How can most golfers possibly follow the rules of golf and maintain

[North Butte]

47 minutes ago, TrueBlue4Lyfe said:

So he wasn’t playing by the rules?

Nope we weren't competing, just playing golf.

 

Although in the group I regularly play with if I don't see my ball after a quick, perfunctory look around I just pick up and let my partner(s) play the hole. Post it as net double bogey for handicap.

 

Golf is supposed to be fun. Tromping around in the weeds hoping to stumble over your ball is the opposite of fun IMO. 

[MountainKing]

41 minutes ago, North Butte said:

Nope we weren't competing, just playing golf.

 

Although in the group I regularly play with if I don't see my ball after a quick, perfunctory look around I just pick up and let my partner(s) play the hole. Post it as net double bogey for handicap.

 

Golf is supposed to be fun. Tromping around in the weeds hoping to stumble over your ball is the opposite of fun IMO. 

 

Pretty much spot on, unless it's a tournament I am not bothering with anything in the weeds or anywhere suspect if I can't find it on the edge.  To many instances over the years of getting all nicked up with plants, poison ivy, bug bites, snakes, twisting an ankle from a foot going into a hole you didn't see etc, or the worst was tearing my tfcc playing out of weeds.  I'll take my two strokes and gladly drop and move on.  I feel like in general it's pretty obvious when you'll find it. 

[North Butte]

12 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

 

Pretty much spot on, unless it's a tournament I am not bothering with anything in the weeds or anywhere suspect if I can't find it on the edge.  To many instances over the years of getting all nicked up with plants, poison ivy, bug bites, snakes, twisting an ankle from a foot going into a hole you didn't see etc, or the worst was tearing my tfcc playing out of weeds.  I'll take my two strokes and gladly drop and move on.  I feel like in general it's pretty obvious when you'll find it. 

It wasn't looking for a ball exactly (I could see it OK) but trying to punch a ball out of the woods a few months ago I was wearing running shoes with mesh tops. I accidentally kicked a little twig, it broke and it impaled my foot right through the soft top of the shoe. Not a serious injury but it drew blood and pinched like a bugger the rest of the day. 

 

I went back to wearing golf shoes!

 

Some of the guys I play with are ball hawks, they carry retrievers and everything. They will go off into swampy areas or whatever and try to retrieve some muddy old random ball they see in there. I hope it never happens but one of these days somebody's going to get bit by a snake doing that and it ain't worth it just to take a few extra balls home and store in your garage with all the other found "treasures". 

[betarhoalphadelta]

28 minutes ago, North Butte said:

 

Some of the guys I play with are ball hawks, they carry retrievers and everything. They will go off into swampy areas or whatever and try to retrieve some muddy old random ball they see in there. I hope it never happens but one of these days somebody's going to get bit by a snake doing that and it ain't worth it just to take a few extra balls home and store in your garage with all the other found "treasures". 

 

I just don't get that on so many levels. 

 

I'm not very good at golf. My game is inconsistent. But I always play the same brand/model of ball, and buy them new. So I know every bad shot I hit is 100% on me. 

 

I can't imagine playing water balls of unknown origin and random brand/model. Ball goes short on approach. Was it a bad swing or bad ball? Ball goes long on approach. Did I just strike it REALLY well and better than usual, or was it a 2pc surlyn distance ball and if I'd played my normal ball with a little more spin it would have been pin high? 

 

Not only do these ball hawkers slow things down, but it can't be good for their golf game to actually play those random balls. 

[TrueBlue4Lyfe]

2 hours ago, North Butte said:

Nope we weren't competing, just playing golf.

 

Although in the group I regularly play with if I don't see my ball after a quick, perfunctory look around I just pick up and let my partner(s) play the hole. Post it as net double bogey for handicap.

 

Golf is supposed to be fun. Tromping around in the weeds hoping to stumble over your ball is the opposite of fun IMO. 

Okay so your argument either just don’t care about your score or don’t play by the rules 

[North Butte]

53 minutes ago, TrueBlue4Lyfe said:

Okay so your argument either just don’t care about your score or don’t play by the rules 

The Rules do not obligate you to look for lost balls. And unless you're playing a non-score-limited form of stroke play the Rules do not obligate you to finish a hole. And I never play non-score-limited forms of stroke play. It's either match play or a points/quota game. So I care about my points but not my medal score. 

[TrueBlue4Lyfe]

16 minutes ago, North Butte said:

The Rules do not obligate you to look for lost balls. And unless you're playing a non-score-limited form of stroke play the Rules do not obligate you to finish a hole. And I never play non-score-limited forms of stroke play. It's either match play or a points/quota game. So I care about my points but not my medal score. 

okay so just don’t care about your score.  That kind of sucks for the many people who do 

Edited August 31, 2023 by TrueBlue4Lyfe

[North Butte]

3 minutes ago, TrueBlue4Lyfe said:

okay so just don’t care about your score.  That kind of sucks for the many people who do 

I care about my score in the game I'm playing. Which is not stroke play. It's match play or Stableford or a pseudo-Stableford points game. 

