Putting Over An Old Badly-Filled Hole

Orikoru

Orikoru

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If you have a putt where an old hole is on your line, and it's not been done very well - so the filled in hole actually drops a few mm below the actual putting surface - what can you do? Are you just forced to putt over it as it despite it being impossible to judge your putt then? I'm guess you can't move your ball at all?

Last year I witnessed a situation where one player had this, and another player (who claims to be knowledgeable on the rules) said that are allowed to take a small amount of sand from the bunker, put that on top of the old hole to make it level to putt over - and promptly did so to help out. We told that story this weekend (which is what reminded me of it) to another golfer who laughed it off and said you can't do that.
 
It is all now covered by Rule 13.1c

A player may repair damage on the putting green without penalty by taking reasonable actions to restore the putting green as nearly as possible to its original condition, but only:

  • By using his or her hand, foot or other part of the body or a normal ball-mark repair tool, tee, club or similar item of normal equipment, and
  • Without unreasonably delaying play (see Rule 5.6a).
“Damage on the putting green” means any damage caused by a person or outside influence, such as:
  • Old hole plugs, turf plugs, .......
 
You can repair it (never heard about this idea of using sand, that's quite laughable)... and you could do it in the previous rules too.

There is no relief option, if it was a plastic hole plug then you get relief. I've never heard of anyone trying to claim it as GUR though.
 
rulefan said:
It is all now covered by Rule 13.1c

A player may repair damage on the putting green without penalty by taking reasonable actions to restore the putting green as nearly as possible to its original condition, but only:

  • By using his or her hand, foot or other part of the body or a normal ball-mark repair tool, tee, club or similar item of normal equipment, and
  • Without unreasonably delaying play (see Rule 5.6a).
“Damage on the putting green” means any damage caused by a person or outside influence, such as:
  • Old hole plugs, turf plugs, .......
Click to expand...
Ok, interesting, so the new rules differ in this regard as well?

For the record, the incident I described with the chap putting sand on it was a long while ago, middle of last year I think. So old rules. It sounds like he was talking rubbish or making it up with that?

Secondly, in the new rule as quoted above, I can't think of a way you could repair a sunken old cup hole with only your hand or a pitch-mark repairer. You can't physically raise the ground to meet the putting surface, so I guess you're stuck having to putt over it really?
 
Orikoru said:
Ok, interesting, so the new rules differ in this regard as well?

For the record, the incident I described with the chap putting sand on it was a long while ago, middle of last year I think. So old rules. It sounds like he was talking rubbish or making it up with that?

Secondly, in the new rule as quoted above, I can't think of a way you could repair a sunken old cup hole with only your hand or a pitch-mark repairer. You can't physically raise the ground to meet the putting surface, so I guess you're stuck having to putt over it really?
Click to expand...
What's wrong with topping up with sand? I can't see that as unreasonable unless it has sunk by more than a few mm.

If the committee cannot be contacted to make a ruling on it being an ACC, the player should play two balls and get a decision later
 
rulefan said:
What's wrong with topping up with sand? I can't see that as unreasonable unless it has sunk by more than a few mm.

If the committee cannot be contacted to make a ruling on it being an ACC, the player should play two balls and get a decision later
Click to expand...
Wasn't saying anything's wrong with it, just that I didn't have a clue if it was legal. Had a few people now saying it's laughable, and a few saying sure why not. In your ruling you posted it says you can repair with your hand, foot, pitchmark repair tool, etc, but it doesn't say you can put sand on it to level it up.
 
What would you do if your ball was in it?

Do you have to putt it out of it? Or can you level it off with sand as above
 
rulefan said:
What's wrong with topping up with sand? I can't see that as unreasonable unless it has sunk by more than a few mm.

If the committee cannot be contacted to make a ruling on it being an ACC, the player should play two balls and get a decision later
Click to expand...
Use to be rule3-3, what's the new rule number ?
,
 
At my last club we had no sprinkler system and the old hole plugs used to shrink in hot weather .
We had a local rule for relief from old hole plugs.
When I moved to a new club they never had that rule .
So was that local rule ok then .?
Could you have a LR now for relief?
 
clubchamp98 said:
At my last club we had no sprinkler system and the old hole plugs used to shrink in hot weather .
We had a local rule for relief from old hole plugs.
When I moved to a new club they never had that rule .
So was that local rule ok then .?
Could you have a LR now for relief?
Click to expand...
Yes and yes. But the particular hole plug must be defined by the committee as GUR (now ACC). The players can't just decide for themselves.
 
clubchamp98 said:
Thanks, it was printed in the local rules on the score card.
Click to expand...
What did the card say? Presumably it couldn't identify individual hole. Were affected holes physically marked and the card saying something like 'old hole plugs identified by a white circle are GUR'?
 
rulefan said:
What did the card say? Presumably it couldn't identify individual hole. Were affected holes physically marked and the card saying something like 'old hole plugs identified by a white circle are GUR'?
Click to expand...
No just relief from old hole plugs . No identification!
It was about 15yrs ago.
There was no irrigation and in hot weather the plugs shrank quite a lot. . They rattled around in the holes
 
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