Hi Linda,
My ball went into a bunker, which was partially filled with
water, and landed in a rut, made I think by a greenkeeper’s equipment. Definitely
not man-made, animal-made, or by nature. There were several of them in parallel,
as if they were made with a gigantic rake with a flat bottom. The rut was at
least ball depth in very wet sand adjacent to the water, but I did have a
stance.
My fellow players said that because the ball was in very wet
sand next to the water and in an equipment-made rut, that I was entitled to a
free drop in the bunker. I chose not to take the free drop and to play it as it
lay. Dropping it may well have plugged it anyway.
What were my options, for next time!!
I very much appreciate your website and emails.
Kind regards,
Lou from Barton on Sea, Hampshire, England
Dear Lou,
I am going to assume that neither your ball nor your stance
were in casual water (from which you would be entitled to free relief), and
address the problem of the tire tracks.
There is no Rule that gives players free relief from tire
tracks. However, a Committee may notify players that damage made by maintenance
vehicles is Ground Under Repair (GUR), regardless of whether it is marked, in which
case you would be entitled to relief.
If the Committee has not published such a notice or marked
the area as GUR, there is still an option for the player to play two balls
under Rule 3-3 (one as it lies, one taking relief – don’t forget to declare
which one you prefer to count before you hit either ball). At the end of your
round, before you sign your scorecard, you must explain your procedure to the Committee. (Failure to inform the Committee that you played two balls under Rule 3-3, even if the score with both balls turns out to be the same, results in disqualification.) A Committee member will inspect the tire rut and decide whether it should be
considered GUR. If the decision is “yes,” and you selected the ball you dropped
out of the rut to count, that is the ball that would count for your score on
that hole. If it is decided that the tire rut is not GUR, your score with the
ball you played as it lay in the rut would count.
This may be a good time to point out that Rule 3-3, which gives the player the option to play two balls when he is not sure about his rights or the correct procedure, is a stroke play rule. There is no option to play two balls in match play.
This may be a good time to point out that Rule 3-3, which gives the player the option to play two balls when he is not sure about his rights or the correct procedure, is a stroke play rule. There is no option to play two balls in match play.
Linda
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