Using the rules to your advantage or cheating?

[Wooky]

I played a course the other day, which has 2x designated nature reserves within it's boundaries, if your ball enters one of these nature reserves, you are entitled to a free drop at the point of entry (+ 2 club lengths) or there are a couple of free drop zones.

On the 10th tee, I hooked it left, clean through the nature reserve & ended up in a green side bunker beside the 6th green. (the 6th fairway runs parallel to the 10th)
The ball was right under the lip of the bunker preventing me from playing the ball down the 6th fairway.
So my question is.

1. Was I entitled to a free drop because my ball had entered the nature reserve, but had gone clean through? (probably not)

2. Seeing that I would have had to play out of the bunker sideways, before playing another potentially difficult shot under overhanging trees back down the 6th fairway, before commencing another shot back onto my own fairway (10th) would it have been within the rules for me to have chipped out of the bunker & back into the nature reserve on purpose, this would have gained me a free drop back on my own fairway, this would have potentially saved me 2x shots.
Is that using the rules to your advantage, or cheating?

 

[Jon321]

I'd say its using them to your advantage. The guys on tour are always looking for free drops when they can. So take all the help you can.

 

[williamalex1]

Only if your fairway was the npr I think , but the experts will be along soon. The rules are there to help you too.:thup:

 

[Old Skier]

1 - there's no P in not.

2 - yup.

 

[Val]

The rules penalise us enough so we should also use them to our advantage

 

[CliveW]

You state that relief from the nature reserve is free drop at point of entry, how then do you get relief from the 10th fairway when you have hit it from a bunker on the 6th?

 

[Foxholer]

Depends on how the LR was written, but. imo...

1. No relief. You are not in the Nature Reserve

2.That seems quite a sensible thing to do. Though I'm not sure about relief (from point of entry) being back on your own fairway!

There are specimen LRs for such areas, which may be defined as GUR, Water Hazards or OOB. It would be sensible for a club to use the specimen LR - which states 'lies in' rather than 'enters'!

 

[duncan mackie]

basically wot Foxy says

1. definitely not

2. as written, definitely not either! you are entitled to play into the area deliberately, but your relief will be from where your ball last crossed the margin ie you might just as well chip out short and save a ball; you will end up in pretty much the same place.

finally, if the ESA is designated GUR play prohibited, which is consistent with a free drop, it will be nearest point of relief from the point of entry plus 1 club length not 2.

 

[Region3]

You will also have to be prepared to lose a ball, as all of the nature areas where play is prohibited from that I've seen also say that you can't go in there to retrieve your ball.

 

[daymond]

I would have declared the ball in the bunker unplayable and played again from the previous position (stroke and distance).

 

[Scrindle]

I would have declared the ball in the bunker unplayable and played again from the previous position (stroke and distance).

This intruiges me - can someone explain this? (I'm quite a new player)

Sounds to me as an 'average Joe' golfer that the ball is playable, just not in a particularly desirable position. You would be deciding that you don't fancy taking that particular shot after your bad strike and want to go back to where you were previously?

 

[Region3]

This intruiges me - can someone explain this? (I'm quite a new player)

Sounds to me as an 'average Joe' golfer that the ball is playable, just not in a particularly desirable position. You would be deciding that you don't fancy taking that particular shot after your bad strike and want to go back to where you were previously?

Spot on, but it costs you the shot you hit to put it there plus another to put it back where it was.

So if you hit your 2nd shot in to a bunker, you can have another go but it is then your 4th shot.

 

[Foxholer]

This intruiges me - can someone explain this? (I'm quite a new player)

Sounds to me as an 'average Joe' golfer that the ball is playable, just not in a particularly desirable position. You would be deciding that you don't fancy taking that particular shot after your bad strike and want to go back to where you were previously?

You may have inadvertently re-opened a can of worms!

The idea of golf is to get it into the hole in the fewest number of total strokes - including penalties. If taking the 'stroke and distance' (replay the last shot) option that you are always allowed - and the 1 shot penalty for doing so - is likely going to mean that you get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes (including penalties), then that's the proper thing to do. It's entirely within the rules, and entirely the player's choice..

 

[Scrindle]

You may have inadvertently re-opened a can of worms!

The idea of golf is to get it into the hole in the fewest number of total strokes - including penalties. If taking the 'stroke and distance' (replay the last shot) option that you are always allowed - and the 1 shot penalty for doing so - is likely going to mean that you get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes (including penalties), then that's the proper thing to do. It's entirely within the rules, and entirely the player's choice..

Cool! I'll keep that in mind!