Double relief?

[Orsomme]

My ball was unplayable under a hedgerow next to a gravel path parallel and next to the fairway. To clarify the gravel road, about 2.5 metres wide was between the hedge and the fairway. The ball was inbounds and not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief was a narrow strip of rough grass between the hedge and the gravel road but to play it my feet would have been on the gravel path. Measuring from the ball one club length was about half a metre onto the gravel path. I marked the spot one club length from the ball in the hedge and then took relief from the road to the edge of the fairway. Was I correct? Behind the hedge was a wooded area with thick bramble undergrowth. If I had taken my ball back keeping in line with the pin and where my ball originally lay I would have had to play from the other side of the hedge in the wood. The wood was not out of bounds or a designated hazard.

 

[backwoodsman]

When taking relief for an unplayable ball the choice is yours as to whether you take 2club lengths not nearer, or the on a line option. So you were entitled to drop on the path or where the path interfers with your stance. You then get relief from the path.

BUT... the danger is that the nearest point of relief from the path could be back in the hedge - the way you describe things, that could easily be the case. Perhaps not but definitely possible.

Edit. Having re-read your post, I'm even more convinced that the nearest point of relief would have been hedge side and likely in the hedge - and that probably you dropped the wrong side of the path.

 

[rosecott]

There is no such thing as Nearest Point of Relief when you have declared your ball unplayable. Given your description of the situation, you were left with two options - back to where you played from under penalty of one stroke, or within 2 clublengths, not nearer the hole, of where the ball lay under penalty of one stroke.

As Backwoodsman says, if you chose the 2 clublengths option and you have to, or decide to, drop on the gravel path, there is a possible danger that your relief might be on that side of the path from where you were trying to escape.

 

[rulefan]

My ball was unplayable under a hedgerow next to a gravel path parallel and next to the fairway. To clarify the gravel road, about 2.5 metres wide was between the hedge and the fairway.

Which side of the fairway was the path and hedge? Are you right or left handed? How far was the hedge from the edge of the path?

All this is needed to determine where you should have played from.
But the relief from an unplayable is two clublengths rater than npr plus one clublength.