A reader of my Blog recently asked:
‘If you play a mixed Match Play competition and the Men tee off first with their ball of their choice, is it cheating when it comes to the Ladies teeing off with their own ball, or must they tee with the ball used by the man on the first tee?’
Provided the competition does not have a ‘One-Ball’ local rule in operation then it is quite permissible to play with different balls.
It does not mean that you have to literally play with the same ball as your partner, only a ball of the same make and model.
In formats where players play one ball, often partners may agree to play a particular make and model of ball that one partner prefers, but this does not tie them to having to use that specific make and model to play out the hole or the whole round. There may be times when the ball has to be substituted and players do not necessarily have the same ball in their bag.
The one ball rule is an optional condition that Committees may choose to use. If this rule is in effect, you must play with the same brand, make and model of golf ball that you started the round with. This means that if you start playing with a Titleist Pro V1, you must play a Titleist Pro V1 for the remainder of the round and may not switch to another brand or even another model of Titleist golf ball (see Committee Procedures; Model Local Rule G-4).
This rule is usually reserved for elite competitions especially those played by the professional golfers, normal Club and County Competitions do not adopt this rule.
Enjoy your golf,
Tony
Rules of Golf Blog: www.my-golf.uk
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