loose impediments and improving lines are making my head hurt

[Heidi]

rule 13-2 is making my head hurt

here's the scene

player is off the green and wants to putt
its autumn and there are leaves and twigs on the green on the line and also off the green
the player wants to remove all of them to give a nice line thro to the pin

what can they do? and are there penalties

ta!

 

[pbrown7582]

you can remove the loose impediments but not create a nice littel channel to keep the ball on course for the hole

 

[Foxholer]

No problem moving them all out of the way, but don't make a channel for the ball to bounce the sides off. So sweep a decent distance either side of the intended line.

Loose impediments (LIs) can be moved from anywhere, through the green, at any time. They are not 'loose' if they are fixed or growing, firmly embedded or stuck to the ball.

Worm casts that are not fixed to the ground are LIs. I don't clear any that are fixed though - but I may be being too conservative there.

Just remember that sand and loose soil is only an LI when it is on the green. It doesn't matter whether you are or not.

 

[Kellfire]

I was on a green yesterday which had quite a lot of sand clumped together that had come from a greenside bunker. Needless to stay that I used a sweeping motion with my hand to break up the large clumps and to try and clear the area of at least the worst of the sand.

Playing partner called a penalty saying that I could only remove sand by lifting it...

Yes ok, I'll just lift each grain of sand here...

 

[pbrown7582]

Incorrect you've been had, you can use a hand or towel to clean sand on green.

 

[Kellfire]

Incorrect you've been had, you can use a hand or towel to clean sand on green.

Oh I knew that, I laughed it off and explained the rule and he merely grumbled and carried on. Oddly I'd had a rather heated discussion with a relative of his only the week before over a separate rule break. Weird eh?!

 

[Heidi]

thanks boys
I've always cleared any twigs and leaves away if I was in the rough, never understood why people told me you couldn't clear them away if you were near the green and wanted to putt...

way too many rules in this game!

 

[Colin L]

thanks boys
I've always cleared any twigs and leaves away if I was in the rough, never understood why people told me you couldn't clear them away if you were near the green and wanted to putt...

way too many rules in this game!

There certainly are if you include the ones people invent

 

[Heidi]

Tell me about it!
I've been thro the rule book, decisions, and every google result without finding anything that confirms such a penalty.

You can't do all that searching when lining up a putt, so if someone is adamant they are right, you do tend to believe them!

I am looking forward to spending autumn clearing away leaves

 

[Colin L]

A week past Friday, on the 2nd green, I cleared some leaves from the line of my putt and thought that's the first time I've had to do that this year ....... summer has gone.

 

[Colin L]

13-2. He was improving his line, having forgotten or not knowing that sand and soil are not loose impediments except on the putting green

 

[ger147]

So what rule did Mcilroy break when he moved some dirt of his line when he was off the green last year in Abu Dhabi?

The sand wasn't on the green so technically it was through the green and he received a 2 shot penalty for rule 13.2.

The penalty was for brushing away sand that was not on the green.

 

[Val]

The penalty was for brushing away sand that was not on the green.

I realised I answered my own question and pulled my post, you were to quick for me

 

[Heidi]

13-2. He was improving his line, having forgotten or not knowing that sand and soil are not loose impediments except on the putting green

Now, if he had cleared a leaf, he would have been ok!

Was playing Thornton yesterday and they had loads of trees with red/orange leaves. Gorgeous! But that's the end of summer...

 

[rosecott]

The penalty was for brushing away sand that was not on the green.

How can you respond to a post that wasn't in this thread?

Aah, now I see - everyone is too quick for me.

 

[ger147]

How can you respond to a post that wasn't in this thread?

Fire up the DeLorean Doc!!

 

[Sid Rixon IV]

I played with a guy at our club who picked me up for clearing a few leaves with my putter and then picked me up for clearing with my hand palm down.
It had to be the back of my hand or, in both cases, I was testing the firmness of the green.
He also insisted that, when he was driving off the tee, I stood just outside the right side tee marker every time (which was in his line of sight but "it's in the rules").
At one point, after removing the flag for him, he waved me off the green completely.

Everyone in the club knows his name if you just mention the stories.

 

[Foxholer]

Those are the guys you challenge for a pint for every myth!

They either stop doing it, or you get a free beer - win-win!

 

[chrisd]

I played with a guy at our club who picked me up for clearing a few leaves with my putter and then picked me up for clearing with my hand palm down.
It had to be the back of my hand or, in both cases, I was testing the firmness of the green.
He also insisted that, when he was driving off the tee, I stood just outside the right side tee marker every time (which was in his line of sight but "it's in the rules").
At one point, after removing the flag for him, he waved me off the green completely.

Everyone in the club knows his name if you just mention the stories.

I played with a guy (7 h/c) who pulled me for sweeping stuff away with my putter whilst on the green, lucky I knew the rules better than him. I know that the same guy recently confirmed, to another single figure player, that a late comer couldn't join a 4bbb match after it started - they were both shocked when they proudly told me of the fact that they told the guy to go forth, less happy when I pointed out that particular rule.