Immovable Obstructions

[Conny]

Watching US Open final round - DJ was able to take relief because a TV tower was on his intended line of play (not something that would be granted to a mere club member), however I was more confused by the fact that he appeared to drop within 2 club lengths of the nearest point of relief not 1?

 

[pbrown7582]

Watching US Open final round - DJ was able to take relief because a TV tower was on his intended line of play (not something that would be granted to a mere club member), however I was more confused by the fact that he appeared to drop within 2 club lengths of the nearest point of relief not 1?

tour rules are different to mere mortals, so it is quite difficult to compare.

 

[woody69]

I thought he dropped within 1? He thought it was 2 and was going to measure, but the Rules guy said, no just 1.

 

[Region3]

I'm pretty sure it's not classed as an immovable obstruction because you don't get line of sight relief for those. It's a temporary somethingorother which you get line of sight relief for.

The nearest point of relief is 1 club length from the exact spot at which the object is no longer in the line of sight, so that was the first club length we saw. He then has 1 club length from there which is why it looked like he was measuring 2 club lengths.

 

[duncan mackie]

I'm pretty sure it's not classed as an immovable obstruction because you don't get line of sight relief for those. It's a temporary somethingorother which you get line of sight relief for.

The nearest point of relief is 1 club length from the exact spot at which the object is no longer in the line of sight, so that was the first club length we saw. He then has 1 club length from there which is why it looked like he was measuring 2 club lengths.

It's a Temporary Immovable Obstruction (TIO) and the LR is interference and relief is as you indicate.

Edit - It might help to understand a little as to why it's this way. Interference is for line of sight for a distant object, the flag, so it's easy to establish precisely where that point is (on either side of the obstruction) but the measure of relief is more difficult to establish with reference to the flag, and will change significantly with relative distances. So interference is defined with reference to 1 club lenght of a point where the edge of the obstruction obscures the flag and relief is within 1 club length further.

 

[Colin L]

The rule for relief from a TIO is slightly complicated in that intervention on your line of play is considered to exist if the ball is within a club length of a point not nearer the hole at which there is actual intervention.

In terms of relief, that means that if you take the nearest point at which the TIO is not actually on your line of play, there is still intervention in terms of the rules up to a club length further. Thus your relief comprises one club length to establish the nearest point of relief and then a further club length as the normal allowance for the drop. A club length + a club length is useful shorthand.

@ tbbrown
The TIO rule is exactly the same for us as for the top professional players. The difference here is that if your golf is at the same level as mine, we are much less likely to find television towers getting in the way

 

[woody69]

I did like the fact though he still played his ball over it though, so the rules here actually helped him.

 

[atticusfinch]

I thought he dropped within 1? He thought it was 2 and was going to measure, but the Rules guy said, no just 1.

Think of it like this. At some point you will be free of interference in your line of play...draw a line along that measure. Then draw a line parallel to that line one CL away....making a 1 CL wide corridor to the hole. That corridor is the "interference" you get relief from. You are then allowed one CL from the edge of the corridor for the drop.