Hi Linda,
I do enjoy reading your daily e-mails and thank you.
A couple of teasers that I heard at my Club today:
1. Player's ball is in a bush from where he considers –2
club-lengths being no use– to either drop back in line keeping ball and flag in
line or return to the tee. He chooses the drop back. Being a bit
crafty, he chooses a place to drop that is right next to a staked tree and
having done so claims that he should also be allowed free relief from that obstruction.
To do so means that he could then play from the fairway. Seems against
the spirit of the game to me, but what is the ruling?
2. It was suggested that a player may take a penalty
drop from an unplayable lie, and then, having taken it, decides that he still
has a difficult shot and elects to take another two club length penalty drop
from that point, i.e., chooses to take a 4-shot penalty rather than any of
his other alternatives. Can't say I can think of many circumstances when
that might be the best choice - but the question was raised and I didn't
know the answer. Can you enlighten?
Best regards
Lou from the UK
Dear Lou,
The “crafty” player in your first scenario is playing within
the Rules. When he chooses option “b” under Rule 28, he may drop anywhere on
the line-of-sight to the hole, adding one penalty stroke to his score. After
the drop, if the ball has settled in an area where there is interference from
something other than the bush from which he was taking relief, he will proceed
to take relief under the Rule that is applicable to his new situation. In the
case of a staked tree, he is entitled to free relief from the stakes, which are
man-made obstructions. If the nearest point of relief from the stakes allows
him to move to the fairway, he will drop on the fairway. It is not against the
spirit of the game when you follow the Rules; it is more a case of being
rewarded for having a thorough enough knowledge of the Rules to use them to
your advantage.
Your second scenario is also correct, except for the
penalty. There is no limit to the number of times you may declare your ball
unplayable. Each additional two-club-length drop will add one penalty stroke to the player’s score. Two drops will cost two
strokes, not four. Here is one example where you might want to drop multiple
times:
You hit your ball 150 yards over a water hazard, and it
settles against the trunk of a large willow tree on the left side of the
fairway. You may not want to proceed with stroke and distance – your next shot
might land in the hazard. Line-of-sight might not be a good option – you might
have to hit your next shot over the tree, or you might have to drop in dense
rough. A two club-length drop, followed by a second drop, might be sufficient
to get you out from under the tree with a clear shot to the green. In this
scenario, adding two strokes to your score might yield the best possible score.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
