Relief from path ruling

[spongebob59]

Played a skins game today and on the 3rd one of my friends pulled his tee shot and when he found his ball it was on one of the paths crossing the course.

We said he was allowed a free drop to the nearest point of relief which would have been a small area of grass to the left of the path, leaving him blocked out with no swing.

He was arguing that he could move the ball back towards fairway as his nearest point of full relief.

As we weren't too sure or the ruling and it only being a friendly knock, we just let him play it as he wanted.

So what is the ruling under this situation?

 

[Neilds]

As always in these situations, it is Nearest point of relief not nicest. If you don’t like where the drop will be, then you play it as it lies.

 

[jim8flog]

It is always find the nearest point of full relief then drop within a club length of that spot.

If the nearest point of full relief is in a horrid place so be it.

The player does not have to take relief they can play the ball as it lies.

 

[Swango1980]

Full relief means complete relief from the thing you are taking relief from (i.e. the path).

It does not mean you get relief from anything else that may make the player's swing or shot more difficult

 

[salfordlad]

Good answers above. The official answer is 16.1/1. And relief is a choice, unless the Committee has required otherwise.

 

[spongebob59]

Thanks all for confirming our thoughts.
Further to his actions, could he have declared unplayable and take further relief under penalty.
In his situation it would have meant going back to the tee as the line to flag would have moved back from the path into the woods

 

[Troymcclure]

Thanks all for confirming our thoughts.
Further to his actions, could he have declared unplayable and take further relief under penalty.
In his situation it would have meant going back to the tee as the line to flag would have moved back from the path into the woods

He could, but unusual I would think for that to be a better option than playing as it lies, or 2 club-length un-playable.

 

[spongebob59]

He could, but unusual I would think for that to be a better option than playing as it lies, or 2 club-length un-playable.

From where he was down the track, neither would have afforded a better option