Linda, here is an unusual (to say the least) situation which I wonder if you can rule on. Yesterday, a golfer in our group hit her ball (which was in the middle of the fairway) which immediately struck another ball about 20 metres in front of her. The hit ball ricocheted at high speed into the rough –rough a bit dense– and after a good few minutes it looked like we weren't going to find it. Conversation then was wonder what the rule is here – e.g., is the player allowed to drop a ball on the spot where it was when struck by the other ball? We eventually spotted the ball (much further on than we'd actually realized), so the question is hypothetical, but we're still interested in what the rule would have been if we hadn't found the ball.
Thanks
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
When a ball at rest is moved by another ball in motion, the moved ball must be replaced [Rule 18-5]. If the ball cannot be found, place another ball on the spot. Any other ruling would be unfair to the player whose ball was moved.
The player who hit the ball that moved the other ball must play her ball as it lies [Rule 19-5a].
Linda
Copyright © 2011 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
