is it legal....

to mark your ball with a dot over the number? just thought as it is a open opputunity to cheats. (drop a ball with no number) never seen any of the pros mark their ball this way either.

I never mark my ball, It has a name, a  logo and a number, that is sufficient for me.

Balls were given numbers for identification purposes, why the need to daub all over them.

If you go onto the R&A website, rules explorer, you'll see that you don't have to add a unique mark. As JP says, it not necessary. Decisions clearly says that unless its obvious, i.e. the condition of the ball found is vastly different or another ball that's the same manufacturer, model and number is also found its assumed that the right ball has been found.

I actually played the wrong ball for the first time on Friday.  It turned out to be the ball of one of my playing partners as we were both in a similar position in the rough off the tee.  We both thought his ball was mine and couldn't find 'his'.  He played his provisional up and it was only on the green when I lifted 'my' ball to mark it that we realised. A stupid mistake I won't be making again in a hurry

We were both playing a Titleist NXT, No 3 with a blue dot (we had both bought them off ebay and happened to hae the same marking).  The only difference was I was playing an NXT and he was playing an NXT Extreme.

If you put a mark on your golf ball then there will be no problems identifying if it is your golf ball or not.

The only problem would be if you are losing lots of golf balls on the same course and you happen to find one that is the same manufacturer/make and number as the one you were using.  Although the chances of this happening are really low.

Russ

if you look closely, McIlroy marks his ball with black dot over the number....

If you play in competitions at the top level (county, regional or national) the starter will insist that you a) mark your ball before you start your round and b) show the marking to your playing partners before starting.

With a very high % of the field in these events playing either ProV1's or  ProV1x's you can see why this is a good idea.

Of course, lots of people like to add an alignment mark as well to help them with putting.

Richard

Richard, this county ruling must reflect badly on the new breed of elite player because this was never a requirement in my  top amateur days or even at County level.  In fact when I played in "The Brabazon" at Little Aston in 1970 the only thing that occurred on the first tee was we were asked to put our ball through a hoop to make sure it conformed, probably to check we were not playing with the small ball. I might add it was very difficult to lose a ball on the fairway.

I would never start a competitive round without marking my ball. There are so many players these days using the same brand etc that it's easy to confuse it.

Lets say you have 2 fairways parallel to each other with a band of trees / rough seperating them.

You tee off with a titelist pro v1x No.1. You hit it into the trees & get a line on where it dropped. As you get up there, there is also another player looking for his ball. You ask him "what are you playing" & he says "A pro v1x No.1".

You find 1 ball which is a pro v1x No.1, how do you decide who this ball belongs to??? If you can't 100% declare that the ball is yours then I would imagine that you have to go back to the tee & play your 3rd shot.

A simple dot or an initial would on the ball resolves all this.

I always carry 2 balls in my pocket. Both with DP on it. 1 with 1st on it and 1 with 2nd on it. That way there is no confusion on what ball is my provisional.

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Was thinking of marking all my balls after an arrogant sod started to play across me on the short game pratice area then claimed i was taking one of his balls. Shame, i'd just bought a box of 3 Srixon softies to try out and was only using 10 in total and he had a whole bag. Decided not to make an issue of it and left him with chipping with his ego. I went off and hit some balls really hard on the range!

 I have never marked a ball before, but might start now.

Mind you, most of the pearl/aaa grade lake Pro v's i use have some kind of company logo on anyway.

 

I don't have a problem since I got one of these for christmas!

http://www.tin-cup.co.uk/product.php?productid=16184&cat=3&page=1

That is sooooooo cool Floody.  Might be treating myself to one of those

Chris,

just don't get the same as me as we don't want any confusion

Presume you've seen these as well ?  Golftdotz.  The chaps a Brit living over in Chicago

http://www.golfdotz.com/

I always mark my ball with a blue line - both as a putting aid and ID mark.  It came in useful last week, 3 of our 4 ball hit the fairway over a brow to within 5 yards of each other - all playing Srixon AD333 #2.  With each of them having a mark on them it would have been purely down to guess work.

As said, on the first tee all players tell others what ball and # they are using and when he/she changes their ball. I dont know what woud happen if 2 players have the same ball and # and none want to marks their ball with an ID.

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

@ Chris.

I've spoken to tin cup & they have made you a custom mould. Ring up to order if you want.

