Relief from "tractor tracks"

[KenL]

About to write to club asking for relief from ruts made by machinery.

Could someone kindly point me to the correct local rule for this?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Steven Rules]

Clarification Ground Under Repair/1 explicitly states that a rut made by a tractor is not ground under repair by default. It goes on to say that the Committee would be justified in declaring a deep rut to be ground under repair.

Model Local Rule F-1 guides and provides examples to the Committee on appropriate wording to designate certain conditions as abnormal course conditions (GUR).

 

[KenL]

Thanks for that.

Is the local rule allowing relief from "tractor ruts" no longer available?

 

[Steven Rules]

There is no specifically worded Model Local Rule for this situation. Follow the guidance in F-1.

 

[rulefan]

Thanks for that.

Is the local rule allowing relief from "tractor ruts" no longer available?

There wasn't such a specific 'local rule'
The decision (25/16) prior to 2019 simply said the Committee may declare a deep rut to be GUR but not a shallow indentation.

 

[Backache]

We have this in our local rules under Abnormal Ground conditions.

''Any deep depression made by tractors or green-keeping equipment. If a player's ball
lies in such an area the player may take relief under Rule 16. There is no relief if it
interferes with player's stance or the area of intended swing''

 

[Colin L]

A

We have this in our local rules under Abnormal Ground conditions.

''Any deep depression made by tractors or green-keeping equipment. If a player's ball
lies in such an area the player may take relief under Rule 16. There is no relief if it
interferes with player's stance or the area of intended swing''

That's odd. You are allowing relief if a ball lies in a rut because the rut interferes with the players area of intended swing and yet denying relief if there is interference to the area of intended swing. Bear in mind that where the ball lies is inevitably in the area of intended swing..

 

[rulefan]

A

That's odd. You are allowing relief if a ball lies in a rut because the rut interferes with the players area of intended swing and yet denying relief if there is interference to the area of intended swing. Bear in mind that where the ball lies is inevitably in the area of intended swing..

Well spotted. The Model Local Rules which are concerned with the actual lie all include [But relief is not allowed if the damage only interferes with the player’s stance] as the constraint.

Rule 16 says:
See Committee Procedures, Section 8; Model Local Rule F-6 (the Committee may adopt a Local Rule denying relief from an abnormal course condition that only interferes with the area of intended stance).

 

[Doon frae Troon]

About to write to club asking for relief from ruts made by machinery.

Could someone kindly point me to the correct local rule for this?

Many thanks in advance.

My grandfather would have probably used his basic golf skills and recovered using his rutter.

Antique Rut Niblick, Golf Club

Hickory Shafted Rut Iron. A good quality smooth faced rut iron, also known as a rut niblick, rutter or track iron. Rut irons were commonly used to hit the ball from cart tracks and deep ruts etc. Young Tom Morris was known to hit his rut iron from the fairway to play a high shot onto the green...

sportantiques.co.uk