Hi Linda,
Can you resolve a heated discussion in the clubhouse
pleeeease!
If a player has a shot to the green outside a hazard, but
there is a hazard stake interfering with his swing, is he allowed to remove
this stake or has the stake got to stay there and take a drop from an immovable
obstruction???
Kind regards,
Lou from Scotland
Dear Lou,
Stakes defining or identifying a water hazard are
obstructions [Definition of “Water Hazard”]. If they can easily be moved, they
are movable obstructions, and they may be removed regardless of whether your
ball lies in or out of the hazard [Rule 24-1].
The story changes if the stakes are immovable. If stakes
cannot be removed with reasonable effort, or removing them might damage the
course, they are immovable obstructions. If a player’s ball does not lie
in a hazard, he is entitled to free relief from an immovable water
hazard stake under Rule 24-2b. However, if his ball lies in the hazard,
there is no free relief [Rule 24-2, Note 1]. A player whose ball lies in
a hazard who is unable to hit the ball due to interference from an immovable
hazard stake must take relief under Rule 26-1 (Relief for Ball in Water
Hazard). All of the relief options in 26-1 include a one-stroke penalty
Be aware that Committees are permitted to label all water
hazard stakes as “immovable obstructions” [Definition of “Obstruction,” Note).
In that case, players would be prohibited from removing any water hazard stake
on the course. Players outside the hazard would be entitled to a free drop
within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole;
players inside the hazard would have no free relief option.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
