Items presented by Dave Ransom.
Bonus Day this Wednesday.
In every comp played on a Wednesday players are charged an additional $2 which is returned as increased prizes once a month in BONUS DAYS. This is generally held on the last Wednesday of the month.
With poor weather and cored greens delaying the October Bonus Day it has been decided to play it this Wednesday 12th of November.
Rules from the Course.
On a regular basis, to assist our members, a rule of golf relevant to play at Jamberoo will be highlighted in a special article. Please feel free to reply with any rule suggestions that you feel are often misinterpreted by players in our comps.
Today we discuss Abnormal Course Conditions – rule 16.
Rule 16 covers when and how you may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when you have interference by an abnormal course condition or a dangerous animal condition.
- These conditions are not treated as part of your challenge of playing the course, and you are generally allowed free relief except in a penalty area.
- You normally take relief by dropping a ball in a relief area based on the nearest point of complete relief.
This Rule also covers free relief when your ball is embedded in its own pitch mark in the general area.
Taking free relief under the Rules
You hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway only to find that you have to stand in a puddle of water to play your ball, or you hit your approach to the green just a little too long and it comes to rest on a cart path. It doesn’t feel fair to have to play your shot from these positions, so what can you do?
These are two examples of conditions that are often found on a golf course that are not normally meant to be part of the challenge of the sport. These types of conditions are known collectively as abnormal course conditions and also include; holes made by animals, areas marked as ground under repair, immovable obstructions (such as artificially surfaced cart paths) and temporary water (such as puddles). As abnormal course conditions are not part of the challenge, the Rules of Golf give you the option to take free relief under Rule 16. This is one of the most frequently used Rules and one that is worth taking your time to understand.
You are allowed free relief from an abnormal course condition (ACC) when you have ‘interference’ from it, which means:
- When your ball touches or is in an ACC, or
- An ACC will physically interfere with the area where you intend to stand, or
- An ACC will physically interfere with your area of intended swing.
The next step is to understand how to take free relief when you have interference from an abnormal course condition.
Remember:
- Even if you have interference from the likes of a cart path, or an animal hole, it doesn’t mean you are entitled to a perfect stance and lie after you take relief. To take relief you must find the nearest point to where your ball lies where you no longer have interference from the condition and then drop within one club-length of that point, no nearer the hole.
- If your ball was in the general area, your nearest point of complete relief must also be in the general area and your ball must also be dropped in the general area.
- It is worth noting that in many situations, the nearest point of complete relief will not be the nicest spot – it could even be in a bush, or in very thick rough. That means you should always check where you will be able to drop your ball under this Rule before you lift it, as playing the ball as it lies might be your best option!
- You are not allowed to take free relief from an abnormal course condition in a penalty area.
Cart Paths Explained:
- You are only allowed to take free relief from a cart path if it is artificially surfaced. There is no free relief from natural paths such as grass or sandy paths.
When Relief Is Allowed:
Interference exists when any one of these is true:
Your ball touches or is in or on an abnormal course condition,
An abnormal course condition physically interferes with your area of intended stance or area of intended swing, or
Only when your ball is on the putting green, an abnormal course condition on or off the putting green intervenes on your line of play.
There is no free relief from an abnormal course condition when the abnormal course condition is out of bounds or your ball is in a penalty area.
Material sourced from https://www.randa.org/articles/taking-free-relief-under-the-rules and the USGA https://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-clarifications/rules-and-clarifications.html#section=rules&itemNum=19
Hi David,
Thanks for this, we can never get enough of this stuff for clarification purposes.
I do have a rules explanation request – perhaps over the course of a few emails, would you be able to explain/discuss all of the New Rules of Golf for 2019 that were brought in to help speed up play.
However, for now I have two comments – cart tracks are defined as man made, how are they different from say the cart tracks on either side of the creek crossings on hole 8 & 10?
And if an OOB’s fence inhibits my back swing but I am not OOB’s – can I take relief? Is that fence an abnormal course condition?
A very good suggestion Colin. I have written many items about ready golf and another reminder would certainly be of assistance.
As for cart tracks, if they are composed of an introduced material that is not naturally occurring in the vicinity,then I believe that a free drop should be given. I often play off these lies not wishing to gain any advantage not deserved. The paths on 1, 8 and 10. all have introduced material by the way.
If a fence interferes with your back swing then I am sorry no free relief is available. The out of bounds markers and fences are exactly that and not part of the course itself. You do not get free relief from objects that define or mark the course boundary. You may not move objects marking course boundaries or take free relief from them like you would from other artificial objects, like a cart path, a building, or a stake marking a penalty area. Your options are to play your ball as it lies, proceed under penalty of stroke and distance by playing again from the spot of your last stroke (see Rule 18.1), or decide your ball is unplayable (see Rule 19.1).
If an electric fence on holes 13,14 or 15 interferes there is a local rule in place that allows a penalty drop two club lengths from the position of the ball not nearer the hole. This was introduced to prevent players who have electronic heart pace makers etc being put in danger.