 

Dave, a player of your standard should have checked on the first tee who was playing with what and then changes would have been made then your scenario would not have happened.

Hi John,  it was a friendly game and it occured on the 16th, so plenty of ball had happened - in competition would always announce what ball is in play and expect my playing partners too.

For a further response to the thread in general. I know it would be USGA  rules, but I'm sure a number of years ago Phil Mickleson found his ball in long rough after a short search but had to take a penalty as the ball was not marked. This despite playing with an usual number - a 7 or 8 or something....

Golf is, and always has been a game of integrity, if that appears to be not the case now, then I despair.

JP,

I don't think it's just about integrity. As the example I gave & the one Dave above posted. How can you be 100% certain that if your ball heads off into the rough & you don't get an exact spot on where it landed that if you come across a ball of the same brand & number that it is 100% yours & not someone else's errant tee shot from a previous hole / day / round etc?

I started marking my ball with a 4 leaf clover design last summer and I managed a hole in one within a couple of rounds. Needless to say I always mark the same design now, on both hemispheres so its easy to spot!

The same applies to those who do mark their balls in the same way each time. Your argument just does not stand up. For over 100 years players have used the markings that come with a new ball. I do not see the need to apply any further paintwork.

I am also one of the players who do actually watch where bad shots go and the only time I lose a ball is when it goes into water.

The problem I have is I like to see nothing but white when I putt, having other marks would make this almost an impossibility. I do not use lines to line the ball up, I use my eyes, strangely enough.

.....to wade in on the line on a ball debate, there is a vast amount of pros that use this method, including Mr Woods and Jim Furyk (widely considered as one of the best putters for years).  It actually surprises me that there is a relative small percentage of us hackers that do this.    Of course its down to personnal preference like most things in golf, but doesn't mean its right or wrong.

Here's an extract from the R&A rules quick guide.

 

"put an identification mark on your ball; many golfers play the same brand of ball and if you can’t identify your ball, it is considered lost (Rules 12-2 and 27-1)"   http://www.randa.org/Playing-Golf/Quick-Guide-to-the-Rules/General-Points.aspx

A more detailed explanation.

 

The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball.  If a player believes that a ball at rest might be his, but he cannot identify it, the player may lift the ball for identification, without penalty. The right to lift a ball for identification is in addition to the actions permitted under Rule 12-1. Before lifting the ball, the player must announce his intention to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play and mark the position of the ball. He may then lift the ball and identify it, provided that he gives his opponent, marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to observe the lifting and replacement. The ball must not be cleaned beyond the extent necessary for identification when lifted under Rule 12-2.  If the ball is the player’s ball and he fails to comply with all or any part of this procedure, or he lifts his ball in order to identify it without good reason to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke. If the lifted ball is the player’s ball, he must replace it. If he fails to do so, he incurs the general penalty for a breach of Rule 12-2, but there is no additional penalty under this Rule. Note: If the original lie of a ball to be replaced has been altered, see Rule 20-3b.    FAQ Can I put a line on each of my golf balls that encircles each ball??   Yes. All players are advised to put indentification marks on their balls. The identification mark can be whatever the player wants it to be. Such a marking is not considered to unduly assist the player in his alignment as a similar practice may be adopted with the manufacturer's logo.

 

If you hadn't marked your ball playing against me and you were routing in the trees and suddenly found a ball with no mark on , don't care if it was same make same number no mark means you can't prove it's your ball. Back you go!!!!

Oh and on the line on the ball debate, I was watching the PGA coverage last year and Butch Harmon said it was roughly 50/50 on players using a line to line up there puts on tour. Phil Mickelson doesn't do it but other players do.

Gary

so any ball that goes out of sight, be it in the semi or the trees, if not marked, you deem to not be the one in play  !!!!!!

please see rule 12-2/1 which states

A player should not be considered to have played the wrong ball

"unless (1) there is clear evidence because of the condition, it is not the players ball or (2) subsequently it is established that another ball of the same brand, model and number was lying in the area at the time the player played the ball"

now, this would obviously be avoided by marking your ball, but your pleasure at sending me back in this case would be misplaced in my interpretation.

Tim,Without a marking how could you 100% say it was your ball if you did not see it come to rest in that position?

Tim,Without a marking how could you 100% say it was your ball if you did not see it come to rest in that position?

