Dear Linda,
A golfer was on the tee box of the Par-4 last hole of a
round of golf. He teed his ball but was distracted by the moving shadows of
overhead trees moved by winds. So he moved his bag and trolley to cast a stationary
shadow over his ball and then played his ball. What’s the penalty, if any?
Lou from Lagos, Nigeria
Dear Lou,
The penalty is two strokes (loss of hole in match play) for
a violation of Rule 14-2. The player may not deliberately position anything or
anyone to protect him from the elements.
If the parked equipment incidentally cast a fortuitous
shadow (meaning the player did not notice any advantage until he stepped onto
the tee), he would be under no obligation to move it. On the other hand, if his
equipment (or a nearby person) cast a distracting shadow, he may reposition the
equipment (or ask the person to move). Please read Decision 14-2/2.5.
Linda
Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
