Hi Linda,
My friend drives on a par four and his ball comes to rest on
the left hand side of a staked tree that is the 150 yard indicator.
This is a free drop – no question.
The tree is about one foot off the fairway. The diameter of
the bowl of the tree is 3 to 4 feet. He is about 1 foot or a little more on the
left hand side of that tree.
He takes his drop, but says he is going to drop on the right
hand side of the tree. That puts him on the fairway. If he drops on the left
hand side of the tree – as I believe he should – he is in the rough.
He is a left-hander. I told him he must drop on the left
side of the tree, which is the nearest point of relief, and if he still has no relief
he can take another club-length.
Am I right ?? I feel dropping to the right onto fairway is an
unfair advantage. He insists he can drop on either side of that staked tree. My
belief is it must be on the left-hand side because that is where his ball
is and it is the nearest point of relief not taking into account right- or
left-handed!!
What is the answer please??
Lou
Dear Lou,
The fact that one side is fairway and the other side is
rough is irrelevant. In seeking relief from an immovable obstruction (I am
assuming the course does not want the stakes removed and has made that
statement in a Local Rule), the golfer is required to find the nearest point of relief (NPR) that is
no closer to the hole. There is no option in the Rules to find the most pleasing point!
The NPR is not the
same for right- and left-handed golfers. In the scenario you describe, with
the golfer being left-handed and the ball lying to the left of the stake, it is
possible that the NPR is to the
right of the stake. In order to determine the NPR, he will have to take his
stance on both sides of the stake with the club he would use to hit his next
shot. Mark the spot on each side where the club-head touches the ground.
Measure from the point where the ball lies to each mark. If both measurements are the same, he may drop
his ball within one club-length of either side. If one side is closer, he must
drop his ball on the closer side. If that puts him in the rough, he must drop
his ball in the rough. There is no choice: the
nearest point of relief must be the nearest point.
Golfers are cautioned to check out their relief option(s)
before lifting the ball. Once lifted, if you decide the original lie is less
troublesome than the drop area, and you want to replace it, you cannot avoid
the one-stroke penalty for lifting your ball in play.
Lou, your suggestion to your friend that he drop on the left
side of the tree and take another club-length if he still doesn’t have relief
is not correct. Once he establishes the NPR, he must drop within one
club-length of that spot. He is not entitled to a second drop unless the ball,
when dropped, rolls back towards the stake and the stake once again interferes
with his swing.
Linda
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© 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
