And another rules Q

[Whereditgo]

Played in a Stableford today and one of the guys in our fourball hits his ball left and it comes to rest touching (or as near to as makes no difference from where I was standing) the fence that marks the OB down the left of the fairway.

The OB is covered by a local rule; "beyond all walls and fences marking the boundary of the course".

The fence is constructed of posts and 'chicken wire' about 2ft high. Being a right hander he has no chance of putting a decent swing on the ball, so he proceeds to trample the fence down so that his stance then holds the wire flat on the ground and he can make a swing and progress the ball forwards.

Ii just looked plain wrong to me I mentioned to the guy marking his card that "I'm not sure that you can do that?" the player overheard my comment and apparently stated that "the fence was broken" therefore implying that it was ok.

Surely this can't be right?

 

[G_Mulligan]

Sounds like if the fence was not broken before it certainly was after he had finished with it. I don't know for sure but it sounds like he improved his lie somewhat there.

 

[FourPutt]

I would think that if the ball itself was still in bounds, he would receive relief from the fence. If the ball was out, it's out.

 

[Smiffy]

I would think that if the ball itself was still in bounds, he would receive relief from the fence.

Not always the case I'm afraid. I played at Forest Pines last year and there was an OOB fence all the way down the left hand side of a par 5 (5th hole I think it was).
I found myself up against it and couldn't claim relief. Play as it lay, or drop under penalty.
I played it where it lay and manufactured a well worked 9

 

[DCB]

"Objects defining out of bounds such as walls, fences,stakes and railings are not obstructions and are deemed to be fixed. Stakes identifying out of bounds are not bstructions and are deemed to be fixed."

taken from the Definitions section of the RoG

"13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play

indicates

"moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),"

So he has a two stroke penalty for breaching 13-2

Since he didn't add the two stroke penalty it should be a DQ for signing for an incorrect score

 

[bobmac]

I'd like to be associated with the remarks of the last poster

 

[chrisd]

I'd like to be associated with the remarks of the last poster

I'd like to be associated with the remarks of Bob who was associating himself with the remarks of the previous poster

 

[Tommo21]

I would just like to be associated.

 

[Losttheplot]

Yes I'd like to associate myself in the same moral grounding of Chris and the fellow people he associated himself with.

You can't trample down anything to improve your stance or swing. It's relief under penalty if he deems it unplayable.

 

[Matty]

What would this guy have done if the boundary had been a stone wall?

You can't manufacturer a better position for your ball in it's current lie. If you don't like the lie take the penalty and drop it (legally) away from the obstruction.

I had an awful lie at the weekend in a Stableford Comp right behind a tree with a trunk about 5 inches in diameter but so perfectly positioned that it blocked and line into the green. I could have taken a penalty drop but decided to chip as best I could for the middle of the fairway. (I managed the latter pretty well).

My point here is that I could not have paused to hack the tree down!