Switching out to a different ball when putting

[bulls9999]

Got a player in our group that switches out a different ball when putting.  Not sure if I should call that out or not.  Anyone else do this or allow this, or is it fair game to call it out?

[MtlJeff]

Is he posting scores or just someone who plays for fun?

 

If he's posting scores i'd remind him that this isn't allowed and position it just as "hey , make sure you don't do this in an event or something"

 

If he's just a weekend dude that plays for fun, wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean you could tell him just for his own knowledge. But i wouldn't care if he wanted to keep doing it

[bulls9999]

1 hour ago, MtlJeff said:

Is he posting scores or just someone who plays for fun?

 

If he's posting scores i'd remind him that this isn't allowed and position it just as "hey , make sure you don't do this in an event or something"

 

If he's just a weekend dude that plays for fun, wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean you could tell him just for his own knowledge. But i wouldn't care if he wanted to keep doing it

 

Yes, we all post scores. That's a good idea because we all play MGA's as well.  So maybe letting him know, "hey, you may do that here, but don't try doing that in an MGA, it's not allowed". Maybe conscience will get him to stop at that point. Personally I don't care, unless that is some kind of non-conforming trick ball that maintains a line or something.

[miamistomp]

 Back in my junior days  ( balata ) we all used to have a " putting ball "

 Balls were expensive and cut easily so it was agreed we would use a good ball for putting 

 Otherwise you would be putting a bunch of exposed rubber bands

[Abh159]

Unless his ball is damaged or he is taking relief from something switching balls mid-hole is against the rules. If you want more info or just to educate yourself start here - https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/topics/golf-ball.html

 

Now whether or not you want to allow him to do it is up to you. If he is posting these scores then someone definitely needs to say something to him. Would you be okay with him carrying 26 clubs each round and then posting those scores?

 

If he does it in a competition you can bet your blank that someone is going to call him out on it and penalize him. 

[HoosierHacker89]

Unless it was a tourney I wouldn’t care.
If you guys are posting scores this isn’t allowed. I’ve never been one to switch balls for putting. I’ve always lost them fast enough that it don’t matter. 

[Primo1868]

I play balls I find off the tee on par 4’s/5’s then drop my preferred playing ball (Srixon Z star XV’s) to play the rest of the hole. 
 

the reasoning is because I lose ~3 balls per round, and, I don’t like losing a $4 ball because I’m an average player. If I play for money, I ask my partner(s) if they mind that I do this. If they mind, I don’t do it. I don’t do this when I play in tournaments or club events, though. 

[llewol007]

Can’t do it when the scores really count 

[DON SVO]

17 minutes ago, Primo1868 said:

I play balls I find off the tee on par 4’s/5’s then drop my preferred playing ball (Srixon Z star XV’s) to play the rest of the hole. 
 

the reasoning is because I lose ~3 balls per round, and, I don’t like losing a $4 ball because I’m an average player. If I play for money, I ask my partner(s) if they mind that I do this. If they mind, I don’t do it. I don’t do this when I play in tournaments or club events, though. 

 

I do the same in casual rounds, when I'm not sharp (like with this recent layoff in golf play) I can miss badly off the tee. I'd rather lose the junk ball than the ProV1x in my back pocket off the tee.

[MtlJeff]

24 minutes ago, DON SVO said:

 

I do the same in casual rounds, when I'm not sharp (like with this recent layoff in golf play) I can miss badly off the tee. I'd rather lose the junk ball than the ProV1x in my back pocket off the tee.

 

LOL, we have a course where the first hole has OB on both sides. In my casual rounds i'm always teeing off there with a busted up Pro V1, especially if i haven't been to the range yet.

 

I'm not losing a good ball on the first swing!

[DON SVO]

1 minute ago, MtlJeff said:

 

LOL, we have a course where the first hole has OB on both sides. In my casual rounds i'm always teeing off there with a busted up Pro V1, especially if i haven't been to the range yet.

 

I'm not losing a good ball on the first swing!

