Casual water on the tee.

[Marc Cools]

My first rules lesson :
1/ The basics of the game = play the ball as it lies
2/ The rules aren't only restrictions, mostly they give you extra possibilities - with or without penalty.

This in mind, I didn't find anything in the rules, definitions or decisions that gives you extra options than removing the water. So you must play within the wet teebox.

A wisdom I learned from a 10 year old good golfer : it may be bad condition, but it is for everybody bad condition. So don't complain, play!
Isn't that a beauty from that young player?

 

[Slab]

With the fact that a player is allowed to clear casual water on a teeing ground it begs the question how does a player clear casual water on a teeing ground?

Notwithstanding the time/hold up of play to carry out his right, I was wondering how he would even achieve it and what scenario came up that the R&A even had to rule on it!

At the moment I’m imagining a rules query letter from a player similar to the below:

November 15th 1784

Dear Royal & Ancient

Me, Fat Boab, Wee Eck & Lord Toby (Jugs to his mates) skipped archery practice yesterday to get a quick round in and wondered if you could rule on the following:

Got to the par three 14th tee only to find the whole teeing ground was a tad moist with the wet stuff as the rain had been lashing down. Casual water everywhere and Eck said he wanted to clear it using his duvet size sheet of Bounty kitchen towel he had the foresight to pack, Jugs wanted to clear it using the greenkeepers tools that had been conveniently left near the tee box but Boab & I were against it and told them to play the course as you find it

Who’s right?

Yours Sincerely
Willy Ping

 

[rulefan]

With the fact that a player is allowed to clear casual water on a teeing ground it begs the question how does a player clear casual water on a teeing ground?

It is not unusual where competitions cannot be easily postponed and heavy rain has fallen or is forecast, for greenkeepers to provide squeegees at vulnerable locations (normally greens but also tees).
If referees are present, they may take on the task on greens but it would normally left to the players on the tees.