Assuming it was marked there is still the possibility of another ball with the same markings being in the vicinity. You are all off your rocker, get on with playing golf.

exactly JP, by their reckoning any ball that is not marked and goes out of sight cant be 100 % yours

Floody, does that go for balls in the middle of the fairway on a dogleg where you have cut the corner, so cant see your ball come to rest ?

Tim, you jest but I have had that situation. Was playing a course called Calderfields & the 3rd hole is a dog leg left, the 4th hole comes back & is a dog leg right. I hit my tee shot & took it over the trees towards the centre of the fairway. As I got up there the 2 ball in front playing the 4th were on our fairway & one of them was walking towards what I thought was my ball. We both got there & I asked him what he was playing "NXT with 2 blue dots"' what about you he asked "NXT with 2 blue dots"! Now we couldn't see another ball & we were both convinced it was our ball, my partner couldn't confirm he definitely saw mine land but the other chaps partner was adamant it was his friends. I was playing a social so I told him to carry on. As my friend was putting out the other chap came running back saying he'd found another NXT with 2 blue dots in the trees further down his fairway. 

You decide who's ball it was!

I'm not saying that by not marking your ball is wrong & the incident I describe here is a rare occurrence & I don't get that now as my marking is very rare. I'm just trying to highlight the possible scenarios that can happen in golf & by not marking your ball then your likely to run into more of these than if you did mark your ball.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

 

MY ball is marked, it has a manufacturers name, model and number. That should be sufficient for anyone.

I do realise of course that I do not spend all my time having to look for a ball and only ever lose a ball in a water hazard.

Jp so do all the other hundreds of people who play this sport, I reckon a few of them will be using the same manufacturer, model & number as you & you'll bump into them on a course sooner or later?

I don't know where you play, JF but my course does not lend itself to having to share a fairway with players playing a different hole. We do not suffer from outside interference at all, so  I will not bump into them, as you put it, at all.

I might add that you have also had problems even with a marked ball, 2 blue spots must be pretty common.

JP, one of the reasons why I'm leaving my current club is that the holes are all bunched together & there are places where even the slightest mis placed tee shot will have you on another fairway.

ive moved away from 2 blue dots & have a nice little paw print on my balls now

As said before, it is just about ball marking so lighten up. That said, I played a ball down our 17th at Halesowen, a Srixon soft feel 2, I wandered onto the 18th coming back up the hill with my tee shot.  A player on the first tee which is paralell had also wondered onto the 18th with the same make and number ball.  When I got to a ball under a bush, it did not have my mark so I called over to the guys putting on the first who checked and behold, there was my mark on a ball they had played.  My ball had been in the middle of the 18th so I asked the "gentleman" cheat, to replace my ball and I promptly made par. Had I been under the bush the ball was unplayable.  If I had not marked my ball, I would have assumed the ball under the bush was mine!!! 

Enough said!

Unfrotunaly John P were clearly all commoners and have to play where we can afford. This does unfortunatly mean fairways that run side by side and toe rags who will play any ball they feel like,  as long as it ressembles theirs, and they think no one is looking.

And on the subject a friend of mine played in the scratch open at Wallasey (hopefully a club worthy of your standards jp), he hit his ball into a dip just off the fairway, as he approached a player from a few groups in front playing an adjoining hole was about to hit his ball. My friend shouted across to tell the player it was his ball, the player about to hit his ball (a county player too) responded by saying "if you talk in my backswing again i'll deck you". My friend kept his mouth shut untill he played the shot, he then pointed out that that was his ball and an argument ensued. Both players went to check the ball and found it was indeed my friends ball.

So a county player in a scratch comp at a very good golf club, played trhe wrong ball got a 2 shot penalty and took himself out of the running to win the tournament, maybe he should have marked his ball more distinctly or even bothered to check

Gary, it seems to me that the county is not that fussed about the standards of its players.

Caversham Heath golf course is laiod out on 250 acres of land, hence no other hole in close proximity. The course was built to prevent green belt development.

My other club, Badgemore Park on the other hand is very tightly laid out with a couple of tees very close to one another, requiring priority.

I should imagine golf up where you live is far cheaper than where I am.

Darren V-W, kind of already as.  Check out the Prazza golf ball:

http://www.golfshake.com/news/view/1971/Never_Lose_a_Ball_Again_with_the_Prazza_Golf_Ball.html