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Originally Posted by nfotiu
There are a couple confusing parts in here. There is no rule of golf about having to declare a ball lost. You can always re-tee and hit your third shot without saying a thing whether your ball is in the middle of the fairway in a bunker, penalty area, wherever. In the case of the article, re-teeing was the best option since the water came right up to near the tee box. If he had just re-teed without saying anything and never found his ball in the hazard, all would have been good.
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This is wrong. This is exactly why the player was DQed. It is why you must make a declaration to your playing partner or a rules official of your intent. He hit a provisional ball then played a ball that no longer existed by the rules. It is why when you're playing tournament golf you need to make sure that another person outside of your "team" (if you're using a caddy) hears your declaration. Why do you think the guys on the tour are quick to tell their competitors what they are doing or call a rules official over? It isn't just to build up drama and tension for the viewers at home. When you're out there competing, be as communicative about intent as possible so people understand what you're trying to do, not only from a rules perspective but from a safety perspective.
You also have to be careful about these situations as hitting another ball without proper declaration can be construed as practicing during a round, which is a two stroke penalty, then usually an incorrectly submitted/signed card, and a trip to the Dairy Queen. Roll those practice putts if time permits, but anything away from the surface could get called. I've seen this one happen in AJGA competitions and it has happened in the President's Cup or Ryder Cup.
About declaration and why it is important, if you do not declare your intention and your opponents/playing partners continue to the search and find your ball, you have to play that original ball where it lies or take relief as per the rules of golf. Some are going to argue that hitting the provisional is an end to the search, but a provisional ball is a fallback in the event of.
Communication is what is going to save your butt and not create drama on the course.
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This part is incorrect. For red stakes, you have to identify the place you crossed, imagine a line between the point of entry and the flag, and you can go straight back in that line. That is the same for yellow stakes.
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That is pretty much what I just described. These aren't he best diagrams but will make it easier to understand drop options.
Yellow stakes.
Red stakes.
Those are the options. You should always try and take advantage of stroke and distance, which is why interpretation can get fuzzy. Also, before it comes up, the option to drop to the opposite side of the hazard/penalty area that many still bring up has been eliminated, so you have the options as listed during this discussion. If you're in competition, my advice is to make sure you are clear in which option you're going to take and let the members of your group, or a rules official in a real tournament, know your intention or you're opening yourself up to losing the hole or being disqualified.