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Rules of Golf - Lost Ball
by David Ninnis
ONE OF THE MAJOR MISINTERPRETATIONS OF A GOLF RULE I KNOW, AND THE ONE
THAT COULD COST PLAYERS LOTS OF SHOTS
A player puts a tee shot down the middle of the fairway and then hits his 2nd
shot from 150-160 yards up to the green. When he arrives at the green with his
partners he cannot find the ball. It is not in the hole and cannot be found around
the green by any of the players/caddies.
After 3 – 4 minutes the player says/does the following:
Scenario 1.
“I think the ball is lost – I better go back and hit another one”.
Scenario 2.
“I think the ball is lost – I better go and hit another one”.
He then starts walking back.
Scenario 3.
He says nothing but just starts to walk back.
Several seconds later the ball is found by himself or one of his playing partners/caddies.
The common misunderstanding by almost 99% of UK golfers is:-
Scenario 1. He has declared it LOST so he cannot play the first ball (what
would be his 3rd shot) and must return and drop the ball (under penalty) and
play his 4th shot.
Scenario 2. He has declared it LOST so he cannot play the first ball and must
return and drop the ball (under penalty) and play his 4th shot. Walking back
is also claiming that the ball is LOST.
Scenario 3. By walking back he is claiming that the ball is LOST and can therefore
NOT play his original ball.
The true answer to the different scenarios are:-
1. He can play the original ball found up by the green – regardless
of what he has said.
2. He can play the original ball found up by the green regardless of what he
has said or how far he has walked back.
3. Walking back does not put a ball LOST and therefore he can play his original
ball.
Some people assume that he couldn’t play the original as he has declared
it lost.
Question. Can a player verbally declare his ball to be lost?
Ans. A player may NOT render a ball lost solely by declaration. A ball can only
be considered lost when:
(a) it is not found or identified by the player within five minutes after the
player's side or caddies have begun to search for it;
or
(b) the player has put a substituted ball into play (i.e. this is now done by
dropping it NOT striking it);
or
(c) the player has made a stroke at a provisional ball from the place where
the original is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place.
Therefore saying the words “That’s Lost” and then finding
the ball several/many seconds later after you have possibly walked away from
where you searched does not put it LOST and out of play.
27/16 Ball Declared Lost Is Found Before Another Ball Put into Play
Q. A player searched for his ball for two minutes declared it lost and started
back to play another ball at the spot from which the original ball was played.
Before he put another ball into play (i.e. drops a ball) his original ball was
found within the five-minute period allowed for search. What is the ruling?
A. A player cannot render a ball lost by a declaration — see Definition
of “Lost Ball.” The original ball remained in play — see Definition
of “Ball in Play.”
27-1/2 Original Ball Found Within Five-Minute Search Period After Another
Ball Dropped
Q. A player plays his second shot, searches for his ball briefly and then
goes back and drops another ball under Rule 27-1. Before he plays the dropped
ball, and within the five-minute search period, the original ball is found. Is
the player required to continue with the dropped ball?
A. Yes. When the player put the substituted ball into play at the spot of
the previous stroke with the intent to play a ball under Rule 27-1, he proceeded
under an applicable Rule. Therefore, Rule 20-6 does not apply, and he must continue
with the substituted ball. (Revised)
27-1/1 Original Ball Found Within Five-minute Search Period After Another
Ball Teed
Q. A player plays from the teeing ground; searches briefly for his ball and then
goes back and tees another ball. Before he plays the teed ball, and within the
five-minute search period, the original ball is found. May the player abandon
the teed ball and play the original ball?
A. Yes. The teed ball was not in play since the player had not yet made a
stroke at it (see Definition of “Ball in Play”) and the original
ball was not lost (see Definition of “Lost Ball”).
PUTTING A BALL ON A TEE PEG IS NOT THE SAME AS ACTUALLY DROPPING A BALL (WHICH
DOES PUT THE BALL IN PLAY) AND THEREFORE THE ORIGINAL BALL IS NOT LOST
COMMON MISTAKE
Reference the point about declaring a ball lost verbally. People
say that if they put a tee shot (or any other shot) into an overgrown area/deep
grass/trees then you can “Declare the Ball Lost” and replay the shot
under penalty (i.e. from the tee – now your 3rd shot). THIS IS NOT CORRECT
CORRECT TERMANOLOGY In the situation off the tee the player CANNOT declare the
ball lost but can declare the ball unplayable.
On hitting this ball, under a
penalty of one shot, off the tee now puts the original ball lost.
I believe we
know what people mean when they say that the ball is lost and their going to
play 3 off the tee but technically the first tee shot is deemed unplayable.
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