Switching Balls on Tour

[Jeanthemachine]

Did I just hear what I heard?

Friday 8/28 at 1:10 pm I was watching the LPGA event on the Golf Channel. I swear the commentators said that Shen-shen Feng has a ball for full shots and another ball "designated" for putting.

My understanding is that this is not permitted in these tournaments. I believe you can change balls between holes or if a ball becomes unfit for play but changing balls during the play of a hole is not permitted.

Did anyone else hear the comment?

Am I mis-informed about the rule?

 

[Den60]

Did I just hear what I heard?

Friday 8/28 at 1:10 pm I was watching the LPGA event on the Golf Channel. I swear the commentators said that Shen-shen Feng has a ball for full shots and another ball "designated" for putting.

My understanding is that this is not permitted in these tournaments. I believe you can change balls between holes or if a ball becomes unfit for play but changing balls during the play of a hole is not permitted.

Did anyone else hear the comment?

Am I mis-informed about the rule?

You can change a ball if it is lost or unfit for play:

Rule 15-1

Changing golf balls during a hole or a stipulated round

Q. May a player change golf balls during the play of a hole or a stipulated round? When the player is permitted to substitute another golf ball may he change to a ball of a different brand or type?
A. Rules 15-1 and 15-2 explain that the player must complete play of the hole with the ball with which he began the hole unless he is proceeding under a Rule that permits him to substitute a ball. The player may change balls between the play of two holes as well.

Rules 26-1 (Water Hazard Rule), 27-1 (Ball Lost or Out of Bounds) and 28 (Ball Unplayable) are examples of Rules that permit the player to substitute another ball. Rule 5-3 permits a player to substitute another ball during the play of a hole when his original ball has become unfit for play during the play of that hole. Other Rules (e.g. Rule 18, Rule 24, and Rule 25-1) permit the player to substitute another ball only if the original ball is not immediately recoverable.

Note that Rule 16-1b, the Rule that allows the player to lift his ball from the putting green, does not permit the player to substitute another ball; this precludes the player from substituting a “putting ball.”

A player who substitutes another ball when not permitted to do so incurs the general penalty (loss of hole in match play or a two stroke penalty in stroke play) under the applicable Rule. For instance, a player taking relief, without penalty, under Rule 25-1 due to interference from ground under repair is required to do so with the original ball (unless it is not immediately recoverable). If that player substitutes a ball (and makes a stroke with it) when his original ball is immediately recoverable he incurs the general penalty under Rule 25-1 (as it is the applicable Rule in this case).

When changing balls, the player is permitted to substitute a ball of another brand or type unless the Committee has adopted the One Ball Condition of Competition (see Appendix I; Part C; Section 1c). This optional condition (usually referred to as ‘The One Ball Rule’) is generally adopted only in events that are limited to professional golfers or highly-skilled amateur golfers. Generally, this condition of competition is not adopted in club-level competitions

 

[Renren89]

Was this when Lexi was putting?

They were talking about her having a putting glove that's separate from her full shot glove, not about the ball.