01 Oct '08

RULE for the MONTH of OCTOBER

This section is to highlight a different decision each month, to improve our understanding of the Rules of Golf.

QUESTIONS

 I hit my tee shot from the 10th into the concrete drain which runs across the front of the green. Local Rule tells me this drain is GUR (ground under repair).

1. I thought all concrete structures are obstructions.
2. Do I drop near where the ball entered the drain, or near where it lay in the drain?
3. Is there any penalty when I drop?

In the illustration below, where can I drop a ball for relief from this GUR - near A or B?

I can drop without penalty at the nearest point of relief within one club length of a point near B, where the ball finishes in GUR , NOT where it entered.

 

ANSWERS

1.  "Ground Under Repair" is any part of the course so marked by order of the committee or so declared by its authorised representative.  A ball is in ground under repair when it lies in or any part of it touches the ground under repair. (Read definitions for the whole stories.)

2. Rule 25 deals with this situation. Interference by an abnormal ground condition (incl GUR) occurs when the ball lies in or touches the GUR, or when the condition interferes with the player's stance or his area of intended swing. 

Except when the ball is in a water or lateral water hazard, you may take relief from interference from the GUR as follows: 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 avaoids the interference by the GUR and is not in a hazard or on a putting green.

If the ball is in the water or lateral water hazard, the player is not entitled to relief, without penalty from the interference by the GUR.

 Q.  But if my ball rolls all the way down the drain into the hazard, what can I do now?

A. Go to the R & A web site below, and read through Rule 26-1 for the answer!!

Don't forget you can look up the Decisions on the Rules of Golf on Website too. Just click here to visit the R & A site.

www.randa.org