Linda, can you help me with this problem? If a player hits his ball from the tee and it only goes a few inches, can he then declare his ball unplayable and tee it back up and go 3 off the tee, or does he have to play it has it lies as he has put the ball in play?
Regards,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
A player may declare his ball unplayable anywhere on the golf course (except in a water hazard). If the player tops his tee shot, he is entitled to re-tee and try again. The second tee shot will indeed be his third shot on the hole.
Keep in mind that one of the relief options for an unplayable ball is to hit from where the original ball was last played [Rule 28a]. Since the original was played from the teeing ground and was teed, the next shot may be placed on a tee and may be played anywhere on the teeing ground – it does not have to be re-teed in the same exact place [Rule 20-5a].
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
