Linda,
When a player decides to return to the tee ground under
penalty and distance his ball is not in play until he hit it again. Am I right
about this?
I mean he is going to hit his third shot but his ball is not
considering in play.
I am asking you this just to be sure about the situation of
the player when he re-tee (sorry I don't know if this word exists) his ball.
Best regards ,
Lou from Argentina
Dear Lou,
A ball is “in play” as soon as it has been hit from the
teeing ground. It remains in play until it is holed, except when it is lost,
out of bounds, or lifted [Definition of “Ball in Play”].
When a player decides to return to the tee to play under
stroke and distance (perhaps his original ball was out of bounds or
unplayable), the ball he hits from the teeing ground the second time around
(regardless of whether it is the original ball or a replacement) is not “in
play” until he hits it.
Incidentally, whenever a player returns to the teeing ground
to hit another ball, he is permitted to re-tee the ball and may do so anywhere
on the teeing ground – he is not obligated to re-tee it on the same spot where
he hit his original tee shot [Rule 20-5a].
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
