Unplayable ball and nowhere to take relief.

[srixon 1]

I had a weird one today that I have not come across before. My tee shot on a par 4 finished in a small copse of silver birch trees to the right of the fairway. A short distance from the silver birch is the course boundary, but between the boundary and the trees is a massive clump of brambles. These start about 10 feet before the course boundary and they fill the space completely. My ball had come to rest close to one of the silver birch trees which made a backswing almost impossible. Because of the restricted backswing I miss hit the ball which caused it to hit a tree in front of me and then ricochet back behind me into the brambles but not OOB. The ball finished atop of the brambles in full view but completely inaccessible.

In this scenario, I assume that you are allowed to play your next shot (under penalty) from where you played the previous shot, even though it is closer to the hole than where your ball finished from the previous shot.

 

[Steven Rules]

Yes

 

[Crow]

I'd have thought you'd be allowed to do that in any scenario

 

[salfordlad]

When you have found/identified your ball on the course and it can't be played where it lies, you have precisely three options: play again from the location of the previous spot; lateral relief or back on the line relief. See Rule 19 for the details.

 

[srixon 1]

When you have found/identified your ball on the course and it can't be played where it lies, you have precisely three options: play again from the location of the previous spot; lateral relief or back on the line relief. See Rule 19 for the details.

Thanks, I’d failed to read the bit in Rule 19.2b where it states “must not be nearer the hole than the spot of the original ball, and”.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Thanks, I’d failed to read the bit in Rule 19.2b where it states “must not be nearer the hole than the spot of the original ball, and”.

Note that if S&D option takes you back to a spot closer to the hole than where you ended up ‘unplayable’ (in your scenario) then that’s fine.

 

[rulefan]

I'd have thought you'd be allowed to do that in any scenario

That is correct.
18.1 Relief Under Penalty of Stroke and Distance Allowed at Any Time
At any time, a player may take stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6).

The player always has this stroke-and-distance relief option:

• No matter where the player’s ball is on the course, and
• Even when a Rule requires the player to take relief in a certain way or to play a ball from a certain place.

 

[srixon 1]

Note that if S&D option takes you back to a spot closer to the hole than where you ended up ‘unplayable’ (in your scenario) then that’s fine.

It just didn’t seem correct to take a drop nearer to the hole than where the first shot finished. The ball wasn’t lost as it could be clearly seen sitting on top of the brambles and completely inaccessible. Nowhere else to take relief though so makes perfect sense.

 

[clubchamp98]

Didn’t Micklson do that when he putted off the green a few years ago.?

 

[Steven Rules]

Thanks, I’d failed to read the bit in Rule 19.2b where it states “must not be nearer the hole than the spot of the original ball, and”.

19.2b is specifically for the back-on-the-line relief option. Up to this point in the thread we have been talking about the stroke-and-distance relief option.

 

[cliveb]

Didn’t Micklson do that when he putted off the green a few years ago.?

If you're thinking of that incident at the US Open:
No, he *could* have done so, but he took his brain out of gear, chased the ball and played it again while still in motion, resulting in a bigger penalty than had he taken S&D.

 

[rulefan]

Didn't Woods putt too firmly and his ball ran into a pond. He took S&D and putted more gently.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

I hope you were playing a stableford round and not medal!

 

[srixon 1]

I hope you were playing a stableford round and not medal!

Yes we were so just blobbed it.