Hi, Linda.
Could you please shed some light on the following…
In a stroke-play competition, I pulled my approach to the
green into the rough. I did not play a provisional as I expected to find my
ball. The three of us looked for my ball, but when it seemed that we weren't
going to find it, I said that I'd better go back and play again from my
previous spot.
As I went to my bag to get a replacement ball, one of my
fellow golfers found my ball. I then played that ball because the full five
minutes of search time had not been used.
After we completed the hole, one of the golfers suggested
that my decision to play that ball was wrong because, "once I had turned
my back on my ball," that ball was no longer playable as my actions deemed
it lost.
I believe that, providing I have not exceeded the 5 minutes
search time, my original ball is still available as a ball in play until such
time as I have actually put another ball into play.
Does turning your back on the supposed location of the ball
like that amount to a declaration that the ball is lost and therefore cannot be
played?
As usual, Linda, many thanks for the great service that you
provide for us all.
Lou from England
Dear Lou,
Ask that golfer to show you in the rulebook where it says
that once you turn your back on your ball your actions deem it lost. I can
assure you he won’t find it, but he might learn something searching through the
Rules.
Your understanding is correct. If the ball is found within
five minutes of beginning search, and before the player has put another ball
into play under stroke and distance, he must continue play with the original
ball. (He may, of course, choose to play under stroke and distance – that is
always an option.) It would make no difference how far away he was when the
ball was found. The time it takes him to walk back to his original ball does
not count in the five minutes [Decision 27/5.5].
Linda
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