Golf rules question...

jimbling

Playing in a fourball yesterday. Two of the guys landed next to each other just off the green. I don't mean close to each other, I mean touching.

I had no idea what to do...... had the rules on my iphone, but couldn't find anything on it.
It was only a friendly game, so we allowed one guy to pick up and drop the ball again after first player had played. I'm sure this was the wrong thing to do, but we were at a loss.

What should have happened?

PhilipMarlowe

Furthest one from the hole plays first so he would be entitled to ask the other guy to mark his ball, lift it (without cleaning it so a hold-it-in-two-fingers job). When the first player plays his ball, the guy that lifted is entitled to replace his ball (not drop, that's not fair).
If player 1 takes a big divot, player 2 would be entitled to replace close to the original lie in equity, wouldn't have to replace his ball in the first guys mess.

Rule 22-2 Ball Interfering with play.

Except when a ball is in motion, if a player considers that another ball might interfere with his play, he may have it lifted.
A ball lifted under this Rule must be replaced (see Rule 20-3). The ball must not be cleaned, unless it lies on the putting green (see Rule 21).
In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball.
Note: Except on the putting green, a player may not lift his ball solely because he considers that it might interfere with the play of another player. If a player lifts his ball without being asked to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke for a breach of Rule 18-2a, but there is no additional penalty under Rule 22.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE:
Match play – Loss of hole; Stroke play – Two strokes.

jimbling

Thanks Licksy, that explains it. Its hard to find the right rules on certain things with the iphone app.

Ya, we made him drop which was probably unfair, but it was in flat short rough so didnt make much difference.

Su Campu

I was just thinking about this during my round this morning when my ball came to rest in the bunker very close to a partner's ball. It got me thinking, what if they were touching, and by lifting one ball, the remaining ball moved and could not be replaced without it moving again (the sand was compacted so it could very well happen on a slope in the bunker)

PhilipMarlowe

Place it at the nearest spot to the original position where it will come to rest, not nearer the hole.

GreeBo

Licksy wrote: »

Place it at the nearest spot to the original position where it will come to rest, not nearer the hole.

And if you cant do this (and you are not entitled to press it down!) you have an unplayable lie...

Though I see some lack of clarity in there rules here
20-3d/2
"since the player could not place the ball in conformity with the Rules, he should proceed under the stroke-and-distance option of the unplayable ball Rule (Rule 28a) or, in equity (Rule 1-4), drop the ball, under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker, keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped. The same principle would apply if a player is proceedingunder any Rule and the ball will not come to rest in the bunker at a spot not nearer to the hole than the appropriate reference point.
"

But Rule 28 says:
"If the player deems his ball to be unplayable, he must under penalty of one stroke:
a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or
b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped; or
c. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.
If the unplayable ball is in a bunker, the player may proceed under Clause a, b or c. If he elects to proceed under Clause b or c, a ball must be dropped in the bunker."

Is that not a contradiction?