The Rules
In most cases , free relief from a cart path will work to the player ' s benefit . course , but if in the process you move your ball , you ’ ll be assessed one penalty stroke .
ABNORMAL COURSE CONDITIONS Players will run into many abnormal course conditions on the golf course , including animal holes , ground under repair , immovable obstructions and temporary water .
The most common examples of immovable obstructions that will affect everyday players are cart paths , sprinkler heads and drains . You ’ re afforded free relief from all , but that may not guarantee you a good lie .
One example : A right-handed player ’ s ball settles on the right side of the cart path . The player must find the nearest point of complete relief from the condition , and in this case , that means finding the estimated point where the ball would lie that is :
• Nearest to the ball ’ s original spot , but not nearer the hole than that spot ,
• In the required area of the course ( the same area of the course , i . e ., if the original spot is in the general area , the relief area must be in the general area ), and
• Where there is no interference ( under the Rule being used ) from the condition from which relief is being taken for the stroke the player would have made from the original spot if the condition were not there .
In the case of the cart path , the nearest point of complete relief involves finding a reference point to create a one-club length relief area where the player ’ s stance and area of intended swing is free of the abnormal course condition . What if that reference point is right in the middle of a tall swale of thick rough ? Sorry , that ’ s just a bad break . We saw this scenario unfold several years ago when Rich Buckner won the VSGA Senior Amateur at Keswick . His nearest point of complete relief from the cart path gave him a nasty lie , so he instead chose to waive the free relief and hit off the cart path instead .
On the flip side , if your nearest point of complete relief from a sprinkler head in the rough takes you into the fairway , enjoy the good fortune . Clarification 16.1 / 1 states that there is nothing in Rule 16.1 that requires maintaining identical conditions after relief is taken .
The relief procedures regarding temporary water and ground under repair in the general area are similar . Find your reference point no closer to the hole that gives complete relief from all interference from the abnormal course condition , drop and play on . Same goes for a ball embedded in its own pitch mark in the general area ( Rule 16.3b )— not embedded in someone else ’ s divot . Again , that ’ s a bad break .
While there are other free relief topics covered in Rules 15 and 16 , these are the most common situations you ’ ll come across in your day-to-day play . One thing to remember : Per Rule 16.1a ( 2 ), relief is not allowed when a ball is in the penalty area . You must proceed under options available in Rule 17 . vsga . org J ULY / A UGUST 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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