Substituted Ball

Last year I was playing with a FC who consistantly out drove me. On one hole, I had a very good drive, and my FC also had a good hit in the same direction. When we walked over the crest of the hill, I could see both of our balls - with one about five yards ahead of the other. I took my 3 wood and had a beautiful shot, putting it on the green a few feet from the pin. My FC walked ahead, looked at the ball, and said "This is your ball, you must have hit mine." He then went back to where I had hit, dropped a ball and continued to play.

I know I had a penalty for hitting the wrong ball, but what about my FC? Where in the rules does he have the right to substitute a ball? It's not as if his ball was lost, we could clearly see it up on the green.

Martin your FC was right except that he should have placed the ball on the spot where you hit his ball from. He is allowed to substitute a ball in that situation. Rule 15-3b
You would have a 2 stroke penalty and would then have to play your original ball from where it lay. If you continued with the wrong ball without correcting the error you would be disqualified. Hope this clarifies it for you.

Rule 18. Ball at Rest Moved
18-3. By Opponent, Caddie or Equipment in Match Play
b. Other Than During Search
If, other than during search for a player's ball, an opponent, his caddie or his equipmentmoves the ball, touches it purposely or causes it to move, except as otherwise provided in the Rules, the opponent incurs a penalty of one stroke.
If the ball is moved, it must be replaced.

18-4. By Fellow-Competitor, Caddie or Equipment in Stroke Play
If a fellow-competitor, his caddie or his equipmentmoves the player's ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. If the ball is moved, it must be replaced.
(Playing a wrong ball - see Rule 15-3.)

Note 1: If a ball to be replaced under this Rule is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gbower

Martin your FC was right except that he should have placed the ball on the spot where you hit his ball from.

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Not necessarily. With the FC walking five yards away from the original spot it is very likely that the exact spot is not known precisely. In which case the ball must be dropped (20-3c).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kilroy

Rule 18. Ball at Rest Moved
18-3. By Opponent, Caddie or Equipment in Match Play
b. Other Than During Search
If, other than during search for a player's ball, an opponent, his caddie or his equipment moves the ball, touches it purposely or causes it to move, except as otherwise provided in the Rules, the opponent incurs a penalty of one stroke.
If the ball is moved, it must be replaced.

18-4. By Fellow-Competitor, Caddie or Equipment in Stroke Play
If a fellow-competitor, his caddie or his equipment moves the player's ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. If the ball is moved, it must be replaced.
(Playing a wrong ball - see Rule 15-3.)

Note 1: If a ball to be replaced under this Rule is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.

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So just to clarify:

- if you are playing matchplay and you hit your opponents ball you incur one stroke.
- But if you are playing stroke play you don't incur any stroke penalty?

Am I reading this right?

Ignore the previous entry here.

Having reread the thread and your post I have realised that your question is not clear.

What do you mean by 'hit your opponent's ball'?

Do you mean with a club or your ball ?

Good to know. Thanks for clarifying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quinner

Good to know. Thanks for clarifying.

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See my edited post above.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AAA

Ignore the previous entry here.

Having reread the thread and your post I have realised that your question is not clear.

What do you mean by 'hit your opponent's ball'?

Do you mean with a club or your ball ?

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Sorry I see where you are coming from. I mean with the club.

There is no penalty if my ball hits their ball, they just need to replace their ball to the same spot previous to playing their next stroke.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quinner

Sorry I see where you are coming from. I mean with the club.

There is no penalty if my ball hits their ball, they just need to replace their ball to the same spot previous to playing their next stroke.

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If you play any ball other than your own then you have played a wrong ball.
You lose the hole in matchplay. You get a 2 stroke penalty in stroke play.
Rule 15-3