Okay, so yesterday I went out to the course to get some practice in. I’ve been working on my swing, and I felt like it was time to really test it out on a full 18.
Everything started pretty well! I warmed up at the range, hit a few good drives, felt loose. First few holes, I was playing bogey golf, which, you know, for me, is not terrible.
The Lost Ball Incident
Then came the 7th hole. It’s a par 4, dogleg right, with a bunch of trees on the right side. Naturally, I sliced my drive. It went way right, straight into the woods. I saw it bounce once, then disappear into the leaves.
Now, I’m not one to give up easily, so I grabbed a couple of clubs and went in after it. I stomped around in there for, I swear, like ten minutes. Thorns, branches, spiderwebs – you name it, I found it. No ball.
Lost Ball, What’s the Rule?
I knew I would get a penelty,but I am not a pro. I’m out here for fun and exercise, so my main concern was keeping the pace of play moving. I had to take a drop and I did not know how to.
Here’s what I learned:
- The rule:I get a one-stroke penalty and a new ball.
- How to drop: I drop the new ball within two club-lengths of where I think my original ball went out of bounds.
Ended up taking a double bogey on the hole, but hey, that’s golf. The main thing is, I got to play the rest of my round, I had a good time. And, most importantly, I know next time I’ll hopefully keep it on the fairway… or at least know how to drop the ball properly!
