NOW here is a twister for all to ponder while you sip that cappuccino from the golf shop. Playing a comp last week I hooked a ball into the greens compound on the 18th. How do I proceed?
a) take a free drop from the drop zone near the green
b) replay the shot with a penalty for being out of bounds
c) replay the shot without penalty or
d) play my next shot from the nearest point of relief?
Dave Ransom
Vice-captain
Response from Lance Fredericks, President Jamberoo Golf club:
The Compound is an Immovable Obstruction (Rule 24) and relief without penalty is available. Where you take relief depends on where the ball ends up in the compound. If you can see and identify the ball then relief is taken at the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole, from the ball. This may be near the 10th Tee. If the ball cannot be found then relief is taken at the point where the ball crossed the boundary of the Compound.
CLUB CAPTAIN Phil Green was recently asked by Australian Senior Golfer if he would put his State Accredited Rules Official hat on and reply to a reader question about a bunker rule incident.
Phil graciously complied and supplied a detailed answer. Here’s a copy of the ASG article. The original is here.
Rules of Golf bunker question
What to do?
BUNKERS can not only be difficult to get out of at times they can also be a minefield when it comes to the Rules of Golf.
One of our readers, Andrew Janiak, obviously had a lively discussion with his playing partner over a bunker incident and the interpretation of the rules during a recent round.
We asked Phil Green, a State Accredited Rules Official and the Club Captain at Jamberoo Golf Club, to reply.
Here’s the question:
“Dear ASG,
I wonder if you can help us to solve this problem.
During Saturday game my partner’s ball was stopped by the rake in the bunker. The rake was left close to the lip of the bunker on the very steep slope. Obviously when he removed the rake the ball moved. He tried to replace the ball, but the slope was too steep and the ball always rolled down. Then he placed the ball on the flat spot below its original position where the ball hasn’t moved. I said that this was incorrect because the ball was on the moveable obstruction (not next to it) and it had to be dropped in the bunker not closer to the hole.
Who was right?
Thanks
Senior Golfer
Andrew Janiak
And Phil Green’s reply:
“The confusion here probably arose because Rule 20-3d (ii )says that if a ball when placed fails to come to rest on the spot on which it was placed, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. If it still fails to come to rest on that spot in a hazard, it must be placed in the hazard at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole.
However, the correct Rule is Rule 24-1b which states that if a ball lies in or on the obstruction, the ball may be lifted and the obstruction removed. The ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the obstruction, but not nearer the hole.
If after dropping the ball, it rolls more than 2 club lengths from where it first struck part of the course, or rolls and comes to rest nearer the hole than its original position, it must be re-dropped.
If after re-dropping, it rolls into any position as described above, it must then be placed as near as possible to the spot where it first struck part of the course when re-dropped.
So in the situation as described, the ball should have been dropped as near as possible to the spot directly under where the ball lay on the obstruction. If it then rolled more than 2 clublengths and came to rest, it must be re-dropped. If it again rolled more than 2 clublengths, it must then be placed on the spot where it struck the bunker on the re-drop. If after placing, it rolled down the slope, then it must be placed in the hazard at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest no nearer the hole.
The full procedure must be followed, i.e. the two drops, then placing, then placing in a different spot if it fails to come to rest.
The first of a series of Golf Rules Quizzes to be supplied by JGC Vice Captain and NSW Accredited Rules Official Phil Green.
Question 1:
Brian is playing in a handicap par competition. Brian scores 5 at the 12th hole which is a par 5 at which he receives a handicap stroke. Brian’s card is returned to the Committee with a score of 4 at the 12th hole. What is the ruling?
Question 2:
Phil’s tee shot clears a water hazard but bounces back into it. He drops the ball on the putting green side of the hazard in an improper manner, and the ball moves when he addresses it. He is informed that he dropped in an improper manner, so he lifts the ball and drops properly. He holes out with three more strokes. As he is leaving the green, someone points out that he may have committed a serious breach of playing from a wrong place. Realising this, he goes back and plays from a correct place as defined by Rule 26-1 and holes out with the second ball with three strokes. What is Phil’s score for the hole?
Brian is playing in a handicap par competition. Brian scores 5 at the 12th hole which is a par 5 at which he receives a handicap stroke. Brian’s card is returned to the Committee with a score of 4 at the 12th hole. What is the ruling?
Question 2:
Phil’s tee shot clears a water hazard but bounces back into it. He drops the ball on the putting green side of the hazard in an improper manner, and the ball moves when he addresses it. He is informed that he dropped in an improper manner, so he lifts the ball and drops properly. He holes out with three more strokes. As he is leaving the green, someone points out that he may have committed a serious breach of playing from a wrong place. Realising this, he goes back and plays from a correct place as defined by Rule 26-1 and holes out with the second ball with three strokes. What is Phil’s score for the hole?
Answers:
Question 1: There is no penalty since the recording of the lower score did not affect the result of the hole. Brian would be awarded hole (a “plus”) with either score. ()See Rule 32-2a and decision 32-2a/5).
Question 2: Phil’s score is 8. His tee shot, 1 penalty under Rule 26-1; 1 penalty under Rule 18-2b; 2 penalty strokes under Rule 20-7; and 3 further strokes from the correct place. The penalty under Rule 18-2b is applicable because the ball was in play when it was dropped in an improper manner (Decision 20-2a/4).