 

If someone's out there frequently losing balls and trying to finish every hole with a stroke play score, it kind of sucks being them if you ask me. What a mug's game. 

[Golferpaul]

19 hours ago, TrueBlue4Lyfe said:

very easy for say a 20 handicap to have 6 balls “lost” but potentially findable per round.

 

I guess the consensus in this thread is that they should just accept their 2 stroke penalties without taking the full amount of time to look for it.

 

No. No consensus.

[North Butte]

There's no consensus, no "should". Just do whatever you like. Although if you're going to be looking for more than the allowed 3 minutes please let me play through. 

[Maine Golfer]

Im in the high 20s handicap , I can play 9 holes of golf in just over an hour if its clear. Im not asking people to match my pace, its the the "unready golf" that kills me. Make an effort, let faster groups play through. Thats all im asking. Again you dont need to be me but standing over the ball for 3 mins doesn't shave any strokes. 

[st1800e]

3 hours ago, Maine Golfer said:

standing over the ball for 3 mins doesn't shave any strokes. 

Or 1 minute, or 30 sceconds…..

[Golferpaul]

On 9/1/2023 at 6:18 PM, Maine Golfer said:

 Again you dont need to be me but standing over the ball for 3 mins doesn't shave any strokes. 

I guess I'm fortunate to have never played with somebody who stood over their ball for 3 minutes.

[MountainKing]

On 8/31/2023 at 11:31 AM, North Butte said:

There's no consensus, no "should". Just do whatever you like. Although if you're going to be looking for more than the allowed 3 minutes please let me play through. 

 

The issue with the 3 minute, is a lot of people end up looking for way more than 3 minutes and they insist on having the entire group look before playing any additional shots.  I've said it over and over, if you're actually interested in keeping pace, then you start looking while the rest of the group plays their next shots.  This of course assumes you're searching in an area that isn't in the line of the other shots, have to spell that one out too since people don't want to just assume common sense here.  As guys play their shot they can come help in the search, but generally by the time you get through that third person playing, you're close to time.   There's ways you can do this without backing the place up - and no the rules don't entitle you to have an entire foursome hunt for your ball.

[SNIPERBBB]

2 hours ago, MountainKing said:

 

The issue with the 3 minute, is a lot of people end up looking for way more than 3 minutes and they insist on having the entire group look before playing any additional shots.  I've said it over and over, if you're actually interested in keeping pace, then you start looking while the rest of the group plays their next shots.  This of course assumes you're searching in an area that isn't in the line of the other shots, have to spell that one out too since people don't want to just assume common sense here.  As guys play their shot they can come help in the search, but generally by the time you get through that third person playing, you're close to time.   There's ways you can do this without backing the place up - and no the rules don't entitle you to have an entire foursome hunt for your ball.

Theres a thing called courtesy.

 

You're better off helping a player with a wayward shot find it first, then playing the shots. Keeps that player honest, speeds up finding of said ball. Especially in competition.

 

If the ball is hopeless, we give it a cursory look to satisfy the courtesy, then move on.

[MountainKing]

5 hours ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Theres a thing called courtesy.

 

You're better off helping a player with a wayward shot find it first, then playing the shots. Keeps that player honest, speeds up finding of said ball. Especially in competition.

 

If the ball is hopeless, we give it a cursory look to satisfy the courtesy, then move on.

Courtesy applies to the entire course, not just your group.

[SNIPERBBB]

8 hours ago, MountainKing said:

Courtesy applies to the entire course, not just your group.

Casual rounds, which I might play one or two a year, we might do a cursory look. Competition golf, you help look. Going backwards on the golf course is poor form and a good way to catch a ball with your teeth.  Its rare that you're lookng for a ball thats closer to the hole than the rest of your fellow competitors. So you help look on the way to your ball. Higher the grass/brush is where the ball is likely in, the shorter we look. When time is up or its obvious the ball cant be found or even it it could be found they cant hit it, you move on to your ball. 

[MountainKing]

10 hours ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Casual rounds, which I might play one or two a year, we might do a cursory look. Competition golf, you help look. Going backwards on the golf course is poor form and a good way to catch a ball with your teeth.  Its rare that you're lookng for a ball thats closer to the hole than the rest of your fellow competitors. So you help look on the way to your ball. Higher the grass/brush is where the ball is likely in, the shorter we look. When time is up or its obvious the ball cant be found or even it it could be found they cant hit it, you move on to your ball. 

 

Well yeah, comp rounds are a very different beast and pace of play is generally out the window, especially if it's an event involving higher handicap golfers.  If it's a casual round, do what you can to not hold the course up.