Dear Linda,
Could you please give me a ruling on Abnormal Ground
Conditions? After a lot of rain,
the front nine on our course was closed, so we
played our club championship on the back nine twice. One of our ladies hit off
the 10th tee into the long ruff. After searching for a while, her marker told
her she could have a free drop because we were virtually certain that the ball
went into the ruff. I was unsure of this rule but thought it would have been a
lost ball, and she would have to go back to the tee. Can you please clear this
up for me?
Thanks,
Lulu from Australia
Dear Lulu,
Abnormal Ground Conditions are casual water; ground under
repair; and holes, casts, or runways made by burrowing animals, reptiles, or
birds [Definition of “Abnormal Ground Conditions”].
Areas of rough on the golf course are not abnormal. They are
commonly found on just about every golf course, and are cultivated
intentionally. There is no free drop for a ball that is lost in the rough. This
is a lost ball. The player must return to where she hit her previous shot to
hit another ball and add a one-stroke penalty to her score [Rule 27-1c].
Linda
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