Relief from a sprinker head.

[spongebob59]

My approach to the 18th tonight ran through the green and ended up in a sprinkler head in the fringe.

I confirmed I could take relief but if I dropped one side I'd still be on the fringe but on t other on the green.

I wasn't sure so asked the Kent league captain if I could drop the green side and he said that so long as it was no nearer it was ok, but the guy next to him said I should drop on the fringe.?

Is this one of these situations where within the rules it is ok to drop on the green but the right thing to do is to drop the other side.

I took relief the fringe side and 2 putted for par anyway.

 

[Matty]

Re: Re,ief from a sprinker head.

I think Rule 24-2 is what you need, you can drop from movable obstructions within one club length not nearer the hole and at the nearest point of relief - which cannot be a hazard or the putting green.

So, you must drop on the fringe - you did the right thing but for the wrong reason!

http://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-decisions.html#!rule-24

 

[pbrown7582]

Re: Re,ief from a sprinker head.

Would NPR be one side or the other? As you take full relief For stance then depending on left/right handed the NPR would be either side of sprinkler?

 

[Colin L]

Re: Re,ief from a sprinker head.

As Matty says, the ball must first strike the course not on the putting green, but it could then, if you are lucky, roll on to the green and be in play.

 

[rulefan]

Re: Re,ief from a sprinker head.

Would NPR be one side or the other? As you take full relief For stance then depending on left/right handed the NPR would be either side of sprinkler?

With such a relatively small obstruction it might well be one of those rare cases where there is more than one npr on an semicircular arc around and behind the sprinkler.

 

[pogle]

Re: Re,ief from a sprinker head.

As Matty says, the ball must first strike the course not on the putting green, but it could then, if you are lucky, roll on to the green and be in play.

Rule 20-2 says that if a dropped ball rolls onto and comes to rest on a putting green it must be re-dropped.

 

[duncan mackie]

The 1000th thread in the rules forum - good milestone!

Your npr needs to comply, the point the ball first contacts the course needs to comply and the place the ball ends up needs to comply - each defined quite clearly.

As rulefan highlights, the smaller the obstruction the more likely that there will be more equidistant valid points of relief.

If there's space between obstruction and green that meets the npr rules you can drop it there - the second time it rolls onto the green you place it there. Job done.