Ask Linda #31 - relief from immovable obstructions

Dear Linda,
Several members have told me that a player is entitled to line of sight relief at my club. I have found nothing to support this. Swing relief is not an issue. More specifically, the issue arises when permanent obstructions such as those interior post fences, water cooler holders, sprinkler boxes, etc., interfere with a player’s line of sight or line of play.
I'd appreciate your input.
Lulu


Dear Lulu,

All of these obstructions you mentioned are immovable obstructions. Rule 24-2 will tell you that you are entitled to relief if these obstructions interfere with your stance or the area of your intended swing. The USGA is not so cruel as to expect you to hit a ball with one foot propped on a fence, and they certainly don’t want you to break your club when your follow-through connects with a water cooler!

If there were an immovable obstruction on the putting green that interfered with your line of putt (I have never encountered one, but the USGA has to cover all bases), you would be entitled to move your ball to get a clear line to the hole. However, other than on the green (and I’m quoting from the rule book now, 242a), “intervention on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.” In other words, you are entitled to full relief for your stance and swing, but you are not entitled to free line of sight to the hole.

In seeking relief from these immovable obstructions, you must find the point NEAREST to where your ball lay and no closer to the hole that gives you full relief. If your feet are now planted firmly on the ground, and your swing is not interfered with by the obstruction, you have found that point. You may now drop your ball within one club-length of that point. Remember to hold the ball at arm’s length and shoulder height when you drop it. Complete instructions on how to drop a ball can be found in Rule 20-2.

Warning: Before you lift your ball, check to see where you will have to drop it to find relief. Sometimes the relief area may pose an even more insurmountable problem than your original dilemma, and once you lift your ball you are obligated to find full relief and drop it there. For example, your ball may be lying on a paved cart path with a clear line of sight to the hole, and the nearest relief may put a towering oak in your backswing, or cause you to drop in a clump of fescue or other undesirable location. It might be in your best interests to hit the ball off the cart path.

Linda

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