rulespin
Paul Kruger is a PGA professional at The
Landings Club in Savannah, Georgia.
by Paul Kruger
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Imagine that you have sculled an
easy approach shot over a green. You
expect to find your ball somewhere
on the entrance road situated
beyond the green. However, much
to your surprise, you see that your
ball has come to rest on the curb
of the entrance road, and there are
no out of bounds stakes to be seen.
Ever the optimist, you’re thinking
of getting up and down from there,
and keeping your career round
intact. Unfortunately, it’s probably
time to curb your enthusiasm! Why?
Because, more than likely, by Local
Rule, your ball is out of bounds!
Typically, white stakes are used
to define the boundaries of the
course. However, other items can
be utilized to define out of bounds.
For example, the Definition of
“Out of Bounds” mentions walls,
fences, railings and white lines,
in addition to stakes, as possible
objects for defining out of bounds.
However, the PGA professional,
i.e., the Committee in most cases, is
not limited to using just these items
to define out of bounds. Appendix
I, Part A, 1 [Local Rules: Course –
Defining Boundaries, Margins and
Status of Objects] points out that
the Committee may adopt Local
Rules specifying the means used to
define out of bounds. For example,
here is the Local Rule adopted by
The Canyon Club in Albuquerque:
“The paved areas (margin defined by
the course side of the curb) between
Holes #4, #5, #7 and #8, including
the tennis courts, as well as the area
of the course beyond the pavement
for the hole being played, are out of
bounds.”
With such a Local Rule in place,
if you were to play your ball as it lies
on the curb, you would be playing
a wrong ball. See Decision 15/6
[Stroke Played with Ball Lying Out
of Bounds] which points out that a
ball lying out of bounds is no longer
in play, and thus is a wrong ball. In
match play, you would lose the hole.
In stroke play, you would incur a two-
stroke penalty for playing a wrong
ball, and you would need to correct
this mistake by proceeding under
Rule 27-1 [Stroke and Distance; Ball
Out of Bounds …], incurring the
additional penalty stroke prescribed
in that Rule. Per Rule 15-3b [Wrong
Ball: Stroke Play], if you failed to
correct your mistake before making
a stroke on the next teeing ground,
you would be disqualified!
In two related situations, let’s
say that (a) your ball has come to
rest against the curb, and you wish
to take relief from the curb for your
next stroke due to swing interference,
or (b) your ball as come to rest
close to the curb and you wish to
take relief from the curb for stance
interference. Again, it’s time to curb
your enthusiasm if the Committee
has adopted the aforementioned
Local Rule.
The good news is that, in either
case, your ball is in bounds (a thin
white line has been added to the
photograph with the colored golf
ball to illustrate the course boundary,
i.e., the course side of the curb).
However, the bad news is that the
curb is out of bounds, and there is no
relief for immovable artificial objects
that are situated out of bounds. See
Decision 24-2b/21 [Interference by
Immovable Artificial Object Situated
Out of Bounds] which points out that
relief without penalty under Rule
24-2b [Immovable Obstruction]
is not available. That is because
immovable artificial objects off the
course are not obstructions per the
Definition of “Obstructions.” Thus,
the Rules provide no relief without
penalty.
Remember, it pays to know the
Rules, and that includes the Local
Rules that have been adopted by the
facility where you are playing.
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