blue3715

I have read up on the match play rules (usga.org) and really know them decently.. yet I still managed to make three penalties over my last 4 matches. One which didn't count... read on..

In the first situation I and my opponent both had a Titleist 1. Mine was a 1 proV1x and his a black prov1. (yeah yeah, first mistake)

I was 2 up going to 14.

We both were in the rough on a par 3, and I walked up to the first ball which had a bad lie and saw "Titleist 1". He was at the further one with a better lie. I asked him "is that your ball" and he said yes.

So I hit the best i could which wasn't a good result. Then he hit his decently. I then marked my ball, at which point i realized it was his ball. At that point I had to announce I lost the hole. It was bad timing and I ended up losing the hole, instead of likely winning it. I was only 1 up with 4 to play, instead of a likely 3 up.

In the second case, and it was evil, I had hit a par three to about 2 feet. My opponent said, "go sink your birdie".. I kinda assumed it was a conceeded putt, so I tapped it in.. with the flag still in the hole. He (correctly) said I just had a penalty, and a 4 on the hole. He 2 putted for a three. You need to ask if a putt is good.. then put the ball in your pocket! After the hole is done, redrop the ball, and hit your birdie!


In the third (lucky) case I had hit a poor bunker shot on #8 which landed on the facing grass hill. I then smacked the sand in disgust after my follow thru... as the ball rolled back into the bunker (it never came to rest). I then went up and hit it again, unahppy that the ball came back into the bunker. I rolled in the putt for a halve. On the 9th fairway the opponents caddy had mentioned what I did to his player, and the opponent asked me at the halfway house if it was a penalty. I didn't realize what I did at the time, as the ball originally made it out of the bunker, but I agreed it was a penalty and the hole was lost...

however, and to this day i don't know how he found out, on the 16th tee the Course Pro drove up and asked what happened. He said since the opponents caddy knew on the 8th hole and didn't say anything until AFTER we teed off on 9th (in fact after #9) the penalty was voided (player/caddy are a team). You need to bring up a penalty before the next tee is hit (unless you don't discover it until later). I was down 2 going to 16, but then I was down 1, and I won the match.

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Ping G2 Driver, Callaway Steelhead III 4-wd and 7-wd.
Callaway X-18 Proseries 3i-PW.
Callaway X-Tour 52d gap wedge
Callaway X-Tour 58d lob/sand wedge
Odyssey Dual-force Rossie II (mallet head) putter.
Pro-V1x only (baby!)

Play at a private NJ g.c.