Lost or Out of Bounds Ball

[John Morrissett]

Dennis -

Those are all good thoughts, as we should definitely keep in mind what impact such Rules changes would have on existing courses.

With out of bounds, off the top of my head I can think of only one architect (Tom Simpson, I believe, who professed his respect for Hoylake and its out of bounds) who has openly praised the use of out of bounds when designing a course. Rather, architects, like tournament administrators, tend to use out of bounds as a key element of a hole only when forced to do so (for legal, practical or safety reasons). If that were not the case, why wouldn't out of bounds be used more extensively (esp. when property lines and safety are not issues)?

Also, could you argue that a lesser penalty for out of bounds would allow fairways and greens to be positioned closer to out of bounds (ignoring for now the concerns with possible concerns with property damage) and therefore allow holes to occupy less land?

Thanks,
John