Hi Linda,
Probably everybody watched the play-off between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate [U.S. Open].
I learned a new rule, because I did not know that if you drop your ball in the dropping zone and it roles out of it you have to play the ball from that spot.
Maybe this is a nice issue to discuss on your blog because I did not know this but probably a lot of other people do not know this either.
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Thank you for your suggestion, Lulu. Dropping Zones are a common occurrence on golf courses, and the rule book is very specific on how to properly use them. You can find these procedures in Appendix I, Part B: Specimen Local Rules, #8, located in the back of your rule book.
Here is what you need to know about using a Dropping Zone:
1. You do not have to stand in the Dropping Zone to drop the ball.
2. When you drop the ball, it must first touch the ground within the zone. Note that if there is a line that defines the zone, then that line is part of the zone, which means that your ball may hit the line when you drop it.
3. The dropped ball does NOT have to come to rest within the Dropping Zone.
4. The only reasons you would ever have to re-drop the ball are if it were to roll into a hazard, roll out of a hazard (in the uncommon situation where the Dropping Zone is in a hazard), roll onto a putting green, or roll out of bounds.
5. This is one of the very few cases where if the dropped ball rolls closer to the hole you DO NOT have to re-drop it unless it rolls more than two club-lengths from the spot where it first hit the ground.
While we are on the topic of dropping a ball, I would like to clear up a common misconception. When you are taking relief from an immovable obstruction, an abnormal ground condition, or a wrong putting green, please be aware that once you have defined the area in which you are going to drop a ball, the dropped ball does not have to come to rest in this area. I have noticed that players will mark the area with two tees (this is perfectly fine), drop the ball, and if the ball rolls out of the area defined by the tees they will re-drop. This is not correct. The ball may roll as far as two club-lengths away from where it first hits the ground, which will often take it out of the area defined by the two tees. The drop must not be repeated simply because it rolls out of the defined area. As long as it does not roll more than two club-lengths away and meets all of the other requirements for a drop (e.g., does not roll into a hazard, onto a putting green, out of bounds, etc. – please read Rule 20-2c for a complete list), it is a good drop.
Again, Lulu, thank you for noticing an unusual rule and bringing it to everyone’s attention.
Linda
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
