Ciao Linda,
Yesterday I had a friendly argument with a Marshal. It was
about a theoretical situation that may occur.
The situation we discussed is when a ball is under a bush
inside a hole (made by a mole or a rabbit). My opinion was that I have the
opportunity to take free relief from the hole; as a side effect I have the ball
out of the bush.
The Marshal replied that the bush has the priority, so the
only possibility for me is to declare the ball unplayable. He said that there
is a Decision about this.
What is your opinion about this?
Thanks in advance.
Lou, an Italian living in the Czech Republic
Dear Lou,
I don’t have an “opinion,” Lou, but I do have an answer. The
marshal is correct. The Decision he was referring to is 25-1b/19, which
describes this exact situation.
The Exception to Rule 25-1b states that a player is not
entitled to free relief from an abnormal ground condition if interference by
something other than the abnormal condition makes the stroke clearly
impracticable.
Therefore, if a player’s ball lies unplayable in a bush, he
is not entitled to free relief from a burrowing animal hole. Similarly, if a
ball lies unplayable in the roots of a tree, the player is not entitled to free
relief if his stance is in casual water.
Ask yourself: If the abnormal ground condition weren’t
there, would you be able to play the shot? If the answer is “no,” you are not
entitled to free relief.
Linda
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