Dear Linda,
As a new golfer, I appreciate your simple explanations on how to apply the Rules of Golf. Thank you for providing this free service.
One of our out-of-bounds areas is marked by a barbed-wire fence. For safety reasons, there is an A-shaped stile to get over it. A player's ball came to rest against this ladder on the in-bounds side. She treated it as an immovable obstruction, and took free relief. Should this artificial object be considered an integral object "as part of the challenge of playing the course from which free relief is not allowed"? If so, the definition of integral object also states these artificial objects are to be "treated as immovable" (which would allow free relief?). It references Rule 8.1a, which does not seem to address this issue. Even more confusing is the last sentence of the integral object definition: "Integral objects are not obstructions or boundary objects". So what exactly is our boundary fence stile? And which rule applies to relief options? Perhaps you can provide examples of specific integral objects to help clarify.
Thank you much,
Lulu from Stillwater, Oklahoma
Dear Lulu,
The stile is an immovable obstruction. The player is entitled to free relief under Rule 16.1.
Nothing on the course is an “integral object” unless the Committee declares it to be an “integral object.” Should your Committee decide to declare the stile an integral object (and I see no reason why they would want to do that), the player would not be entitled to free relief. If she could not hit her ball, she could declare it unplayable and proceed under one of the relief options for an unplayable ball in Rule 19.
Linda
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