RULES OF GOLF
I
Robin’s Rules of Order Entitled to free relief from an Immovable Obstruction, this player is dropping the “Right way” – from knee height (not shoulder height), after the Rules of Golf were updated by the USGA and R&A.
WORDS BY ROBIN FARRAN, ED GOWAN AND LOGAN RASMUSSEN
mmovable Obstructions such as cart paths, electrical boxes, and sprinkler heads were not put in place by a golf course architect as a “defense of the course” and players should not have to “play around” these objects. The same thing goes for Ground Under Repair, Temporary Water, and Animal Holes. Rule 16 covers how, when, and where a player is entitled to free relief when they are affected by one of these Abnormal Course Conditions. Let’s explore some real-life examples on the golf course that involve Rule 16, courtesy of Rules Expert Robin Farran:
INCIDENT 1
Player A’s relief area for her ball on a cart path was on a sloped area of hard dirt. Player A dropped the ball in the right way and, as the ball rolled quickly down the slope, Player A stopped the ball in the relief area before it rolled out of the relief area. >> As long as the ball would have rolled out of the relief area with no possibility to return on its own, stopping the ball is not a violation. The same applies on a slope above a penalty area where the ball could be lost in water. If the ball could have stopped in the area or returned on its own, there would have been a two-stroke penalty and the drop would NOT have counted.
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