Dear Golf Canada,
Eliminate white stakes and make them all red stakes.
Thanks,
The majority of golfers
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Dear Golf Canada,
Eliminate white stakes and make them all red stakes.
Thanks,
The majority of golfers
OB (white) stakes denote areas that are off the course. If you make them red people would play from areas off the course property. ie: from peoples back yards.
What you really want is a drop at point of entry to the out of bounds, as with a lateral (red staked) hazard. I see lots of golfers doing that, including myself many years ago. Now that I apreciate the rules of the game more than I did then I don't do that anymore.
How bout making it a 2 stroke penalty and drop at point of entry. It could speed things up by not having to go back to the tee.
Or you could speed things up by hitting a provisional when there is a possibility of being lost or out of bounds. I have never had to return to a tee for an OB ball. Lost inexplicably sure but for OB it is hard to miss that it might be in trouble.
Usually if it's hit close to where an out of bounds could be it's most likely in an area where the ball could be lost so just hit the damn provisional and suck it up. :-)
Dear Golf Canada,
The penalty for hitting a ball out of bounds (Off course property or an area where play is prohibited) is not severe enough. It should be 2 strokes and distance.
Thanks,
The majority of "real" golfers.:)
BTW: Red stakes indicate that a hazard is present. "Any sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch or open water course," off course property, is not in play.
I play by the rules, but I sure wish I could play from OB some days. We have a few holes that line the property and as such OB is literally yards from the fairway. One hole even has a cart path running next to the OB line so if you land inbounds but were heading towards OB the ball almost always runs out as the rough is dry in that area and then once it touches the path it's usually gone.
I guess I just wished that the courses were set-up to allow a certain amount of buffer zone prior to the OB. 3-4 yards of rough with no trees or anything just doesn't seem like much. A shot within reasonable proximity to the fairway should be punished by a hazard or long rough...not stroke and distance. I'm not sure what that "reasonable proimity" is, but I'd like to see closer to 10 yards then 3-4.
That, or I just figure out how to hit the stupid fairway consistently :p. Honestly though, it would likely be easier for the course to buy the land around it and expand...HA!
Oh? And what if my provisional also has "a possibility of being lost or out of bounds"? What then, smart guy? And don't say to hit another provisional, because it's "a possibility of being lost or out of bounds" all the way down. :P
But on a serious note: why the heck do these hazard/boundary stakes have to be the same colour as 100 and 150 yard markers? If we are running out of easily viewed from a distance colours, might I suggest stripes?
Why ask the question when you already know the answer?
I'm sure the hazard/boundary stakes colours came first - they have been specified in the Rules of Golf for a long, long time. The yardage markers are a courtesy, not a requirement.
Personally I think OB should be treated the same as a lateral water hazard from which play is prohibited - but I don't see the rule changing anytime soon.
Not sure what your point here is. I am not trying to be a "smart guy". Also, why would you say "don't say to hit another provisional,"? If I am not allowed to say that I cannot respond to the question as that is the correct answer. I guess you just want those who want the rule changed to participate in the discussion.
Of course, the player may continue to hit provisionals until he thinks that one of them is not lost or out of bounds.
Failing that, he can walk back to the clubhouse and post a WD.http://forum.ottawagolf.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif
for some Rules history on the subject, look here..
http://www.ruleshistory.com/lost.html#oob
Seems the expression "Been there, done that" applies here. :-)
Are there people in this thread saying that during a round of golf on a saturday morning if you hit a ball that is looking fine off the tee but once you get out there you can't find it or find that it's bounced ob, you will walk back to the tee where the next group is waiting to hit and tee up another ball? I have played hundreds of rounds of golf in my time and have never seen this happen.
In our group we play a match play Nassau. If we lose a ball and no provisional was played, we'll check back to see if returning would hold anyone up. If not we go back (in a cart). Personally I don't pay on weekends very much and going back is not usually out of the question. If it isn't an option I'll simply take an "x" and drop out of the hole. That's harsh, but I should have played a provisional.
For handicapping on such holes we use esc and in my case I have to mark a 7 now instead of a double. Thankfully it does not happen very often.
I will usually pick up after tossing two out of bounds as well, as the odds of winning the hole or posting less than a 7 are miniscule to say the least.
The rule is fine as it is. I agree with those who have already said that if you believe you hit it OB, then hit a provisional. Better yet, don't hit it OB. If that's your objective, though, see Lyle. :)
I have a problem with internal out of bounds to prevent players from cutting corners. Also illogical OB such as the right side of number 9 at Stonebridge.