 

Correct, the "breakfast ball" sure as hell isn't gonna be a new Titleist right out of the sleeve... it's gonna be that Bridgestone E6 I snagged from my buddies' bag when he wasn't paying attention.

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, MtlJeff said:

 

LOL, we have a course where the first hole has OB on both sides. In my casual rounds i'm always teeing off there with a busted up Pro V1, especially if i haven't been to the range yet.

 

I'm not losing a good ball on the first swing!

 

Always go with the "worst ball in the bag" off the first tee if I haven't had a warmup. And sometimes if I have.

[farmer]

As Miami said, back in the day, everyone had a putting ball.  If you've never played a balata ball, it's hard to imagine how bad those balls were.

[bulls9999]

3 hours ago, miamistomp said:

 Back in my junior days  ( balata ) we all used to have a " putting ball "

 Balls were expensive and cut easily so it was agreed we would use a good ball for putting 

 Otherwise you would be putting a bunch of exposed rubber bands

I remember that.... when I started playing (at ~age 28 in ~1982) I remember ball after ball, 'smiles' all the time complaining about these 'cheap balls', lol.  Must have been my bad swing early on making me make 'smiley factes' on the golf balls....maybe 8 in one round.

[Loki]

2 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

 

LOL, we have a course where the first hole has OB on both sides. In my casual rounds i'm always teeing off there with a busted up Pro V1, especially if i haven't been to the range yet.

 

I'm not losing a good ball on the first swing!

Doesn't it defeat the purpose of using a "OB" ball when there is OB in play? You shouldn't be surprised if that bad ball goes OB, right? Because you expect the OB ball to go out of bounds.

[dubbelbogey]

For casual rounds, I have a separate ball for putting, but it's identical in make/model/year to my tee ball. The only reason I do this is for speed and expediency so I always have a clean ball to putt with and it's one less thing to do before putting. I've just never been a fan of dragging a wet towel onto the green. My buddies all know about this, a lot of them do the same, and none of them have an issue with it. Yeah, technically not within the rules, but hey, I still sleep well at night.

 

Of course, if I'm in any real sanctioned competition, doing this is not allowed, so I don't do this in that situation.

 

[Qqq123xx]

Not allowed. Have to play same ball thru hole unless damaged. 

 

I every so often like to play 3-4 different balls just for the fun of it. Never post the score though. 

[2bGood]

4 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

 

LOL, we have a course where the first hole has OB on both sides. In my casual rounds i'm always teeing off there with a busted up Pro V1, especially if i haven't been to the range yet.

 

I'm not losing a good ball on the first swing!

I kind find this to be 'bad luck' - like introducing a non-helpful thought to the mix. 

 

I am so bad about this that I won't carry two balls in my pocket at any time as thinking I need a 'back-up' could pollute my commitment to the shot I am making. 

[jholz]

Back in my junior golf days, and I kind of hate to admit it because it sounds weird when I verbalize it, but I deliberately worked to get to the point where I could play golf with only one ball in my pocket and no junk balls in the bag.

 

For me, carrying those extra balls around was a sign of weakness, a clear signal to myself and others that I lacked confidence.

 

Since then, I generally carry no more than six premium balls in my bag. At my home course it's typically three.

 

 

 

[BIG STU]

6 minutes ago, jholz said:

Back in my junior golf days, and I kind of hate to admit it because it sounds weird when I verbalize it, but I deliberately worked to get to the point where I could play golf with only one ball in my pocket and no junk balls in the bag.

 

For me, carrying those extra balls around was a sign of weakness, a clear signal to myself and others that I lacked confidence.

 

Since then, I generally carry no more than six premium balls in my bag. At my home course it's typically three.

 

 

 

As SOP for me at my home course I only carry 6 balls---- Like I have told countless others If I lose more than 6 balls in a round I need to do one of 2 things hit the range or go home---- At this stage of my life it will be more than likely the latter

[2bGood]

4 minutes ago, jholz said:

Back in my junior golf days, and I kind of hate to admit it because it sounds weird when I verbalize it, but I deliberately worked to get to the point where I could play golf with only one ball in my pocket and no junk balls in the bag.

