in trouble and took a drop.

So while I am willing to sacrifice my clubs if the time is right, had that been any other weekend round I would have likely taken the penalty for the sake of not only my club but my wrists. Actually on the cart path one, I likely would have putted it into the fairway, which would have still cost me one stroke. I think a big part of the reason I halved the hole is the guy freaked out when I played a great shot off the gravel path.