What Should I Have Done?

I had a problem yesterday and I wondered what you would have done in the same situation.

The day was really sunny and I started out on my own at 1pm, so the sun was getting lower all the time I was playing.  The ground was frozen solid although all the frost had melted by the time I set off.

It turns out I was the last person out so there was nobody behind me.

I played the first five holes, not particularly well, but I played them!

The sixth hole at Stapleford Abbotts, Abbotts Course, is a par 3 hole.  My GPS was showing 166 yards to the centre of the green.  This hole has a large lake left of the hole.  From the tee only half the green can be reached without having to go over the pond.  The flag was in the middle of the green.

Now my problem was that the sun was directly in my eyes.

I decided to hit a steady five iron, and I made a solid contact with the ball.  Immediately I lost the ball in the sun.  So I listened, and looked, shading my eyes with my hand.  Well I didn't hear the ball hit the ice on the pond and I didn't see the ball land.

So I walked up to the green looking for my ball as I went.

There are three bunkers around this green and a couple of mounds behind.  Well I looked everywhere and I could not find my ball.

So I decided to go back to the tee and play the hole again.  There was a two ball in front of me with a four ball in front of them.  So I thought playing the hole again would allow them to get away from me for a while.

This time I took a six iron and again I made solid contact with the ball.  And again I immediately lost the ball in the sun.

The same thing happened again, didn't hear the ball hit the ice and couldn't find the ball anywhere!

Well I gave this hole up for lost but what I need to know is what score should Iput down for it?

I put a four down, which is what I should score with my stroke allowance on this hole.

So what would you have done?

Russ

You can do what you wish, Russ, just that it cannot count for a handicap round, not that a round played on ones own would anyway.

Russel,

John has given you the correct answer but the generally accepted fudge for any hole you pick up on is to enter a double bogey or worse as most handicap systems ignore shots taken in excess of double bogey for handicap calculations.

If you havent finished the hole then is it just "NR"....?

Correct, Robbie, although I think Russ was just asking if it was OK to give himself a score for that hole because of the difficulties with seeing where the ball went.

The round was not completed so no score can be put up.

I always put my scorecards in on here even if I'm playing on my own.

I know it's not the done thing but I don't cheat, I put down the scores I take regardless of what they are.

The problem was that there was no way I was going to hit a ball on that hole and see where it had gone, so after two attempts I gave up trying.

Now normally on this hole if I hit the green I take a 3 or a 4.  If I go in a bunker then it's probably a 5, in the pond is probably a 5 and not on the green, but not in any hazards is normally a 4.

By the end of the round I was over my handicap plus buffer so this round meant that my handicap went up by 0.1 anyway.

I was just wondering what other people would have done regarding the score for this hole.

Russ

hi russell, did you even look for either ball?

could have been in the hole!

I'd put it down as a ten. That way you can put the score in on GS.

I never thought to look in the hole!

I'll edit my score and put it down as a 1 then....  lol

Russ