 

For me, carrying those extra balls around was a sign of weakness, a clear signal to myself and others that I lacked confidence.

 

Since then, I generally carry no more than six premium balls in my bag. At my home course it's typically three.

 

 

 

Yes I am somewhat the same way. At my home course typically I only carry 3 balls. The other day I realised on the first tee I had no balls in my bag and just had the ball in my pocket. I had time to go to my locker, but I was like 'F-it, I feel good about my game'. I had one of my best rounds of the year and did not lose the ball.

 

(it is not nearly as heroic/idiotic as it sounds as I was with friends and could borrow a ball and reload at the turn)

[Abh159]

Keeping a ball in your pocket because you think you might hit one OB or into the water is a guaranteed way to hit one OB or into the water.

 

Nothing makes me laugh harder than seeing a guy have his next ball re-teed and ready to go before the first one even hits the ground 🤣

[BIG STU]

4 minutes ago, 2bGood said:

Yes I am somewhat the same way. At my home course typically I only carry 3 balls. The other day I realised on the first tee I had no balls in my bag and just had the ball in my pocket. I had time to go to my locker, but I was like 'F-it, I feel good about my game'. I had one of my best rounds of the year and did not lose the ball.

 

(it is not nearly as heroic/idiotic as it sounds as I was with friends and could borrow a ball and reload at the turn)

LOL I hear you--- The other night we played in the couples 9 and dine and I had not played in two weeks and had no Idea  what I would do. So I used some of the Srixon Marathon balls I had won had like 30 of them. They are a cheap 2 piece ball but pretty good for what they are. Played the whole 9 with one ball. Now Thursday when I played with fellow WRXer Cardoustie I used a Q Star which I also have won quite a few of. I think I did lose one. Friday I was just knocking it around with another guy I know and used the old Marathon and played 18 holes with it. That old Marathon was beat up. I used it for a chance to rag my bud who is one of the owners and one of the pros. I told him as I flipped it to him that those balls were a POS that he ought to be ashamed to give those away as prizes. He did not bat an eye and he asked how many rounds did I have on it? I told him 27 holes. He laughed and said There is no one around here that can play the same ball for 27 holes and not lose it. Now it is in the shag bag. I may put it in the hitting net stock at the house to see just long it would hold up

[Pepperturbo]

I've seen a number of casual guys switch balls from tee to on the green, see people break all kinds of golf rules.  I am pretty sure, in most cases, they don't know the rules, and in some cases, they might, but not care.  Even then, it's not my responsibly to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, unless I am asked.  Personally, I don't carry an extra ball in my pocket, cause I seldom lose balls.

 

To the OP, NO.  Unless there's a $$$ game or tournament, I don't say anything since it doesn't affect me.  Besides, I don't know if those people have indexes and posting scores or not, and I am not about to question them. 

 

Golf rules are different from injecting myself in to a situation where a thief/criminal is about to or is breaking the law and I can help stop it.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[bobfoster]

25 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

Keeping a ball in your pocket because you think you might hit one OB or into the water is a guaranteed way to hit one OB or into the water.

Disagree. I've always got my standard six-pack in my bag, with two of them always in my pocket - one that I tee up, and one in case a shot goes bad (this is just courtesy, I don't want to have to go back to my bag if I need another ball - however, they are kept in two different pockets, I never switch balls in the middle of a hole).

 

I'm not that bad a golfer, and quite often play 18 without losing a ball. But I don't care how good someone is, this is golf. I watched a not inconsiderable number of pros plunk it into the water at the Hero last weekend. 

 

Which brings up the second point, the course - depends on how familiar you are with it, and the nature of the course itself. There are courses I have played many times. Know the distances from just about anywhere my ball winds up. Not only know what the right shot should be, but also know where my miss should be. I rarely lose more than one ball (if any) on these courses.

