Hey everybody!

I am not sure how to play this but here is what happened. I was teeing off on a par 3 at Victory Links in Blaine, MN on hole 17. I pured a 4 iron and hit a bird in mid flight probably about 150 yards from the tee. The poor bird split in to two pieces and just folded! I have never seen anything like this before. I felt really bad for the bird! The ball landed about 20 yards from the green which I then played to the hole for a par. How was I supposed to play this? Should I have re-hit?

Thanks!

Jesse

Hitting the bird is just a bad break (even worse for the bird). You played it correctly.

BDLz

jesse,

you play the ball as it lies. It happened to Tom Kite a while back, too.
I also watched a friend of mine do it at one point. He hit his drive, hit the bird, knocked his second shot on the green, and had 2 putts for a par.

I told him id never seen anyone get a birdie, and a par on the same hole. So kudos for playing the situation properly.

Yup happened to me too. Kinda sucks for the bird tho.

I just called PETA.
Hopefully, Pam Anderson shows up at your door.
You can thank me later, birdkiller.

I hit a fox with a drive one time. Hit him on the fly with a pretty low drive (it was long enough ago that I was hitting a persimmon driver) on a tough hole. He was right in the middle of the fairway and he rolled pretty good when the ball hit him. He then picked up the ball and ran into the river next to the course.

When I got to where I'd last seen him, he was looking at me, dropped the ball, then took off. I climbed down and picked up the ball. The teeth marks in that balata were pretty funny to see. Of course, I was then hitting three.

Why were you hitting three?

Kevin

as long as you eat the bird there's no penalty :-)


kidding, you did it correctly

I hit a goose the other day, but I didn't split it in half like you did!

Edit: Misread.

He had picked up the ball and taken it into the hazzard. So, I had to take a drop from the hazzard then hit three.

Interesting, but never thought about it until now. Could I have replaced the ball from where he picked it up and took off without penalty? I was playing by myself and it was probably 20 years ago, but I did take it as a penalty.

No penalty:

18-1. By Outside Agency

If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.

Kevin

automatic birdie. no questions asked.

Kev has the fox story right, no penalty. Put the ball back where it had come to rest before the fox took off with it. Same thing if a dog runs on the green and takes your ball. Just place it back. Saw that happen on the Champions Tour (i think it was the champions tour) a few years back.

Remember the seagull that picked up a ball on the 17th green at TPC? Started to fly away with it, couldn't hold on, and dropped it in the lake. Hilarious, happened live on TV. I want to say it was Licklighter's ball?

Kevin

Kev, I have decided that I no longer need to study the Rule book... I just need to put you on Speed Dial! I'd ask you to post your cell number, but your phone would ring off the hook 24/7 with all us WRX'ers looking for rules decisions!!!

Love it when you keep us all on the correct path!

Cheers!!!

Thanks for the kind words lebanontngolfer. Be careful though, I have made more than my share of mistakes too. I'm just trying to learn like everybody else!



Kevin

I guess I never knew that one. Thank you.

Of course, it was 1985 or 86, I was in my teens, and it almost makes a better story to think I was hitting three. Oh well, there goes the USGA messing up my story!

Kidding of course.