Hello Linda,
Can you give an answer to the following:
A male golfer hits a poor tee shot and his ball lands on the
ladies tee which is about 60 yards in front of the men’s tee. In
order to be able to hit his next shot he has to stand on the sloping side of
the ladies tee with the ball well above his feet. Winter rules are in force on
the course and the committee had designated that placing could be done within
one club length of where the ball lies. Is the player allowed to place his ball
on the ladies tee taking advantage of placing within one club length which
would allow him to play his next shot from a totally level lie on the ladies
tee?
Thank you in advance,
Lou from South Africa
Dear Lou,
When your club adopts the Local Rule for “Preferred Lies”
(or “Winter Rules”), players are permitted to move a ball that is lying on a
closely mown area a specific distance decided by the Committee (in your case,
the chosen distance is one club-length).
The factor that determines whether you may move your ball is
the location of the ball, not the location of your feet when you take your
stance to hit the ball.
If the grass on the tee box is mowed to fairway height, the
player is entitled to move his ball one club-length. If that improves his
stance, that is his good fortune.
Examples of closely mown areas are fairways, aprons around
the greens, dew paths, and paths mowed through the rough to fairway height. The
grass on tee boxes is not always mown as short as the fairways. If it is, the
player in your scenario may move his ball; if it is not, he may not.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
