"Everybody can get better on 15 minutes per day."
"You can even get better on 5 minutes per day."
Tom Tucker, Unrenowned Golf Coach 😄
Tom's Featured Tip: Out Of Bounds - Know The Rules
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Out Of Bounds - Know The Rules
The Best Training Aid For Indoor or Outdoor Practice
The Divot Board
This is the most useful ball striking development training aid that I own.
Out Of Bounds - Know The Rules
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
You hit it OB, now what?
The brutal reality: stroke and distance
Rule 18 covers taking relief under penalty of stroke and distance. When your ball is lost outside a penalty area or comes to rest out of bounds, the required progression of playing from the teeing area to the hole is broken; you must resume that progression by playing again from where the previous stroke was made.
One option. Add a penalty stroke, replay from where you hit. Drive rockets OB from the tee? You're hitting three from that same tee box. Approach shot clears the fence? March back and hit four.
Know your boundaries
White stakes. White lines. Out of Bounds: All areas outside the boundary edge of the course as defined by the Committee. All areas inside that edge are in bounds. Your ball is OB only when it's completely beyond the boundary line – if any part touches the line or course side, you're good.
Stop gifting the course free strokes by calling balls OB when half the ball sits legal. One foursome I play with plays prison rules 😀, so I carry a long piece of thin rope in my bag to stretch between OB posts when necessary if there's a question on whether a ball is completely OB or not.
Master the provisional
If you think that your ball might be out of bounds or that you might not find it, you can play a provisional ball to save time. You must announce that you are playing a provisional ball before doing so.
Smart players hit provisionals whenever there's doubt. Tell your group: "I'm hitting a provisional ball." Loud enough. Clear enough.
Skip the announcement? Welcome to the rules nightmare nobody wants.
Key point: You may continue to play the provisional ball until you reach the spot where your original is likely to be. If you play the provisional from a spot nearer the hole than that point, or if your original is confirmed lost or out of bounds, the provisional automatically becomes your ball in play.
Three minutes means three minutes
Lost: The status of a ball that is not found in three minutes after you or your caddie (or your partner or partner's caddie) begin to search for it. Period. After three minutes, your ball is officially lost.
Pay attention to where your bad shots go. Pick a landmark. Always hit a provisional when trouble lurks. After two minutes of searching, start planning your next move instead of forming search parties.
Local rules might save you
There is also an optional Local Rule (Model Local Rule E-5) that provides an alternative to stroke-and-distance relief when it is in effect. It's not used in most professional events, but many courses adopt it for everyday play.
If it is in effect, for two penalty strokes, you can estimate the spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds and then find the nearest fairway edge that is not nearer the hole than the estimated spot.
You can drop a ball in the fairway within two club-lengths of that fairway edge point, or anywhere between there and the estimated spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds.
Some courses offer relief—maybe a drop zone or two-stroke penalty near where your ball crossed. Check the scorecard. Ask the pro shop before you tee off. Don't assume. Never improvise relief mid-round.
The mental game
The walk of shame - that walk back to re-hit. Brutal. But holding onto frustration will torpedo your entire round. Better to just accept that it happened. Focus on the next swing. Commit to better execution. Don't compound one mistake by pressing for miracle recovery shots.
Strategic reality
OB rules feel harsh because they are harsh. That severity forces strategic thinking about risk versus reward. Maybe that narrow fairway with OB lurking right isn't worth pulling driver.
Sometimes, boring keeps you in the game. Boring beats brilliant when brilliant finds the OB area.
Next time you're eyeing trouble, ask yourself: "What's the worst case if I play safe?" Usually beats the definite disaster of getting aggressive.
The OB rule isn't punishing you. It's teaching you. Learn the lesson.
Try it, you'll like it!
Email Comments: to TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, The Stack and Tilt Swing
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health, and remember that golf is a game of discovery. Don't be afraid to experiment when you practice, it's good for your golfing brain.
Tom
Golf Lessons
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Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
me - Tom Tucker - at (716) 474 3005 or email me at TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
for more information.
Outdoor Lessons Details and Rates:
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Sponsors and Affiliates
Buying a sponsored product through any of my affiliate links helps support this free newsletter, and I only affiliate with excellent products that I use myself. Thanks, Tom
Batavia Country Club (585) 343-7600 www.bataviacc.com
Great rates, the best greens in WNY.
Golf Digest Four Star rating for public courses to play in New York State.
Tee times online or by phone in season.
Click here to buy your Divot Board to drastically improve your ball-striking. Combine your Divot Board practice and putting practice with the included putting lesson drills, and watch your scoring improve1. And make sure to check out their new turf mats, I think they copied what I did - but in a better way!
Use your club or hand to re-set the board after your strike
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All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Professional, Batavia Country Club
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach
Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
http://www.TomTuckerGolf.com
"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection1"
~ Ben Hogan