Linda,
A girl in my group had her ball stop right next to the cart
path but not on it. If she tried to hit the ball, her club would have hit the
cart path and probably would have damaged her club. Would she be allowed a free
drop? Thank you for answering the question.
Lulu from Green Valley, Arizona
Dear Lulu,
Yes.
The player is entitled to free relief when an immovable
obstruction, such as a cart path, interferes with her stance or the area of her
intended swing [Rule 24-2a]. Interference is interference – there is no
requirement that the ball lie on the obstruction for the player to get free
relief.
By the way, sometimes grass grows over the edge of a cart
path. If it doesn’t seem likely that your swing will contact the visible path,
but you suspect that there might be cart path under your ball, it’s a good idea
to probe the ground near the ball. Use your divot tool or a long tee.
Linda
Copyright © 2017 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
