rules
WHAT’S THE RULE?
Relief under the Unplayable
Ball Rule (Rule 28)
Frank Gal
Chairman of Rules Committee,
Golf NSW
I
f you determine that your ball is
unplayable, Rule 28 gives you three options
to proceed under penalty of one stroke:
(a) Replay the shot under the stroke and
distance provision of Rule 27-1, or
(b) drop a ball any distance behind the point
where the ball lay keeping a straight line
between the hole, the point where the ball lay
and the spot on which the ball is dropped, or
(c) drop a ball within two club-lengths of
where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.
There are, however, a number of things you
need to be aware of before proceeding.
• You may deem your ball unplayable at any
place on the course except when it is in a water
hazard. You can, however, drop the ball into a
water hazard when taking relief under options
(b) or (c).
• You are the sole judge as to whether your
ball is unplayable. The ball does not have to be
in a bad lie to declare it unplayable. Even your
caddie cannot declare it unplayable for you. If
your caddie did this and lifted your ball before
you declared it unplayable, you would incur
a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a (see
Decision 18-2a/15). This penalty is in addition
to the one stroke penalty under the unplayable
ball rule.
• You can declare your ball unplayable
without finding it, but only if you use option
(a) (stroke-and-distance). Since options (b) and
(c) require reference to where the ball lay, yo