2 rules questions

[chrisd]

I was playing in a very friendly 4bbb today and two questions cropped up. I gave my opinion but, as we start competition golf next Sunday I thought I'd double check whether we got the decisions right?

The first was a ball that came to rest in a v of two tree roots, the player couldn't swing fully and wouldn't have been able to play the 25 yards to the green. There were shallow burrowing animal holes all around where he stood but none near the ball. He didn't take relief and putted the ball away from the spot. The question was, if he could actually play a shot, and he did with the putter, which proved he could, and was standing in abnormal conditions, could/should he have taken relief?

The second was, after a tee shot a FC landed on a bare patch and claimed relief as it was a track where green keepers often drove their tractors. In actual fact there were no tractor marks but I understood that there isn't automatic relief from tractor marks anyway and we denied him a free drop

Please - it was a friendly and no one was hurt or offended by the decisions but I just like to clarify things if and when they occur in games

 

[Foxholer]

My thoughts.

Case 1. Yes. Bubba Watson got exactly this sort of relief at the Pheonix in early Feb. And I've seen/heard of other examples. The proviso is that it has to be affecting the swing/stance when the particular shot would be played. There would be no relief if scrapes were only affecting it when a hypothetical shot through the tree was played. http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-25/#d25-1b-20

Case 2. Unless marked as GUR, tough! An LR for tracks might allow relief, but only where clearly tracks, not just bald areas nearby imo.

 

[chrisd]

Glad of that thanks Fox as that was my take on the two matters

 

[Colin L]

.....could/should he have taken relief?

As Foxholer has said but with the added point that is could not should. Unless there is a Local Rule prohibiting play from an abnormal ground condition, taking relief is optional. You can play the ball as it lies.

 

[chrisd]

As Foxholer has said but with the added point that is could not should. Unless there is a Local Rule prohibiting play from an abnormal ground condition, taking relief is optional. You can play the ball as it lies.

Sorry, I said that he could take relief but he chose not to. I meant the word "should" in the context of how he could have benefitted had he done so.

 

[palindromicbob]

My thoughts.

Case 1. Yes. Bubba Watson got exactly this sort of relief at the Pheonix in early Feb. And I've seen/heard of other examples. The proviso is that it has to be affecting the swing/stance when the particular shot would be played. There would be no relief if scrapes were only affecting it when a hypothetical shot through the tree was played. http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-25/#d25-1b-20

Yeah I head about this type of situation. Say a shot could be played by a right hand player flipping his club and playing left handed toward the green. If the situation leads to something that allows him to take relief then he can. NPR etc is decided based on the left hand swing but if after taking relief the player can now make a normal swing at the ball then he can.