Saturday, September 2, 2017

Ask Linda #1604b-Another response to #1604

Hi Linda,
I would just like to make a comment on the correspondence that you have been getting on #1604, in that it has been my experience that when grass is obviously growing in a water hazard, it generally has to be cut at some stage, which turns it into a loose impediment, and also it’s very rare not to find bits of broken branch or cut grass in amongst good grass in a hazard. 

Therefore, any practice swing that a golfer makes within a hazard is a pretty risky action to take, since it has to be free of touching or moving any loose impediment.

Late last year I refereed a provincial match play tournament. A very low handicapper had a practice swing down the bank of a water hazard and sent bits of dead brown grass flying up in the air. His opponent either didn’t see it or chose to ignore it and of course I was unable to interfere.

It appears the golfer just didn’t know the “rule”.

So I’m a bit surprised that nobody has pointed out the dangers of doing this.

Cheers,
Lou, a rules official from New Zealand