Linda–
Player A hits tee ball into right side rough. When Player A
chips ball out of rough towards fairway, the ball strikes a wooden
stake/yardage marker on the edge of the fairway and the ball bounces back into
the rough. As Player A is a beginner, Player B informs him that he can return
to where he hit his second shot and replay without loss of stroke. Reasoning is
that the yardage marker is a moveable obstruction.
I understand you can move it before the shot if it interferes,
but moving it after you have struck it and having a re-do?
Lou from Uruguay
Dear Lou,
Player B is missing a golden opportunity to teach his friend
some basic Rules of Golf:
1. When the ball deflects off the stake and lands in the rough,
it is a “rub of the green.” The ball must be played as it lies [Rule 19-1].
2. A player may remove a moveable obstruction that
interferes with his play, but he may not unduly delay play. Thus, a removable
stake near his ball may be removed; removing a stake a considerable distance
away is not an option [Rules 24-1 and 6-7].
Player B is doing this beginning golfer no favor by advising
him to break the rules.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
