Linda,
On my course we have an out of bounds wire fence alongside the river estuary (to stop rubbish from the high tide coming onto the course). To improve drainage there was a drain put in which is defined as GUR. My question is if your ball rests against the fence are you entitled to relief from the GUR even though you would not have had a shot due to the fence. My understanding is that you would not be entitled to free relief if there is interference from something else which would have resulted in not having a shot if the GUR had not been there.
Lou from Ireland
Dear Lou,
Your understanding is correct.
No free relief is allowed from boundary objects. While a player is entitled to free relief from ground under repair (GUR), he loses that entitlement if his stroke is interfered with by something else from which free relief is unavailable.
Ask yourself: If the GUR weren’t there, would the player be able to hit his ball? If the answer is: “no, the boundary object would interfere with his stroke,” the player would have to select one of the penalty relief options for an unplayable ball. If the answer is: “yes, he would be able to swing freely if the GUR were not present,” the player would be entitled to free relief from the GUR.
Linda
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