Ask Linda #19-unplayable ball

Dear Linda,

At the tournament at Town & Country we had the following happen:
A player on the other team hit a tee shot 25 yards dead straight into a grassy area that was between the tee box and the fairway. The grass was that spindly stuff. She found her ball right away but did not want to hit it. She declared it unplayable and took a penalty, but went back to the tee to hit #3.
My partner and I thought that since it was a tee shot and it was found that it must be the unplayable rule that is a club length.
They insisted it was OK to go back to the tee. We said OK.
It ended up not mattering-- since it was better ball, the person who got the penalty was the higher score of the two.
We asked the tournament director about the rule after the tournament - she thought the other player was correct when she returned to the tee.
Please clarify.

Lulu


Dear Lulu,

The tournament director and the other team were both correct. When a golfer declares her ball unplayable--which she may do any place on the golf course except for a ball in a water hazard--she must assess herself one penalty stroke, and she ALWAYS has the following three options:

1. Play a ball from the spot where she previously hit the ball.

2. Drop a ball anywhere on the line-of-sight to the hole (remember, this is where you draw a straight line from the flagstick through your ball--you may drop anywhere on this line for as far back as you wish to go).

3. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the unplayable ball lay, no closer to the hole.

In the case of the player in question, she was permitted to return to the tee, and she was also allowed to re-tee the ball. She proceeded correctly.

If I may elaborate a bit on this topic, note that if the unplayable ball is in a bunker, the player still has all three options. HOWEVER, if she chooses option #2 or #3, the ball must be dropped in the bunker.

Thanks for another great question, Lulu.

Linda
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.