Linda,
In a recent match play tournament an opponent's ball landed
near a sprinkler head two feet from the putting surface of the green.
The sprinkler head was on the fringe of the green but the
grass around the sprinkler head, where the ball was sitting, had not been cut
as short as the fringe grass. If the sprinkler head were a clock and 12 o'clock
was toward the flagstick, the ball was sitting at the 3 o'clock position. A
practice stroke on the inside of the ball would not have been possible because
his club would have hit the sprinkler head; but clearly, the ball could have
been chipped from the grass. The sprinkler head was not between his ball and
the putting surface. Putting the ball was not practical in that there was grass
behind the ball.
I was not sure, so I agreed to go along with the other three
players and that he could take relief from chipping the ball and drop his ball
on the fringe area and that after taking relief he could then switch to a
putter.
What is the proper ruling here? Perhaps the question is who
gets to determine what is free relief from an immovable object?
(In this case it did not affect the outcome of the game.)
Lou from Collierville, Tennessee
Dear Lou,
A player is only entitled to relief from an immovable obstruction
(IO) if the IO interferes with his stance or swing, or the ball lies on the
obstruction [Rule 24a]. Your narrative suggests that there was no interference.
As such, the player should not have been granted relief.
Once it is established that there is no interference, anyone
who knows the Rule may explain to the player why he is not entitled to relief.
In stroke play, if the player is unsure of his rights, he may play two balls
under Rule 3-3 and settle the matter with a Committee member.
In match play, if the opponents have agreed on the
procedure, it will stand even if it is incorrect. If the player disagrees, and
decides to take relief, his opponent can immediately file a claim [Rule 2-5].
There is a Local Rule that may be adopted for relief from
immovable obstructions (such as sprinkler heads) on the fringe [Appendix I,
Part B, #6]. However, had that Rule been in effect, this player would still not
have been entitled to relief. Local Rule #6 requires that the obstruction
intervene on the line of play to the hole, which was not the case in your
narrative.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
