[rXpX]

My buddy and I were playing the other day when he decided to take an aggressive line to a par 4 dog leg left. He hit his tee shot well and it carried the trees on the left hand side of the hole. we expected to find his ball just short of the green but never found it.
Was he supposed to go back to the tee and hit 3 or could he have played from the fairway where the ball cut the corner and went over the trees?

[joanbertis]

It will depend on how the course is marked.

[rXpX]

it's not

[offinoNem]

It will depend on how the course is marked.

How so, JB? If a player does not see what happened to his ball, or see it enter a hazard, I believe it must be played as a lost ball. Stroke and distance.

Fourputt will be along shortly I would imagine.

Kevin

[joanbertis]

How so, JB? If a player does not see what happened to his ball, or see it enter a hazard, I believe it must be played as a lost ball. Stroke and distance.

Fourputt will be along shortly I would imagine.

Kevin

But if the trees are lined with white stakes, would that not be OB?

[offinoNem]

But if the trees are lined with white stakes, would that not be OB?

But OB is still stroke and distance so he's heading back to the tee.

Kevin

[joanbertis]

But OB is still stroke and distance so he's heading back to the tee.

Kevin

I must be reading it wrong. Because my interpretation was that if he knew where he went in and it was just trees and marked with red stakes (we have one hole like this at my course) he would play it as a hazard and drop where the ball entered.

[rXpX]

It's not marked by any stakes. Its just some trees on the left part of the fairway in fact many players take this line because if you hit it theres a good chance of driving the green. many come up short and can still pitch out and get up and down.
We just couldn't find the ball.

[offinoNem]

I must be reading it wrong. Because my interpretation was that if he knew where he went in and it was just trees and marked with red stakes (we have one hole like this at my course) he would play it as a hazard and drop where the ball entered.

Now I'm sounding you. I guess the way I was reading it he didn't have an idea of where it would have been lost. I do think you need to know where a ball entered a hazard in order to take a proper drop.

But like I said, Fourputt should be along.

[illignocearia]

I must be reading it wrong. Because my interpretation was that if he knew where he went in and it was just trees and marked with red stakes (we have one hole like this at my course) he would play it as a hazard and drop where the ball entered.

A properly marked course will not have trees marked as a hazard. That is contrary to the Rules of Golf. And it still must be known or virtually certain that the ball in in the hazard. You can't just assume this. Even seeing a splash is not of itself sufficient evidence that the ball is in the hazard. If there is any possible doubt, then it is ruled as a lost ball and the player must return to where previous shot was played and drop a ball and play from there, or if it was played from the tee, then the ball may be reteed.

Since in this case there were no markings, the ball is lost and Rule 27-1c applies.

27-1. Stroke and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes

a. Proceeding Under Stroke and Distance

At any time, a player may, under penalty of one stroke, play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), i.e., proceed under penalty of stroke and distance.

Except as otherwise provided in the Rules, if a player makes a stroke at a ball from the spot at which the original ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded under penalty of stroke and distance.

b. Ball Out of Bounds

If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

c. Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes

If a ball is lost as a result of not being found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player's Side or his or their caddies have begun to search for it, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

Exceptions:

1. If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball that has not been found is in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or is in an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c), the player may proceed under the applicable Rule.

2. If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball that has not been found has been moved by an outside agency (Rule 18-1) or is in a water hazard (Rule 26-1), the player must proceed under the applicable Rule.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1:
Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes.