Hi Linda,
I am a captain of a golf club in Johore, Malaysia, and even
though I have quite a good grasp of the Rules of Golf, there are times when I
am unable to give clear cut answers to disputes. For example, a player hits his
ball towards an island green. It lands on it but rolls over to the back of the
green, then rolls past the apron and into the water. According to the rule,
this player should drop a ball within two club-lengths from the point where the
ball last crossed the hazard but not nearer to the pin. What if there is no
point alongside the green that is not nearer to the pin? Where then is the
nearest point of relief?
The second scenario is, there is a drop point which is not
nearer to the pin for this player to drop the ball, but it is sloping towards
the water. What is his recourse if the ball that is being dropped eventually
rolls into the water?
The third scenario is, this player plays his shot over the
green and straight into the water behind the green. Is he entitled to drop a
ball at the other side of the island green which will give him the advantage of
chipping his ball near to the hole? How then should the dropping point be
determined if the island green is circular in shape?
The fourth scenario is where the club has designated a dropping
zone in front of the island green. Can this player insist that he play his next
shot from the back of the green?
Can the Club also make it mandatory for all golfers to play
from the drop zone in the event their balls end up in the water hazard?
Please shed some light on this subject that has bothered me
for quite some time.
Thanks,
Lou from Malaysia
Dear Lou,
Ordinarily, the water in front of an island green (directly
between the tee and the green) is marked as a water hazard, the water on each
side of the green is a lateral hazard, and the water behind the green is also a
lateral hazard. The Committee may define all of the water as a water hazard
(yellow stakes), establish a dropping zone, and write a Local Rule that gives players
the option of using the dropping zone [Decision 33-2a/10]. Players should
always have at least two relief options for a ball in a water hazard.
On to your questions…
First scenario: If there is no relief within two
club-lengths of the spot where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard that
is not closer to the hole, the player must return to the tee, use the
dropping zone, or cross the water behind the green and drop a ball beyond the hazard on the line-of-sight to the hole. The Committee should provide a dropping zone when only one
relief option is available.
Second scenario: It would be best if the dropping zone were
located on a flat area. If that is not possible, a ball that rolls into the
hazard after a drop must be re-dropped under Rule 20-2c. If it rolls into the
hazard after the second drop, it must be placed on the spot where it struck the
ground when it was re-dropped. If even a placed ball rolls into the hazard, the
Committee really needs to look into locating the dropping zone on a more
suitable (flatter) spot.
Third scenario: If the water in back of the green is marked
as a lateral hazard, the player must drop in accordance with my answer to your
first scenario. There is no option to drop on the other side of the green,
which would clearly be outside the two club-length limit.
Fourth scenario: The Committee is permitted to declare the
use of the dropping zone mandatory for all balls that enter the water, although
it would be more in keeping with the Rules of Golf to allow players all the
relief options available to them under Rule 26-1. If use of the dropping zone
is mandatory, players have no choice but to use it if they hit into the water.
If it is not mandatory, the player who hit over the green may choose to drop
within two club-lengths of the spot where his ball last crossed the margin of
the hazard, provided he can find a place to drop that is no closer to the hole.
His other options are to use the dropping zone, re-tee, or cross the water and drop on the line-of-sight to the hole.
All of these relief options include a one-stroke penalty.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
