Last week’s Question #8 separated the men from the boys. Even if you didn’t play the game, please read my elucidation below.
And based on these results, this subject, taking relief, is not quite dead yet. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/58N1WWsrH0I
Rule 14.3 Dropping Ball in Relief Area stipulates what ball (original or replacement) can be used, how to drop it properly (knee height, etc.), have it come to rest in the relief area, and if it touches anything but the ground. Cue Question #9.
Question #9. You need to take penalty relief area for the #$%^! fifth time today and you’re only on hole #4. You’re already three holes down on your match with that smug, sandbagging buddy of yours. Your buddy is hovering near you and has a foot in your relief area. You drop the ball properly but it rolls and bounces off your buddy’s foot and comes to rest inside the relief area. You deem it accidental. What do you do?
- Say a few choice words and redrop
- Say more than a few choice words and play it as it lies
- Get really pissed since you play it as it lies and you get an additional penalty stroke!
- Grin mischievously because your buddy gets a one-stroke penalty and you get to choose to redrop or play it as it lies
- Rejoice because your buddy gets the general penalty, loss of hole! And you get to choose to redrop or play it as it lies if you want to finish the hole anyway for handicap purposes
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Question #8. Your ball lies just off the 2-ft wide putting green fringe and about a foot from two sprinkler heads located just off the fringe as well. There is no interference to your ball, stance or any intended swing. If you choose to putt, the sprinkler heads are in your Line of Play. If you choose to chip, you’ll take a different line so that the sprinkler heads are not in the Line of Play. If you have one, where is your Relief Area from all interference?
a. You don’t have one, you’re screwed.
b. From the nearest point of relief, you create a one-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area can only include the rough.
c. From the nearest point of relief, you create a one-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area can only include the rough and fringe.
d. From the nearest point of relief, you create a one-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area can include the rough, fringe and putting green.
e. From the nearest point of relief, you create a two-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area includes the rough, fringe and putting green.
f. From the nearest point of relief, you create a two-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area can only include the rough and fringe.
g. From the nearest point of relief, you create a two-club radius semi-circle, no closer to the hole. The relief area can only include the rough.
Oh, boy…and not in a good way. This one proved brutal. Of the TWENTY who responded, only EIGHT answered with the correct response: “c”. To answer this correctly:
- You had to deduce that the ball was in the General Area. (Recall there is the General Area and four specific areas, one of which is the green.) General area includes fairway, rough and fringe.
- So, Rule 16.1b Relief for Ball in General Area covers how you take relief if you’re allowed to with this particular Abnormal Course Condition, Immovable Obstruction, the sprinkler heads. It clearly states that the relief area must only be in the general area so the green can’t be included in the relief area. And it’s only one club length for Free Relief, not two. (The only time you get a two-club length relief area is when you take Lateral Relief from a Penalty Area or an Unplayable Ball.)
- EGC implemented Model Local Rule F-5 that gives you relief if
- the sprinkler heads are on your line of play
- the sprinkler heads are within 2 club lengths of the green
- and the sprinkler head are within 2 club lengths of the ball
- So, since the sprinkler heads are just off the 2-foot wide fringe and the sprinkler heads are foot away from your ball, all the F-5 conditions are met
Folks, I can’t lie, it’s a tight race to the finish. Would you believe there are still a few with a perfect score?!
Tom McKernan
Rules & Handicaps
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