By hook or by slice, just keep ball in play or visit a golf pro

Back in the day when money was scarce and there was plenty of land to expand golf courses. The days when there was a golf course in Koru, Meru, Timau, Kilimambogo and at the Kilindini harbour.

The days when empty four-inch jam tins were much sought after because of their use in lining holes. Long before the grubby hands of well-connected individuals had reduced the Royal Nairobi Golf Club to 18 holes and Nyeri Club to 9 holes.

The days when Railway Golf Club was known as Kenya Uganda Railway Club and was an 18-hole course that spread to the current day Nyayo Stadium; The ball being out of bounds was probably a non-issue.

A sliced or a hooked shot from the tee would probably still be in play even if it were a mile from the fairway. Not so today.

Golfers will most certainly get punished on most golf courses if they hook or slice the ball. In many cases, a slight draw or fade will not put one in trouble. The only problem is when golfers don’t know when their ball is no longer in play after one of those slices or hooks.

The following three scenarios show how confusing the situations can be. These are my recollections of how the events were recounted to me.

Scenario one – Some years back at Railway Golf Club, a golfer sliced a ball from the 18th tee. The ball took a bounce on the pavement and ended up on sand on a stationary lorry on Uhuru Highway. A man sitting at the back of the lorry made his way slowly to the ball, picked it up and went nonchalantly back to his position.

The caddies, who were with the team, appealed to the good nature of the man to toss the ball back. By this time the lorry had started moving and had made a left turn on Haile Selassie Avenue. The man tossed the ball back on the course and it landed smack in the middle of the fairway within 100 yards of the green.

For those that are not familiar with Railway Golf Club, the 18th hole is a par 5, 535 yards long, with a dog-leg. The player thanked his good fortunes and went ahead to play the ball from the new location and finished the hole with a birdie.

Scenario two – Many years ago at Kiambu Club, on what was then the par four fourth hole, which is the current sixth hole, a golfer sliced his tee shot to the road. The ball hit the roof of a moving car and bounced back to the course and landed two feet from the hole. The golfer ended up with an eagle despite the poor tee shot.

Scenario three – Recently at Nanyuki Sports Club, a golfer hooked his shot on one of the holes and was certain that the ball was out of bounds. He played a provisional ball that landed squarely on the fairway. The player, before playing his provisional ball, noticed that his first ball had miraculously found its way back to the fairway. He played the original ball and disregarded his provisional ball. Which of these three golfers proceeded in the correct manner? Did I hear you say all the players? The definition of Ball in Play in the Rules of Golf is “A ball is “in play” as soon as the player has made a stroke on the teeing ground. It remains in play until it is holed, except when it is lost, out of bounds…”

Going back to the scenario one; the ball was at rest out of bounds. It does not matter whether an outside agency threw the ball back or not. It was out of bounds. By playing the ball that was thrown back, the player was playing the wrong ball.

LOSS OF HOLE

In match play, that would be an automatic loss of hole and in stroke play the player was required to go back to the tee and play another ball. Failing this, the player should have been disqualified.

In the Kiambu Club case, the ball did not stop out of bounds. Since it bounced back onto the course, the ball was in play. The eagle acquired by such a fluke is kosher.

As for the case in Nanyuki case, there is no straightforward answer. Was the ball thrown back? In the absence of knowledge that the ball was thrown back, the player is justified in continuing play with the original ball. However, if he or his caddie knows that the ball had assistance from an outside agency, then it will no longer be play. If you are a “slicer” or a “hooker”, visit a golf Professional. Otherwise, try and keep the ball in play.