Penalty or free drop

rulie

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On the knee-bend, my understanding is that you must not drop with bended knee - otherwise I could bend my knees so that my drop from my knee level could be inches off the ground - effectively placing.

My FC was completely unaware that he could not redrop because he didn’t like where it ended up - and had no idea that as his ball had actually bounced back a little bit towards the fence he might in any case, in a new rules situation, be able to once more get free relief, but from a new NPR.
Wouldn't this be just a re-drop and then potential place situation, ie, it's not a new Rules situation?
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Wouldn't this be just a re-drop and then potential place situation, ie, it's not a new Rules situation?
So if the ball is correctly dropped but rolls to a position not nearer the hole than than NR but where the fence again impedes my swing then this is not a new rules scenario, but a situation in which full relief is not afforded by the first drop and so a re-drop is required? Must I make sure that, when I identify my NPR and my drop zone relative to it is identified, that the ball cannot finish within the drop zone at a spot where the fence still interferes. If it does then my NPR is incorrect.

More than happy to be corrected.
 

rulie

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So if the ball is correctly dropped but rolls to a position not nearer the hole than than NR but where the fence again impedes my swing then this is not a new rules scenario, but a situation in which full relief is not afforded by the first drop and so a re-drop is required? Must I make sure that, when I identify my NPR and my drop zone relative to it is identified, that the ball cannot finish within the drop zone at a spot where the fence still interferes. If it does then my NPR is incorrect.

More than happy to be corrected.
Your nearest point of complete relief may well be correct. At that NPCR, you do not have interference by the fence. Now your relief area - it is the area within one club-length of the NPCR, not nearer the hole, where you will not have interference by the fence. It may not be a full semi-circle, and any part of that potential relief area where there is still interference by the fence is not part of the relief area. If the ball is dropped correctly, lands in the relief area and then rolls out of the relief area, it is a re-drop.
 

salfordlad

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So if the ball is correctly dropped but rolls to a position not nearer the hole than than NR but where the fence again impedes my swing then this is not a new rules scenario, but a situation in which full relief is not afforded by the first drop and so a re-drop is required? Must I make sure that, when I identify my NPR and my drop zone relative to it is identified, that the ball cannot finish within the drop zone at a spot where the fence still interferes. If it does then my NPR is incorrect.

More than happy to be corrected.
NPCR is the place where there is no interference, etc, etc. It does not change, does not get 'updated' regardless of what happens. So if your two drops have the ball rolling back into interference, you place. If the place efforts fail and the ball rolls back into interference, you follow 14.2e to find a spot where the ball will stay put in the same area of the course and not nearer the hole than where the second drop touched the ground. You are not confined to the original relief area - so, in effect, the NPCR is no longer binding, but it does not 'change'.
 

rulie

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NPCR is the place where there is no interference, etc, etc. It does not change, does not get 'updated' regardless of what happens. So if your two drops have the ball rolling back into interference, you place. If the place efforts fail and the ball rolls back into interference, you follow 14.2e to find a spot where the ball will stay put in the same area of the course and not nearer the hole than where the second drop touched the ground. You are not confined to the original relief area - so, in effect, the NPCR is no longer binding, but it does not 'change'.
Just to note that this is only for placing the ball, not dropping it.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Your nearest point of complete relief may well be correct. At that NPCR, you do not have interference by the fence. Now your relief area - it is the area within one club-length of the NPCR, not nearer the hole, where you will not have interference by the fence. It may not be a full semi-circle, and any part of that potential relief area where there is still interference by the fence is not part of the relief area. If the ball is dropped correctly, lands in the relief area and then rolls out of the relief area, it is a re-drop.
In situation described, my playing companion redropped because he didn't like where his ball settled - not because it ended up at a point where his swing was still interfered with - though in actual fact it is quite possible that that was the case and he would have had to redrop even if he had loved where his ball had finished up.:rolleyes:
 

hilsesp

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My ball yesterday ran across the road between the 3rd and the 18th, lodged itself against the kerb edging on a BALD patch of hard soil instead of grass. I ran into the Pro shop adjacent and asked if I could have a free drop; He said No. it`s a penalty. Our asserrtion was that it should have been G.U.R. but we got no such relief. Choice ? Damage your club. Take a penalty. or Hit and Hope. I did. it cost me because the ball shot off on the hard surface :) bounced again on the road and by the time it had finished it cost me 3 more shots. Grin and bear it and take a penalty next time.
 

Steven Rules

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It sounds like the kerb was an immovable obstruction. You probably should have asserted that, rather than the GUR assertion. Same Rule (16) and relief procedure as GUR though.

Grass vs bald patch of hard soil is irrelevant unless the Committee has specifically identified the bare earth as GUR. Also, I assume the Committee has not declared the kerb to be an integral object.

Was the pro shop saying the kerb was not an abnormal course condition (immovable obstruction)? Sounds like poor Rules advice to me.
 
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salfordlad

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If the "kerb" is constructed from concrete, bitumen, timbers or the like, the default under the rules is it is an immovable obstruction (not GUR) and free relief is available under Rule 16. The pro could only have been correct if the kerb is defined by local rule/hard card as an integral object.
 
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