free drop question

[mm66]

my course has planted several new trees which allow a free drop if interfering with swing , my playing partner says i cannot drop in a position which improves lie ie shorter grass than where ball was , i think i can as i am taking club length not nearer hole after finding closest point of relief , surely the length of grass has no bearing?
thank in advance for a ruling

 

[Colin L]

You are correct. The relief area in which you drop your ball is fixed by the nearest point of complete relief as you are aware. Whether that gives you a better or worse lie than the original or one similar is irrelevant.

By the way, it would be usual for the protection of young trees for relief to be obligatory. Perhaps you had no choice in any case.

 

[backwoodsman]

Your PP is incorrect. You find the nearest point where the staked tree no longer interferes with lie or stance or swing, then you get 1 clublength. (all not nearer hole that is). If that happens to be a different or better lie, then its good luck. Or it could be worse - which is tough luck.

Edit: or what Colin says

 

[jim8flog]

my course has planted several new trees which allow a free drop if interfering with swing , my playing partner says i cannot drop in a position which improves lie ie shorter grass than where ball was , i think i can as i am taking club length not nearer hole after finding closest point of relief , surely the length of grass has no bearing?
thank in advance for a ruling

It is specificly mentioned in the interpretations of the rules

16.1/1 – Relief from Abnormal Course Condition May Result in Better or Worse Conditions

If a player receives a better lie, area of intended swing or line of play in taking relief under Rule 16.1, this is the player’s good fortune. There is nothing in Rule 16.1 that requires him or her to maintain identical conditions after relief is taken.

For example, in taking relief from a sprinkler head (immovable obstruction) in the rough, the player’s nearest point of complete reliefNearest Point of Complete Relief: The reference point for taking free relief from an abnormal course condition (Rule 16.1), dangerous animal condition (Rule 16.2), wrong green (Rule 13.1f) or no play zone (Rules 16.1f and 17.1e), or in taking relief under certain Local Rules.(...Continued) or relief area may be located in the fairway. If this results in the player being able to drop a ball in the fairway, this is allowed.

In some situations, the conditions may be less advantageous to the player after relief is taken as compared with the conditions before relief is taken, such as when the nearest point of complete relief or relief area is in an area of rocks.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

A previous course I played on ( it now no longer exists) had a hole where an area contained several young ( staked) trees, just off the fairway.
The rule allowed a free drop from the stakes tree.
It could be done, and was on several occasions, that taking relief , from one tree to the next, took you finally to the edge of the fairway!?

 

[rulefan]

A previous course I played on ( it now no longer exists) had a hole where an area contained several young ( staked) trees, just off the fairway.
The rule allowed a free drop from the stakes tree.
It could be done, and was on several occasions, that taking relief , from one tree to the next, took you finally to the edge of the fairway!?

The Rules aren't always penal

 

[jim8flog]

A previous course I played on ( it now no longer exists) had a hole where an area contained several young ( staked) trees, just off the fairway.
The rule allowed a free drop from the stakes tree.
It could be done, and was on several occasions, that taking relief , from one tree to the next, took you finally to the edge of the fairway!?

I have known quite a lot of newly built courses that made the tree plantation areas as all GUR to save the bother of having to make repeated drops

 

[KenL]

Sour grapes from your partner. It must be the only way these "rules" surface.

 

[Alan56]

My playing partner landed in a bunker GUR, on marking the nearest point of relief and then marking the additional 1 club length, he then proceeded to drop the ball on the second marker knowing it would roll outside this area so he could then place the ball and get a better lie. Is this allowable.

 

[rulie]

If the dropped ball strikes the tee marking the limit of the relief area before it strikes the ground, the ball has been dropped in a wrong way and must be re-dropped. A wrong drop does not count as a drop in the "drop, drop, place" process.
It is fairly common practice for players to drop near the outer limit of the relief area as you have described. If the ball rolls outside the relief area, the player must drop again within the relief area. If the ball rolls outside the relief area on the second drop, the player must place the ball where it first struck the course on the second drop. This is within the Rules.