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Changing balls mid round.

• TheCarGuy 17 Posts

  Sat, Apr 20 2019 9:44 PM

  I have several premium balls but it seems that when one wears out or I lose it, the game gives me the starters to replace it, even if I have better balls in my inventory. Is there a way to change this?

• alosso 21,069 Posts

  Sat, Apr 20 2019 10:08 PM

  The bag is closed during the games - no way to the inventory. It's a simplification which benefits our hosts. You may buy the ball that you have/had from the beer cart girl, or take the Starters. Last resort: Quit the round.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Apr 20 2019 10:17 PM

  alosso:

  It's a simplification which benefits our hosts.

  No it's not, it's a rule of golf. Any simplification comes from them letting you continue with the free ball. IRL you'd be disqualified.

• zagraniczniak 1,984 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 1:13 AM

  YankeeJim:

  alosso:

  It's a simplification which benefits our hosts.

  No it's not, it's a rule of golf. Any simplification comes from them letting you continue with the free ball. IRL you'd be disqualified.

  Wouldn't call it a rule of golf. There's a "one-ball condition" imposed sometimes by organizers of competitions (where you have to use the same type of ball for the whole round). Why on earth I can't fathom, but there it is. Under the rules of golf, you can tee off on any hole with any conforming ball, regardless of the ball you played on the previous hole. You are then required to play out that hole with the same ball unless certain events intervene, such as a lost or damaged ball (or in the WGT context, when your ball "wears out"). Then you can replace the ball with any conforming ball. 

• alosso 21,069 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 1:51 AM

  +1 Zag!

  YankeeJim:

  it's a rule of golf.

  Name it, with the number! ;)

  Root of the simplification is the rule that no clubs may be changed in a game. Thus, the bag is closed and disconnected from the inventory. Here, it includes the balls which come through the inventory, too. IRL, the ball bag is "open" all the time for most players for any additional buy or find.

• DodgyPutter 4,690 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 2:55 AM

  Yes, it seems you are not allowed to change balls during play of a hole (with exceptions) that's not the case between holes.  Although the commitee can decide otherwise and I guess here they have :-/

• lonniescott711 4,204 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 7:30 AM

  Never start a round with only 1 ball . Unless you are just trying to burn the ball out of remaining hits . For obvious reasons it would only be a waste of your time in a ranked round or team play .

• borntobesting 9,696 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 7:46 AM

  You can thank Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus for rule 15-1 that says you can’t  change balls in the middle of a hole. They used to change ball types 2 times per hole. They would drive with hard distance ball then switch to a softer spin ball for approach shots. The U.S.G.A thought that this was not in the spirit of the game and made rule 15-1 that evolved into the one ball condition. 

• BOZskills 410 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 8:01 AM

  How could they change balls in the middle of the hole,as you are not allowed to touch a ball in play,except on the green?

• Nicole161106 281 Posts

  Sun, Apr 21 2019 9:46 AM

  BOZskills:

  How could they change balls in the middle of the hole,as you are not allowed to touch a ball in play,except on the green?

  If your ball is damaged you can change it.