One Club Length?

[irip]

I played with a guy today who after hitting his ball into a ditch, had to take a drop. He said that in the new rules you could only use 1 clubs distance as opposed to the previous 2. But you are allowed to use any club to measure the distance.

Can One of you experts please confirm if this is correct?

 

[duncan mackie]

Not as stated.

Firstly which relief option are you talking about - there are 2 for red penalty areas (3 inc return to start again) and 1 for yellow.

Yellow is based on back on line relief, with 1 club length either side of the direct line.

Red is 2 club lengths from the reference point as well as the BOL option available under yellow.

Club lengths are now the length of the longest club in your bag ex putter.

 

[irip]

Sorry maybe did not explain very well. He went into a ditch to the side of the fairway, The ditch had red stakes along the side and i thought he could still use 2 clubs length and then drop he insisted it was 1 club length.

 

[Homer]

Sorry maybe did not explain very well. He went into a ditch to the side of the fairway, The ditch had red stakes along the side and i thought he could still use 2 clubs length and then drop he insisted it was 1 club length.

Yes - see reply above which clarifies one of the options is still 2 CL no nearer the hole but now only on the side it crossed the margin of the red penalty area.

 

[IanM]

Just to clarify understanding... under new rules, in taking relief from a penalty area, you cannot no longer go back "as far as you like" from a reference point and have to drop within the relief area.

Is that right?

 

[duncan mackie]

Just to clarify understanding... under new rules, in taking relief from a penalty area, you cannot no longer go back "as far as you like" from a reference point and have to drop within the relief area.

Is that right?

No, and yes!

The relief area moves depending on where you drop back on line - but if that's confusing as a concept just think of it as the same as it used to be but instead of exactly on the line you have a clublength either side.

There is a huge amount of official material, including excellent diagrams, on this at both the R&A and USGA rules area; aren't people looking at these when they are confused, poor uncertain?

 

[backwoodsman]

Just to clarify understanding... under new rules, in taking relief from a penalty area, you cannot no longer go back "as far as you like" from a reference point and have to drop within the relief area.

Is that right?

No, you can still go "back on a line" and can go as far as you like. Once you've decided how far you want to go, that's your reference point, and you have to drop within one club length of that. It actually give a bit more leeway than under the old rules. Under those, in tbeory, you had to drop exactly on the line.

Edit: Duncan was bemoaning his lack of typing speeed yesterday - he's obviously speeded up

 

[bobmac]

If you're not sure if it's one club length or two.......
If it's a free drop it's normally one CL
If it's a penalty drop it's normally two CLs

 

[IanM]

No, and yes!

There is a huge amount of official material, including excellent diagrams, on this at both the R&A and USGA rules area; aren't people looking at these when they are confused, poor uncertain?

The diagrams in the players guide for rule 17 and text dont make the ability to go back on line as clear as it might (eg as they do with the bunker drop) The Ref Point is right by the hazard and (I'll check the book when I get home) but I cant recall text saying "and you can go back etc etc"

Will try harder next time!

 

[rulefan]

https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/rules/the-rules-of-golf/rule-17 (or here https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/rules/players-edition/rule-17 )

17.1d (2) Back-On-the-Line Relief.
The player may drop the original ball or another ball (see Rule 14.3) in a relief area that is based on a reference line going straight back from the hole through the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area:

• Reference Point: A point on the course chosen by the player that is on the reference line and is farther from the hole than the estimated point (with no limit on how far back on the line):
• • In choosing this reference point, the player should indicate the point by using an object (such as a tee).
  • If the player drops the ball without having chosen this point, the reference point is treated as being the point on the line that is the same distance from the hole as where the dropped ball first touched the ground.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If you're not sure if it's one club length or two.......
If it's a free drop it's normally one CL
If it's a penalty drop it's normally two CLs

Thanks for that. Life would be easier if they made it one or the other, no need to remember which it is then.

 

[IanM]

clearly I missed the bit in brackets....