Advice on proper ruling please

[bladeplayer]

Playing a short par 4 yesterday drive ended up in greenside bunker.. now try visual this if you can please

as you approach the green there is a long bunker on the left , the left side of the bunker meets a gravel path way , where it meets the path it is lined with timber sleepers .. my ball was up against the sleeper leaving me no shot twords the green whatsoever, but my stance was on the path..

paths are listed in the LR as immovable obstructions ..

My question is ... was i entitled to relief & a free drop in the bunker .. as my stance was on the path ??

I wasnt sure if the free drop/relief rule applied as my ball was in a hazzard...

Thanks

 

[Region3]

Was your stance on the path for the impossible shot towards the green, or the sideways shot out of the bunker?

 

[bladeplayer]

Was your stance on the path for the impossible shot towards the green,

i was on the path and could not get to back of the ball to play twords the green in any way , had to play backwards away from the green to get any shot ..

Thanks

 

[Colin L]

I hope I have the picture right. Your ball was in the bunker. To play it you would be standing on the path reaching over the sleepers to the ball. Forget the path for a moment, I would suggest. The sleepers are an immovable obstruction (unless a local rule says otherwise) from which you can take relief as they were interfering with your stance etc. You would find the nearest point of relief in the bunker and drop within 1 clublength all for free.

 

[Matty]

Okay, so if I understand this correctly:

1/ You can't play directly towards the green as the sleeper is behind your ball.
2/ You can't play directly away from the green as the sleeper is directly in front of your ball.
3/ You could play out to the left or right by standing on the path or in the bunker.

I think you may be entitled to relief but since you can't drop the ball as I see if without dropping it nearer to the hole I think you'd need to drop it outside the bunker under penalty of 1 stroke. Rule 24-2 (ii)(b).

You could also opt to play out sideways by taking a stance in the bunker without penalty.

 

[bladeplayer]

I hope I have the picture right. Your ball was in the bunker. To play it you would be standing on the path reaching over the sleepers to the ball.

Forget the path for a moment, I would suggest. The sleepers are an immovable obstruction (unless a local rule says otherwise) from which you can take relief as they were interfering with your stance etc. You would find the nearest point of relief in the bunker and drop within 1 clublength all for free.

Yes sir you have the picture correct, that is exactly the position i was in ..

Very interesting that its "unless the LR says otherwise" regarding the sleepers, the sleepers were not mentioned on the LR at all under immovable instructions so i assumed (incorrectly) they must be accepted as part of the course ..

Many Thanks

 

[bladeplayer]

Okay, so if I understand this correctly:

1/ You can't play directly towards the green as the sleeper is behind your ball.
2/ You can't play directly away from the green as the sleeper is directly in front of your ball.
3/ You could play out to the left or right by standing on the path or in the bunker.

I think you may be entitled to relief but since you can't drop the ball as I see if without dropping it nearer to the hole I think you'd need to drop it outside the bunker under penalty of 1 stroke. Rule 24-2 (ii)(b).

You could also opt to play out sideways by taking a stance in the bunker without penalty.

point 1 & 2 are bang on , in point 3 the only option to play any shot was in the bunker with my back to the green & play back twords the fairway ..
Colin sums it up in the first two lines of his reply below

Thanks

 

[Colin L]

Very interesting that its "unless the LR says otherwise" regarding the sleepers, the sleepers were not mentioned on the LR at all under immovable instructions so i assumed (incorrectly) they must be accepted as part of the course ..

Yes, it's the other way round. The sleepers are obstructions by definition but you might find a local rule defining them as integral parts of the course.