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, if I'm playing a course for the first time blind - especially a links course with a lot of tall grasses, or courses with narrow fairways and a lot of water, etc., I'll carry my standard six, and stick in another sleeve just in case. (There is absolutely no downside to having more balls than you wind up needing, put a pretty huge downside to having less.)

[bobfoster]

30 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

I've seen a number of casual guys switch balls from tee to on the green.  I see people break all kinds of golf rules.  I am pretty sure, in most cases, they don't know the rules, and in some cases, they might not care about the rules.  Even then, it's not my responsibly to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, unless I am asked.

 

To the OP, NO.  Unless there's a $$$ game or tournament, I don't say anything since it doesn't affect me.  Besides, I don't know if those people have indexes and posting scores or not. 

 

Golf rules are different from injecting myself in to a situation where a thief/criminal is about to or is breaking the law and I can help to stop it.

 Agree 100%. I walk on as a single a lot (my work schedule is quite erratic, often hard to plan a week in advance, so I often find myself thinking "the afternoon opened up - I can sneak in 18). Means I play a lot with strangers, whomever they stick me with. I never give unsolicited advice, nor mention anything about how they are choosing to play. I personally love the structure the RoG delivers. Strictly adhere even when I'm playing alone (a good score simply wouldn't be nearly as satisfying). 

 

However, a lot of amateurs partially follow them, or selectively follow them, or pretty much ignore them completely. Either because they don't really care, or (most often) because they don't really know them at anything more than a casual level. Don't have any stats (don't know if they even exist) but I wouldn't be surprised if over half the golfers on a course on any given weekend have never actually read the RoG all the way through. 

 

Point is, most of the time I just consider what anyone else is doing none of my darn business.

 

Playing with something an the line, however - a club tournament, charity tournament, or even for skins with friends - is an entirely different story. In that case, I'm positively a rules nazi. Definitely will say something (and for their convenience, I have the USGA Rules of Golf Mobile App on my phone ... 😎)

[Greenie]

2 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

For casual rounds, I have a separate ball for putting, but it's identical in make/model/year to my tee ball. The only reason I do this is for speed and expediency so I always have a clean ball to putt with and it's one less thing to do before putting. I've just never been a fan of dragging a wet towel onto the green. My buddies all know about this, a lot of them do the same, and none of them have an issue with it. Yeah, technically not within the rules, but hey, I still sleep well at night.

 

Of course, if I'm in any real sanctioned competition, doing this is not allowed, so I don't do this in that situation.

 

This is what my regular foursome does too. As long as it is the same model ball you are allowed to swap to a clean ball. 

[MtlJeff]

1 hour ago, 2bGood said:

I kind find this to be 'bad luck' - like introducing a non-helpful thought to the mix. 

 

I am so bad about this that I won't carry two balls in my pocket at any time as thinking I need a 'back-up' could pollute my commitment to the shot I am making. 

 

Normally it works out for me, i rarely lose balls to be honest. I just hate pulling a brand new ball out on the first hole when there's OB. I'm weird like that

 

I'm not overly superstitious and am firmly a math guy. But some things, i just am weird with.

 

Like i won't use a new ball in tournaments. I always pick one that i've used for a few holes in another round. Like it's proven itself already LOL

[Soloman1]

Now you've done it.

 

It won't be long until a ball company makes sleeves with 3 different balls - one for driving, one for iron play and a putting ball. It'll be a new thing.

 

"Hey, y'all hold on while I go get a putting ball from the cart..."

 

I think most casual players don't give a hoot about rules like this. 

[2bGood]

1 hour ago, bobfoster said:

(There is absolutely no downside to having more balls than you wind up needing, put a pretty huge downside to having less.)

 6 balls weight the same as 1 golf club - both at around 3/4lb. If you walk and carry your will notice you bag being 3/4 lb lighter. 

 

I don't like to carry anything I don't really need as prefer to walk and carry my bag. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by 2bGood