Couple of questions.

[rulefan]

I understand the rule and thanks for the info, I just don’t understand why if something has been broken but still attached at one end and lying on the course or overhanging why it wouldn’t be classed as caring for the course if you fix it.

You can care for the course after you have made your stroke. Caring for the course before would permit you to improve your lie or swing line that resulted from you original shot.

 

[rulefan]

As players we can just assume that we can't do anything about any aspect of a boundary fence before we play our next shot (or take other measure) on the basis that the context of where the ball lies is exactly as it was before we hit our ball there - and so we have to deal with it.

Exactly

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Exactly

Sorry, but we shouldn’t be punished for vandalism, you wouldn’t be anywhere else on a course, why so with a oob fence?

 

[jim8flog]

And yet ll the pros get free relief from all sorts. Grandstands for example. I'd say to them "Did you not see it there? Well ok then play it from where you've hit it to". LOL

Grandstands, advertising boards etc would not normally be on the course, so they get special consideration and are defined as Temporary Immovable Obstructions (TIOs) under Conditions of the Competition.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Sorry, but we shouldn’t be punished for vandalism, you wouldn’t be anywhere else on a course, why so with a oob fence?

Because there are rules and decisions specific to the course boundary - and there would be debate about what is vandalism and what isn't? Vandalism isn't defined in the rules of golf - and probably can't be in any way that would avoid the same debates about what was and what wasn't under any definition.

Besides - any player before you seeing the vandalism should do the right thing for players following - and fix the fence as best they can.

 

[rulefan]

Sorry, but we shouldn’t be punished for vandalism, you wouldn’t be anywhere else on a course, why so with a oob fence?

In your earlier example you mentioned a ball being stolen. You are are not penalised if you know that has been stolen. If you don't know why it has gone missing you are penalised. How do you know damage has been caused by vandalism rather than wear and tear or extreme weather say?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

In your earlier example you mentioned a ball being stolen. You are are not penalised if you know that has been stolen. If you don't know why it has gone missing you are penalised. How do you know damage has been caused by vandalism rather than wear and tear or extreme weather say?

There's the rub

 

[Deleted member 16999]

In your earlier example you mentioned a ball being stolen. You are are not penalised if you know that has been stolen. If you don't know why it has gone missing you are penalised. How do you know damage has been caused by vandalism rather than wear and tear or extreme weather say?

Because if you read my example of what happens at our course you wouldn’t be asking the question.
Unfortunately when our course was opened 107 yrs ago they didn’t think one of the roughest houseing estates would be built bordering the course.
The bad behaviour escalates in the summer with the warm weather.
Even tonight when I’ve played we had 2 greens with missing flags, one we witnessed being taken by a kid and watched him throw it over the 8ft high barbed wire topped fence.