There are few more anxious walks in golf than when you’re heading towards the out of bounds (OOB) and you’re not sure whether your ball has just stayed in or just trickled out.
If it’s in, you’re going to have a shot to the green. Nothing is lost and you can carry on your merry way. If it’s drifted out, you’re facing a long walk back to play again, under penalty of one shot, from where the last stroke was made. Or, if you’ve done the right thing, you’ll move to play your provisional ball.
When you reach your ball, it’s close. It’s right on the white out of bounds line. Are you in luck, or not?
Let’s start by giving an outline of out of bounds in The Rules.
OOB is defined as – All areas outside the boundary edge of the course as defined by the committee.
That boundary edge may be defined in a number of ways – white stakes, lines on the ground, fences, walls, railings, roads etc.
However it is defined, if your ball has strayed beyond the limits of the course under Rule 18.2 you must play another ball from where you last played under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 14.6), whether from the tee or fairway or any other spot. So, if it was your tee-shot that had gone OOB, you would now be playing three off the tee.
A ball is in bounds if it lies on or touches the ground or anything else (such as any natural or artificial object) inside the boundary edge. If it’s in the air above the boundary edge, suspended in a bush for instance, if any part of the ball overhangs the course, it’s in!
Where out of bounds is defined by white stakes or a fence, the out of bounds line runs between the nearest inside points at ground level of the stakes or fence posts.
When a line on the ground is used, the line itself is out of bounds. However, a ball is deemed in bounds even if a small part of it lies on the course side of the boundary line.
If your ball sits totally on the white out of bounds line, with no part of it on the course side, it is out of bounds. You’re out of luck.
If then you find your ball bang smack on the white line. You’re out.