Unfortunately, many golfers believe that out of bounds means that their ball has come to rest off course property. Rather, it should be seen that the ball has come to rest in an area where play is prohibited. Cutting the corner of #14, Carleton G&YC endangers golfers playing the adjacent #13. Similarly, #7 Outaouais south, where the practice range is located. Perhaps a player may cut the corner of a dogleg on a line where an adjacent teeing ground is located (Mountain Creek) or the clubhouse/parking lot/Pro Shop (Perth Golf Course), are located close to a hole, and so on. These are obviously areas within the golf club property but also areas where it's also potentially dangerous to play to or even from, justifying marking these internal areas as out of bounds.
I know this thread is older now, but I just wanted to come back and say that I was just kidding. I thought the smiley would've made that obvious. Sorry.
Anyways, even though the OB stakes are older and spelled out in the rules, I am still baffled that the courtesy of yardage markers developed to include the same colours.
Arnprior has red stakes on a few holes where bush work was done, tore up, and the area is not playable. This area is not OB but is not playable or has become Hazardous. In keeping with complaints of slow play throughout the valley, city and on this board, these holes that were under construction were deemed Red Staked. We have recently worked on several of these holes (this spring) and the bush is now playable and the RED Stakes removed. A couple of other holes (5, 6, 12, 13, 15) the stakes are along rough lines that actually remain wet most of the season and are hazard areas.
Funny thing. I just returned from Orlando. Played 5 high end courses. They have deemed the entire bush line (both sides of every hole) to be RED STAKED. For two reasons and they tell you they did it for Speed of play and because there are things sleeping in the bush that need to remain sleeping!
When 90% of the golfing population can't break 100, You must not look at the playability of a course for the 10% but for the 90% Besides the A class shouldn't be in the hazard anyways! ;) for example I bet in general, the scores are much lower on Premiere than Legacy and in saying that, when people shoot lower scores two things happen 1. Faster pace of play and 2. They are happy with their round (thus better experience and more likely to return!) Forest for the trees! ;)
I know the way a lot of courses get marked are the way the course want it and often for pace of play. I go to Florida during the winter and most course just mark everything red which isn't right. Solstrum's comments about looking at playability actually has nothing to do with how a course is marked for hazards and as I'm a member at Greensmere I know that where the hazards are marked are actual hazards and where there are no red stakes it is an area that does not fall under the definition of a hazard and that is the way it should be. I know putting red stakes everywhere can help speed up play but how much time does it take to play a provisional ball. When the course is rated they look at actual hazards and if the red stakes are put in after the rating then the courses rating is way out. When Golf Canada goes in to a course to do a national championship the first thing they do is take out all the stakes and mark the course the way it should be regarding hazards. This will often tick the members off if the course leaves it the way GC marks it.
The reason the scores are lower on Premiere at Greensmere compared to Legacy is that you don't have to hit the ball as straight to get away with a shot. Keep the ball within the 70 yards tree line to tree line on Legacy and you can score. It's a course for accuracy and not just pure distance if you're going to spray the ball.
Two points of interest in that reply.
How long does it take to hit a provisional??.... A lot longer than dropping from point of entry. And you are assuming the provisional is now in play. If Sergio can hit 3 into a hazard I am sure a 40 plus handicapper can hit 3 into a bush. I've seen a 2 index stripe 3 balls OB on the first tee, took the group nearly 15 minutes JUST to tee off (And that group were guys who could play!). 70 yards when aiming down the middle only gives you 35 yards to miss left or right. And I would take the bet that there are areas not 70 yards wide at GMere (par 4, 2nd hole on one of the nines, long green water front right is not a 70 yard target!) btw great hole!
And the lower scores are exactly my point. Wide open vs loosing a ball. I would bet most guys who shoot over 95 enjoy Premiere more! Where as a 10 or lower would enjoy Legacy. Golf is Hard. I watched a lady hit it 38 times on one hole (and put the head cover back on every time!) I think people need to look at the bigger picture. It's a business. It's about enjoyment, playability and pace of play, there is a reason tourist destinations are playing Red Stake everywhere.
They should make ESA 1 stroke penalty instead of OB then a lot would be fixed. You could actually eliminate the search and rescue time of a top flight. ;)
On weekend rounds we'll either hit a provisional or drop at point of entry taking stroke and distance. So OB off the tee, you are hitting 4 off the drop.
I've seen a 2 index stripe 3 balls OB on the first tee,
Perhaps he'd be +2 if he learnt to play a 3 or 5 wood or managed to engage brain first.