Aced ??

[Dave B]

Just curious as this situation happened to me a few years back. Tee'd off on a downhill par 4 with a blind landing area, hit my shot nice and down the middle so had no reason to play a provisional. I could not locate my ball and had to declare it lost and rehit. Once we reached the green my ball was found in the hole. What happened was I must have hit close or by the group in front ( they rang the bell) and they picked up the ball and placed it in the hole. Since I declared the ball lost and rehit that is fine and straight forward, my question is this... had I continued looking and one of my playing partners had got to the green and found the ball in the hole what would I have had to do ??

[Gary Hill]

1. You hit your ball into the hole.

If you had hit your ball into the hole, the ball is holed, your score is one, and the hole is over. The act of declaring the ball lost and subsequent strokes are disregarded.

2. Your ball was moved into the hole by the group in front without your knowledge:

If you completed the hole and played from the next teeing ground while unaware that your ball was moved, the score of 1 would stand.

3. Your ball may have been moved into the hole by the group in front and you became aware of this fact before completing the hole:

You should play a second ball under Rule 3-3 from the spot from which the original ball is alleged to have been moved, and request the Committee to decide the matter at the end of the round. If the spot cannot be determined, see 4.

4. Your ball was definitely moved by the group in front:

You would play a ball from the spot where the original ball lay.

If it is impossible to know where the ball be replaced, you should place the ball in an area which is neither the most, nor the least, favorable of the various areas where it was equally possible that the ball originally lay.

There are no penalties involved as the group in front (and your playing companions) are outside agencies.