In this edition of “ What ’ s the Ruling ?”, we look at an interesting situation from the 2012 Connecticut Amateur Championship at Race Brook Country Club . After a wayward tee shot , a competitor ’ s ball came to rest against a tree . A normal punch-out to the fairway was complicated by the fact that a fire hydrant was inside the tree , directly on the line between the player ’ s ball and the hole . Yes , you heard it right ... a fire hydrant inside a tree ! Thinking his luck had finally turned around , the player called upon a CSGA Rules Official , claiming he was entitled to relief under Rule 24-2 ( Immovable Obstruction ).
So ... what ’ s the ruling ?
Answer : Although the fire hydrant is an immovable obstruction , the player is NOT entitled to relief according to the Exception in Rule 24-2b , which states that A player may not take relief under this Rule if ( a ) interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction makes the stroke clearly impracticable or ( b ) interference by an immovable obstruction would occur only through use of a clearly unreasonable stroke or an unnecessarily abnormal stance , swing or direction of play .
Had the fire hydrant not been there , the player would still not have been able to attempt anything other than a sideways punch out . Thus , he is not entitled to relief under Rule 24-2 .
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