Quick question, don’t expect this will be hard to answer.

Obviously it’s OK to take practice swings on the first tee. I think it is also OK to practice chipping on a teeing ground, or on a green just completed, as long as it does not delay play. It’s think it’s OK to knock balls from the course back onto a practice fairway with a club (?)

What about hitting teed up whiffle balls (plastic or foam balls that only travel 5-10m) as a warmup while you are waiting on a teeing ground?

Why would you want to do that? If I was playing with you it would crack me up….rotfl

Leave the whiffle balls on the range or in your backyard. On the course, you’re there to play a round.

I suppose to answer your question the long and the short of it is you aren’t strictly speaking practicing if you hit whiffle balls around a golf course, they aren’t real golf balls so I suppose you can do it all you want, but don’t be surprised if your playing partners ragg on you and eventually ask you to stop…some guys I have played with over the years would feed them to you… ;-)

Hitting plastic balls is a breach of R.7 – Dec. 7-2/4.

Hitting strokes with practice balls back to the range could also consititute a breach of R.7, however the casual flicking of balls back to the range, to tidy the course is not a breach – Dec. 7-2/5.

Why would you want to do that? If I was playing with you it would crack me up….rotfl

I saw someone doing it last weekend and wondered is all. He only did it on the first tee, while everyone else was leaning on their clubs / stretching.

Before the round started he would be right I think…can’t see how it is any different to hitting balls into a net? I wouldn’t see it as practicing on the course as a whiffle ball behaves a little differently to a real ball :)

What about hitting teed up whiffle balls (plastic or foam balls that only travel 5-10m) as a warmup while you are waiting on a teeing ground

why would you want to do that? do you want to be known as the whiffle man? thats so funny. i’m gonna dare my mate to do it this week at comp.

Toolish wrote, “I wouldn’t see it as practicing on the course as a whiffle ball behaves a little differently to a real ball”

As thieftaker has already pointed out above, the rule book says it is practising. Personal opinion does not count on this one

Toolish wrote, “I wouldn’t see it as practicing on the course as a whiffle ball behaves a little differently to a real ball”

As thieftaker has already pointed out above, the rule book says it is practising. Personal opinion does not count on this one

No the rule book doesn’t say anything about plastic golf balls, I don’t however know what the decisions may say about it. Semantics I suppose but golf is all about semantics particularly when it comes to the rules….

as thieftaker posted earlier, dec 7- 2/4 covers this situation

Really wish I hadn’t brought this up now, but here is Dec 7-2/4.

7-2/4 Hitting Plastic Ball Before Playing Ball in Play

Q. During play of a hole, a player plays a stroke with a plastic ball before playing his ball in play. Is he in breach of Rule 7-2?

A. Yes.

So if you are hitting a plastic ball on the first tee before teeing off , is this still covered by this decision?

Rule 7-1 allows “practice putting or chipping on or near the first teeing ground before starting a round or play-off” and 7-2 allows practice chipping on the teeing ground of the next hole to be played in the round. That is with a real golf ball, so the intent of the prohibition seems to be (a) practicising during the play of a hole and (b) practicising full shots.

Really wish I hadn’t brought this up now, but here is Dec 7-2/4.

7-2/4 Hitting Plastic Ball Before Playing Ball in Play

Q. During play of a hole, a player plays a stroke with a plastic ball before playing his ball in play. Is he in breach of Rule 7-2?

A. Yes.

So if you are hitting a plastic ball on the first tee before teeing off , is this still covered by this decision?

Rule 7-1 allows “practice putting or chipping on or near the first teeing ground before starting a round or play-off” and 7-2 allows practice chipping on the teeing ground of the next hole to be played in the round. That is with a real golf ball, so the intent of the prohibition seems to be (a) practicising during the play of a hole and (b) practicising full shots.

Reverse every natural instinct you have and do just the opposite of what you are inclined to do and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. – BEN HOGAN, POWER GOLF

Hmm yes I suspected this after reading rule book….the practicing full shots bit that is….;-)

Muntz asked;

So if you are hitting a plastic ball on the first tee before teeing off , is this still covered by this decision?

A player’s round does not begin until he has played a stroke from the first tee.

Hitting full shots with it will not incur a penalty if you do it near the tee. Doing it on the tee however is getting near the limit of practising on the course….

Probably in the circumstances, just short of breaching the practice rule….

I said probably. Some might have a different opinion.

Cheers
Trysil

If hitting a plastic ball during the round is a breach of Rule 7-2, I can’t see how hitting a plastic ball from the teeing ground before the round should not be a breach, too.

I would call it a breach of Rule 7-1 for practising on the course before the round (stroke play)
Penalty – ouch – DQ!

Really…
If hitting a whiffle ball before (read ‘before’) a round of golf, regardless of where you do it, is contravening a rule of golf, I give up.
This can no way be classed as testing course conditions or anything remotely similar.
Performance of the flight of the ball, ground conditions etc would in no way be able to be determined by hitting a plastic ball.
I would suggest that rule 7-1 is in regards to practising, using proper golfing equipment (i.e. golf ball included)
You could also argue that if a player took a ‘practice swing ’ just off the first tee, but on part of the course (remembering that a path constitutes part of a course), he could also be in breech of rule7-1.
Surely not!
Common sense must prevail!

Brett

@Brett -

Practising near the teeing ground would be ok both before and during the round.

The “teeing ground” is a special area under the Rules, and apart from it (IMO) being a breach hitting golf balls or practice balls from within the teeing ground (before playing for real), I would find it very bad etiquette to hit anything from the teeing ground at all, before a proper stroke is made.

Some courses frown on mere practice swings being taken on the teeing ground!

Stroke Play
Before a round or play-off on any day of a stroke-play competition, a competitor must not practice on the competition course …..

Exception: Practice putting or chipping on or near the first teeing ground before starting a round or play-off is permitted.