PENALTIES FOR LOST BALLS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29367, 21 November 1960, Page 3

PENALTIES FOR LOST BALLS

U.S- Body Returns To Old Rule (N-Z. Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 19. The United States Golf Association today abandoned its distance-only penalties for lost or out-of-bounds balls, adopted as an experiment for a year, and returned to the stroke-and-distance penalty. The change is effective from January 1. The U.S.G.A. executive committee said the trial, period had shown the lighter lost ball penalty tended to discourage diligent search. It also caused delays, since a five-minute search was required before the penalty could be taken. Under the rule, a player may declare his ball lost without the long search.

If a club considers the out-of-bounds penalty too severe on its course* it may adopt a local rule providing that a ball may be dropped, under penalty of one stroke within two club lengths of where the ball last crossed the boundary line.

If a player hits a ball out of bounds, then plays a provisional ball, he may not take advantage of the local rule to drop another, but must continue to play the provisional ball. The experimental options for 1961 on unplayable lies are: drop a ball within two club lengths of where the original ball lay, under two strokes penalty (a new option): take stroke and distance penalty, or drop a ball behind the point where the original ball lay. with one stroke penalty. If the original ball was in a bunker, the ball must be dropped in a bunker.