Blue staked conservation area

[bradleywedge]

What is the correct ruling for hitting your ball into a blue staked conservation area.

Are you allowed to enter and look for your ball? (I am aware you cannot hit out of it)

Is it a free drop or a 1 stroke penalty drop?

if it is a free drop is it only if you find your ball?

bit confused.

 

[backwoodsman]

Short answer is ... it depends.

No play zones are specifically defined areas of either abnormal ground conditions, or of penalty areas. Usually its free relief if the former, and penalty relief if the latter. But not always - its up to the committee to decide how they want it operated.The committee can also make it a requirement that you must not enter the NPZ - but they don't have to. And no, you don't have to find your ball in there - the same rules apply to them as they do in 'ordinary' AGCs or PAs.

 

[jim8flog]

It should all be in your local rules book.
That should tell you whether or not you are allowed to enter it. It would only be set by local rule.

Assuming it is set as a "no play play zone' it is a free drop.

 

[Colin L]

The area should be defined as a No Play Zone either in ground under repair or in a penalty area. It is mandatory to take relief from a No Play Zone. If it is in GUR, there is no penalty but if it is a penalty area there is a 1 stroke penalty. Maybe the blue stakes tell you what it is but that's dependant on the local rules defining them and so we don't know . The club also has to tell you if players are not allowed to enter the area - that's not built into the No Play Zone rule. And no, you don't have to find your ball to take relief from either GUR or a penalty area. You have to know your ball is in it or be "virtually certain" it is.

 

[Colin L]

It should all be in your local rules book.
That should tell you whether or not you are allowed to enter it. It would only be set by local rule.

Assuming it is set as a "no play play zone' it is a free drop.

If the conservation area is inside a penalty area the ball has to be found.

Short answer is ... it depends.

No play zones are specifically defined areas of either abnormal ground conditions, or of penalty areas. Usually its free relief if the former, and penalty relief if the latter. But not always - its up to the committee to decide how they want it operated.The committee can also make it a requirement that you must not enter the NPZ - but they don't have to. And no, you don't have to find your ball in there - the same rules apply to them as they do in 'ordinary' AGCs or PAs.

A bit of a mix up there. Conservation area isn't a recognised feature of the course in rules terms. If play is to be prohibited from an area it has to be defined as a No Play Zone. A No Play zone must be in either a PA or an Abnormal Course Condition such as GUR. Relief from a penalty area always carries a penalty and so if the PA is a No Play Zone, there will be a penalty stroke. The ball does not have to be found in either a PA or GUR

 

[jim8flog]

Jim, you 've got a bit mixed up there.

Yes read on a bit too far in the rule book - now deleted

 

[bradleywedge]

On the back of the score card is as follows:

ground under repair: any area enclosed by white lines or blue stakes. Playing a ball from areas marked as gur is prohibited. This includes vehicles tracks, any seeded divot marks. Play is prohibited from a conservation area.

all this I knew, but doesn't really answer questions I posed.

 

[Colin L]

On the back of the score card is as follows:

ground under repair: any area enclosed by white lines or blue stakes. Playing a ball from areas marked as gur is prohibited. This includes vehicles tracks, any seeded divot marks. Play is prohibited from a conservation area.

all this I knew, but doesn't really answer questions I posed.

 

[backwoodsman]

Well, it says that the areas are marked as GUR. So it means you treat it same as any other GUR - with the exception that you are not allowed to play the ball as it lies. So you have to take relief. It doesn't say you have to drop under penalty so it will be free relief - same as 'normal' GUR.

 

[Colin L]

It can't really answer your questions as it's a bit of a mess.

 

[rulefan]

On the back of the score card is as follows:

ground under repair: any area enclosed by white lines or blue stakes. Playing a ball from areas marked as gur is prohibited. This includes vehicles tracks, any seeded divot marks. Play is prohibited from a conservation area.

all this I knew, but doesn't really answer questions I posed.

The words are meaningless. What is a conservation area? How do you recognise one? How does it differ from GUR? Are they one and the same?

 

[salfordlad]

Your confusion is very understandable. Perhaps this is a case of Score Card Local Rule Word Minimizitis (just made that one up) that has produced such indecipherable garbage that bears very little relationship to the Rules of Golf. Could be worth checking if the club actually has some credible Local Rules up on a board or website.

What is the correct ruling for hitting your ball into a blue staked conservation area.

Are you allowed to enter and look for your ball? (I am aware you cannot hit out of it)

Is it a free drop or a 1 stroke penalty drop?

if it is a free drop is it only if you find your ball?

bit confused.

On the score card guidance, my answers would be yes; free drop; no (assuming KVC ball is in that area).

 

[jim8flog]

On the back of our cards the first thing it says is that the Rules are extracts only and the full version can be found in the local rules book.

There is only so much room on the back of a score card for LRs.

Does your club have such a book and is it fully explained in that?

 

[bradleywedge]

On the back of our cards the first thing it says is that the Rules are extracts only and the full version can be found in the local rules book.

There is only so much room on the back of a score card for LRs.

Does your club have such a book and is it fully explained in that?

Not actually 'my' club as I am a nomad golfer but its a course I frequent quite regularly. I will ask in the club shop next time I play (Saturday)

 

[rulie]

Imo, some of those GUR descriptions on the scorecard are inappropriate and unauthorized, such as "vehicle tracks and seeded divot marks".

 

[jim8flog]

Imo, some of those GUR descriptions on the scorecard are inappropriate and unauthorized, such as "vehicle tracks and seeded divot marks".

There would be nothing wrong with declaring vehicle tracks as GUR

e.g.
F-4
Extensive Damage Due to Heavy Rain and Traffic
Purpose. When heavy rain has resulted in many areas of unusual damage to the course (such as deep ruts caused by vehicles or deep footprints caused by spectators), and it is not feasible to define them with stakes or lines, the Committee has the authority to declare such unusual damage to be ground under repair.

 

[Colin L]

That local rule is explicitly for unusual damage caused by a specific event. It shouldn't be in the local rules as a permanent measure.

 

[rulie]

There would be nothing wrong with declaring vehicle tracks as GUR

e.g.
F-4
Extensive Damage Due to Heavy Rain and Traffic
Purpose. When heavy rain has resulted in many areas of unusual damage to the course (such as deep ruts caused by vehicles or deep footprints caused by spectators), and it is not feasible to define them with stakes or lines, the Committee has the authority to declare such unusual damage to be ground under repair.

I don’t have an issue with that Local Rule. However, imo, a generic “vehicle tracks” is far too general as a description. I think it needs to be more specific.

 

[salfordlad]

I don’t have an issue with that Local Rule. However, imo, a generic “vehicle tracks” is far too general as a description. I think it needs to be more specific.

Agree. I don't have a problem with GUR defined to include something like "clearly defined wheel ruts in the general area". Such things are not intended to be part of the challenge of the golf course, IMO.

 

[rulie]

Agree. I don't have a problem with GUR defined to include something like "clearly defined wheel ruts in the general area". Such things are not intended to be part of the challenge of the golf course, IMO.

"Ruts", particularly deep ruts, are significantly different than slight indents in grass caused by vehicle tires. If the player can get their club on the back of the ball, free relief is in doubt. "Play hard" is often the outcome.