I played a new course this weekend. They had white OB stakes on the right side of a par four. On the next hole a par five I hit it over the stakes but thought they were only for the par four hole. I finnished the hole and the round and only found out afterwards that I had hit it OB.
What do I do with my score? Can I turn it in for my handicap?

JM

From my reading of the rules of golf, you should add a two stroke penalty to your score and then post it to GHIN, or whatever handicap system you use.

[from usag.org]

27-1. Stroke and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds;

a. Proceeding Under Stroke and Distance

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), i.e., proceed under penalty of stroke and distance.

Except as otherwise provided in the Rules, if a player makes a stroke at a ball from the spot at which the original ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded under penalty of stroke and distance.

b. Ball Out of Bounds

If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

c. Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1:
Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes.

I think the rule that SingleDigits quotes is clear enough, but it makes me wonder why we would ever proceed under the stroke and distance penalty?

If I don't take the stroke and distance penalty when my shot goes OB and just continue to play the ball from its OB location, there is no difference in scoring. By playing "in accordance with the rules" under penalty of stroke and distance for shots that end up OB, I have to ensure not to make any mistakes on the re-hit shot. But if I "ignore" the rule (which is a breach of the rules in itself), the score is the same and I no longer have to find my way though any trouble (of course, I'm assuming I can find and play the ball from its OB location.

As for breaching the rules, the USGA and R&A indicate:

Quote:

1-3. Agreement to Waive Rules Players must not agree to exclude the operation of any Rule or to waive any penalty incurred. Penalty for Breach of Rule 1-3: Match play — Disqualification of both sides; Stroke play — Disqualification of competitors concerned.

While I'm certain there was no "agreement to waive rules", I am guessing that the lack of knowledge of the rules (including the local rules) may not be a valid excuse and the disqualification penalty may apply.

This seems harsh, so I did a bit more searching on the USGA's website and came across the following in Section 4-2 of the Handicapping Manual (http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-04/#4-2):

Quote:

4-2. Holes Not Played or Not Played Under The Rules of Golf If a player does not play a hole or plays it other than under "The Rules of Golf" (except for preferred lies), the score recorded for that hole for handicap purposes must be par plus any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive on that hole. This hole score, when recorded, should be preceded by an "X." Example: A player with a Course Handicap of 10 receives a handicap stroke on the first 10 allocated handicap-stroke holes. If the player does not play the sixth allocated handicap-stroke hole, which is a par 4, because of construction on the green, the player must record a score of par plus one for handicap purposes, or X-5. (See Section 5-2b.) Note: A score must not be posted if the majority of the holes are not played under the principles of "The Rules of Golf."

So, I would proceed as noted in 4-2 of the USGA Handicapping Manual and submit the 18-hole score for handicapping purposes. I'm not sure if X- scores can be entered in the system here at OOBGolf ..... anyone?

Armand