Drops and divots.

[Joe Schmoe]

questions regarding stroke and distance penalties.

ok here's the situation You hit a perfect drive and go find your ball a yard away from some yardage marker sitting in a divot. You play your second shot and it goes into some tall stuff. Not sure you'll find it you call a provisional. Do you have to attempt to drop your ball into the same divot? Lets say your original shot was from a clean lie in the fairway, do you first replace your divot and then attempt to drop your ball on the back edge of the divot? Or is moving 6 inxhes to the side or back acceptable?

The rules wild goose chase.

27-2 Provisional Ball
a. Procedure
If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds, to save time the player may play another ball provisionally in accordance with Rule 27-1. The player must inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he must play it before he or his partnergoes forward to search for the original ball.
If he fails to do so and plays another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1); the original ball is lost.
(Order of play from teeing ground — see Rule 10-3.)
Note: If a provisional ball played under Rule 27-2a might be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, the player may play another provisional ball. If another provisional ball is played, it bears the same relationship to the previous provisional ball as the first provisional ballbears to the original.

27-1 Ball Lost or Out of Bounds
If a ball is lost or is out of bounds, 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).
Exceptions:
1. If there is reasonable evidence that the original ball is lost in a water hazard, the player must proceed in accordance with Rule 26-1.2. If there is reasonable evidence that the original ball is lost in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c) the player may proceed under the applicable Rule. PENALTY FOR BREACH OF Rule 27-1:
Match play — Loss of hole; Stroke play — Two strokes.

20-5 Making Next Stroke from Where Previous Stroke Made
When a player elects or is required to make his next stroke from where a previous stroke was made, he must proceed as follows:
(a) On the Teeing Ground: The ball to be played must be played from within the teeing ground. It may be played from anywhere within the teeing ground and it may be teed. (b) Through the Green and in a Hazard: The ball to be played must be dropped. © On the Putting Green: The ball to be played must be placed. Penalty for Breach of Rule 20-5:
Match play — Loss of hole; Stroke play — Two strokes.

[Joe Schmoe]

Really nobody has the answer?

[hbear]

Good question, I'd email the USGA and let us know what they say.

 

It would make sense if you had to simulate the same lie that you had....however there are many times a player benefits from a "smart" drop....so I would have no idea.

 

(e.g. Player hits ob from fairway bunker...has to drop in bunker...so player tries to drop on an area of sand where he hit with some slope to it so his drop doesn't plug)