I was playing with Richard, Robert and his little brother Peter. At the buggy despatch centre, Richard and I decided to be buggy mates to allow the 2 Koh Brothers to have some bonding time on the golf course.
At Airforce 2nd hole, my 2nd shot crossed the canal, landed at the foot of a small tree on the right. Wrapped around the trunk of the tree was a wire mesh, those typically used for fencings. The tree was not marked as a young tree.
My swing was impeded and there was no way I could attack the green with my 3rd. The first thought that came to me was "I am screwed". Then an idea came to me, I asked Richard, a certified rules official, "The net is an immovable obstruction right?".
And Richard's reply was, "You are right, it is not mentioned in the local rules as an integral part of the course".
Richard was my opponent for this six, and to his credit, he was fair.
We soon got into a debate with the Koh Bros who insisted on me taking a penalty drop for unplayable lie or to chip it out sideways.
However, Richard was steadfast, threatening at one point to show his certification :). The Koh Bros eventually relented.
I took a free drop, put my next shot on the green and parred the hole.
Playing by the rules!
3 comments:
Gerald is applying Rule 24.2.
Rule 24.2 Immovable Obstructions
A. Interference
Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s stance or the area of his intended swing. If the player’s ball lies on the putting green, interference also occurs if an immovable obstruction on the putting green intervenes on his line of putt. Otherwise, intervention on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.
B. Relief
Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction as follows:
(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.
(ii) In a Bunker: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either:
(a) Without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above, except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker; or
(b) Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped.
(iii) On the Putting Green: If the ball lies on the putting green, the player must lift the ball and place it, without penalty, at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief may be off the putting green.
(iv) On the Teeing Ground: If the ball lies on the teeing ground, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above.
The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.
(Ball rolling to a position where there is interference by the condition from which relief was taken – see Rule 20-2c(v))
Exception: A player may not take relief under this Rule if (a) it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction or (b) interference by an immovable obstruction would occur only through use of an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing or direction of play.
Ball in Immovable Obstruction Not Found
If it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in an immovable obstruction, the player may take relief under this Rule. If he elects to do so, the spot where the ball last crossed the outermost limits of the obstruction must be determined and, for the purpose of applying this rule the ball is deemed to lie at this spot and the player must proceed as follows:(i) Through the Green: If the ball last crossed the outermost limits of the immovable obstruction at a spot through the greenRule, the ball is deemed to lie at this spot and the player must proceed as follows:
(i) Through the Green: If the ball last crossed the outermost limits of the immovable obstruction at a spot through the green , the player may substitute another ball, without penalty, and take relief as prescribed in Rule 24-2b.
NSRCC local rule on the score card indicated 'safety net' as an immovable obstruction. What is the definition of 'safety net' in this instant? Is safety net can also be a wire mesh? And safety for the golfer or the tree? These are arguments to be deliberated.
One interested rule I found out after reading rule 24.2 is - if you cannot found the ball but can confirm the ball has gone into an immovable obstruction you can take relief without penalty.
Knowing your rules to take advantage of this gentlemanly game.
interesting....could the Koh Brother thought of "lifting" the nett upwards...making it "movable" ?? ...
Yes, the wire mesh could be lifted up and away but it was too much effort for too small an argument. :-)
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