Hi Linda;
My ball sits on the red line defining a lateral water hazard
and 2 inches away from an alligator. I asked my competitors on a match play if
I could take relief from a dangerous animal. They said no, but proceeded to
scare the alligator in to the water so I could hit my ball. What were my
options?
Thanks,
Lou from Canada (winters in South Carolina)
Dear Lou,
Scaring away the alligator would not be on my list of
sensible options.
Players are entitled to free relief from dangerous situations.
Since your ball was in a hazard, you would have to drop another ball in the
hazard in order to get free relief. Here is how to proceed [Decision 1-4/10]:
1. Find the nearest point of relief (NPR) in the hazard that
is no closer to the hole where you will be safely away from the animal.
2. Drop a ball
(not the ball – that one now belongs
to the alligator) in the hazard, within one club-length of the NPR.
3. If it is not possible to drop safely in the same hazard,
you may drop in a nearby similar hazard, but the spot where you drop may not be
closer to the hole.
4. If it is not possible to drop safely in the hazard, and
there is no nearby similar hazard, you may drop outside the hazard, but that will
cost you a penalty stroke. You may use any of the drop options in Rule 26-1.
Please note that the Rules define “dangerous situation” as
one that is seriously dangerous. Rattlesnakes, alligators, and bees nests are
dangerous; poison ivy, cacti, or stinging nettles are not [Decision 1-4/11].
Linda
Copyright © 2017 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
