Unplayable Lie

[Val]

Interesting one tonight regarding unplayable lie. Fella takes an unplayable and the ball rolls back almost to where he took the unplayable lie from and stops within the club length. He was ready to lift and re-drop and I stopped him and said he couldn't, 3rd fella said you can if the ball rolls more than 2 feet from where the ball strikes the ground. I said I don't think so. In the end the fella played it as it lay.

So, who had the correct ruling? When do you get a chance to re-drop when the ball rolls a bit after dropping?

 

[rulefan]

Interesting one tonight regarding unplayable lie. Fella takes an unplayable and the ball rolls back almost to where he took the unplayable lie from and stops within the club length. He was ready to lift and re-drop and I stopped him and said he couldn't, 3rd fella said you can if the ball rolls more than 2 feet from where the ball strikes the ground. I said I don't think so. In the end the fella played it as it lay.

So, who had the correct ruling? When do you get a chance to re-drop when the ball rolls a bit after dropping?

If the ball has been dropped legitimately and it has finished in a legal position then there is a completely new situation. He can now play it as it lies or he may take another unplayable drop with another penalty.

 

[rulie]

You were correct. Rule 14.3b covers when a ball must be re-dropped.
I have no idea where the "2 feet" comes from, I don't recall that ever being part of the Rules. (Prior to 2019, a dropped ball could roll up to two club-lengths from where it first struck the ground, but no closer to the hole. I wonder if two club-lengths somehow became two feet in someone's mind?)
When a player is taking unplayable relief using lateral relief, the relief area is within two club-lengths of where the ball was initially at rest and deemed unplayable, hence the spot where it was initially at rest is still part of the relief area. If the dropped ball rolls back into the original spot, it is still within the relief area and that is where the player must play it from or deem it unplayable a second time with another one stroke penalty.

 

[salfordlad]

Interesting one tonight regarding unplayable lie. Fella takes an unplayable and the ball rolls back almost to where he took the unplayable lie from and stops within the club length. He was ready to lift and re-drop and I stopped him and said he couldn't, 3rd fella said you can if the ball rolls more than 2 feet from where the ball strikes the ground. I said I don't think so. In the end the fella played it as it lay.

So, who had the correct ruling? When do you get a chance to re-drop when the ball rolls a bit after dropping?

Adding to the other information provided above: The relevant rule (14.3) does not provide the player with any 'choice' around when to re-drop. If all the requirements of the rule are met (ie dropped in the right way, dropped in and comes to rest in the correct relief area) that ball is in play and the unplayable ball relief process is complete with the one stroke penalty added to the score. If any of the 14.3 requirements are not met, the player must proceed correctly with a re-drop as the rule requires. So the only 'chance' for a re-drop is if something occurred inconsistent with the rule's requirements.

 

[KenL]

Sounds like the person didn't drop sensibly. Did he make use of 2 club lengths when dropping?

 

[Val]

Sounds like the person didn't drop sensibly. Did he make use of 2 club lengths when dropping?

Yeah, had minimal options using lateral relief as he had to drop on a bit of a slope. He should have dropped back on line of flag but it wasn't for me to advise.

 

[Twire]

Yeah, had minimal options using lateral relief as he had to drop on a bit of a slope. He should have dropped back on line of flag but it wasn't for me to advise.

Personally, I wouldn't class giving someone 'rule options' advice.

 

[salfordlad]

Personally, I wouldn't class giving someone 'rule options' advice.

Absolutely. Saying "you should drop back on the line" is advice and a penalty, saying "your unplayable options include lateral relief and back on line relief" is not advice.

 

[Val]

Personally, I wouldn't class giving someone 'rule options' advice.

All I said was consider all options available, he did but for me he chose the wrong one