Hi Linda,
We have a couple of greens that have permanent sprinklers
embedded in the middle of greens - there is a small hole, about big enough
to fit a golf ball in, above the sprinkler head - pretty much impossible to
putt over.
What kind of relief is granted under the rules? We are
proposing, for our league, to give line of putt relief.
Cordially,
Lou
Dear Lou,
If a player’s ball lies on the putting green, he is entitled
to free relief from a sprinkler head
that lies on his line of putt [Rule 24-2a]. He must lift his ball and place at
the nearest point of relief that is no closer to the hole. This point may be
off the green, but it cannot be in a hazard [Rule 24-2b (iii)].
You don’t need a Local Rule for this relief, as it is
provided right in the Rules themselves. However, it won’t hurt to spell it out
for your league to avoid any confusion about how to proceed.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
