Dear Linda,
At the end of winter there are a lot of leaves and large
pieces of bark under gum trees alongside the fairway. My ball landed in this
debris. In order to reach my ball I had to walk on this unstable loose debris
causing my ball to move several times before I could address it. I understand
that I should have replaced it before making my stroke, but it had moved
several times, and I couldn't determine where the original spot was, nor the
several moves it had made. Should I just have given up the hole?
Regards,
Lulu from South Australia
Dear Lulu,
Give it your best estimate where the ball originally lay,
drop it there, and add one penalty stroke to your score for the hole for
causing your ball to move [Rule 20-3c (i); Rule 18-2a]. There’s no reason to
give up the hole yet.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
Dear readers,
Please note that I have edited yesterday's column. The first sentence now reads: "When a ball in motion on a putting green is deflected by a moving or animate outside agency, cancel the stroke, replace your ball, and replay [Rule 19-1b]."
Dear readers,
Please note that I have edited yesterday's column. The first sentence now reads: "When a ball in motion on a putting green is deflected by a moving or animate outside agency, cancel the stroke, replace your ball, and replay [Rule 19-1b]."
