Hello Linda,
Here is a question that divided opinions on a recent golf
tour where myself and seven others could not agree as to whether a ball was in
play or out of bounds.
Two holes running parallel with each other with out-of-bounds
posts staked on the right hand side of both holes separated by a row of trees.
Player tees off and slices his ball right over the trees so
that it is in play on the other hole’s boundary but clearly hit out of bounds
of the hole we are playing.
Player declares he is still within bounds of golf course
therefore can carry on without hitting the tee shot again and therefore playing
3 off the tee.
Does out of bounds therefore only apply if you are off of
the course or indeed stuck in the trees in this case which have the white posts
either side of the line of trees?
Thank you,
Lou from Bristol, UK
Dear Lou,
The out-of-bounds stakes were probably placed between these
two adjacent holes as a safety measure or to improve pace of play. Either way,
the Committee is entitled to place interior out-of-bounds stakes [Decision
33-2a/12]. When a player hits a ball past these stakes, his ball is out of
bounds [Definition of “Out of Bounds”]. “Out of bounds” is defined not only as
“beyond the boundaries of the course,” but also as beyond “any part of the
course so marked by the Committee.”
The fact that the player’s ball now lies on the golf course
on an adjacent fairway is irrelevant. It is beyond markers that the Committee
placed on the course to indicate interior out of bounds. If the shot that went
out of bounds was hit from the tee, he must return to the tee to hit his third
shot.
Here are two previous Ask Linda columns on the same topic
that you might find informative:
Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
