Linda…in a recent round I hit a ball that came to rest very
close to the base of a tree. I could have turned the club around and swung
left-handed, but given that my skills in this area are limited I opted not to
try that. However, I also found that if I leaned the right side of my body
against the tree I could reach back just enough to swing right-handed and at
least bump the ball back into the fairway. Would this be considered using the
tree to improve my stance or was this a legal shot?
Thanks,
Lou from Texas
Dear Lou,
Leaning against a tree to hit your shot is perfectly legal.
The Rules prohibit “building a stance” [Rule 13-3], which means putting
something on the ground to stand on (e.g., a towel) or altering the ground in
some way to give you a better stance. You are entitled to lean against anything
that was already there when your ball came to rest, which would include a tree,
fence, building, bench, etc.
You might enjoy this USGA article about building a stance in
a tree: http://www.usga.org/ourexpertsexplain.aspx?id=21474854830
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
