Dear Linda,
I am a little confused over which club to use when taking
relief from an immovable object.
As I understand, one has to take the nearest point of relief
and then drop the ball within one club-length, no nearer the flag.
But which club do you use to ascertain nearest point of
relief?
I think I read somewhere that you have to use the club that
you would have normally used to play a shot from where the ball was originally
lying before you took the drop. But that makes it a little vague, since how
does one define "would have normally used?"
I understand that you can take any club thereafter to
measure the one club distance for the drop and any club thereafter to play the
ball after the drop.
Regards,
Lou from Bangalore, India
Dear Lou,
Your understanding is correct. When you are seeking the
nearest point of relief, you should use the club that you would ordinarily use
to hit the shot if the condition from which you want to take relief weren’t
there [Definition of “Nearest Point of Relief”].
Let’s say, for example, that your ball lies on a cart path
about 100 yards from the green, and that the club you would select for a
100-yard shot is your pitching wedge. You would have to find the nearest spot,
no closer to the hole, where you would get complete relief for your stance and
swing with a pitching wedge. Place a marker on the ground where the clubhead
touches the ground when you take that stance. Now you may choose any club in
your bag to measure the one club-length relief area in which you must drop the
ball (this is where most players will pull out their driver).
After you drop the ball, if your new situation requires that
you use a different club to hit your next shot, you may do so.
Linda
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