Quick rules question

Seems a while since we've had one!

Playing a match on Sunday I got to a downhill par3 which has a pond on the left, short of the hole. The stakes are red (lateral) along the right side of the pond, with yellow across the front edge.

I pulled my tee shot left and it landed in the far end of the pond, crossing from the side, so over the lateral stakes. So I was allowed a "sideways" 2-club drop.

However, along the right side of the pond, about a yard from the margin, is a cart path. There is grass between the margin of the hazard and the path but only about a yard.

So - my 2 club drop could have taken me to the path. Would I have been able to drop to the path, then take further (free) relief from there? The problem was, and this was debate between me and my opponent (in a friendly way), was that he said he wasn't sure if I could deliberately drop on the path - but even if I did, the NPR would still have been on the water side of the path and therefore I'd be dropping back on that patch anyway. As it happened I chose just to drop into the yard wide strip of grass, and unfortunately, the ball rolled back closer to the hazard (though not back into it) - so I hardly had a stance without standing in the water.

Apart from the obvious choices of replaying the tee shot, or treating it like a yellow hazard and dropping back beyond the front of the pond, did I have any other options? What would have been the best course of action?

As it happened I ended up playing with a restricted stance and ended up almost shanking it into another pond of the other side of the approach and lost the hole, taking the match up the last for a very nervy finish!

What should I have done?

Put your tee shot on the green and not in the pond

Davie - as long as the two club drop took you onto the path and not to the edge of it, then you would have been able to drop there and then take free relief from the path. If your NPR meant you would be back in the original hazard, then I think you would have been entitled to drop the other side of the path. Just remember, you must take full relief wherever you drop.

Or, just do as BCM said!

BlueCoverman wrote:Put your tee shot on the green and not in the pond, your partner would has been much happier too

Fixed that for you Blue. Excellent knowledge of the rules there for that situation; watch out John Paramour

Think LP has it down for you Davie but could probably still take relief from the path if it interfered with your intended stance or swing. One thing to remember it's nearest point of relief, not nicest.

Sounds like you need to take more club or eat your shredded wheat for breakfast if you came up short left

Yeah with it being nearest (not nicest) point of relief, it would have had to be back on the hazard side of the path

LP's point is interesting though .. being forced to take FULL relief from the path, does that also include not having to stand in the hazard? Do hazards count when considering full relief? I'd have though NOT as they are not classed as through the green?

If the hazard DOES count when considering full relief, then if I keep dropping so that the ball is off the path but my stance is impeded, then maybe you are right and I could have dropped instead on the other side of the path

As it was I felt I had enough room to drop on the hazard side of the path, to still give myself a proper stance, but the bounce of the ball AFTER the drop took it too close to the pond for that

As for BCM and 1GG - yes hitting the green would have been MUCH more preferable for me AND my partner - he'd already dumped his tee shot in the other pond!

It really is one of the two best holes on the course, and pretty much every player at the club - even the best ones - dread it and never know what club to hit

Plays about 165 yards, steeply downhill, with a pond in front of the green and another down the left approach - lots of cabbage over the back. Wrecked many a card! I was trying to hit a high cut over "checked alley" (the bit between the two ponds) which would hopefully cut to the putting surface and land softly. Just caught the ground a little on impact which both kept it straight and reduced distance. The front pond is the much more likely destination!

Davie wrote:As for BCM and 1GG - yes hitting the green would have been MUCH more preferable for me AND my partner - he'd already dumped his tee shot in the other pond!

Ouch! No pressure then ...

Another little quick question .. is there anything special about an immovable obstruction within the boundaries of a hazard?

We have two new ditches in place across our 16th fairway, and the local rules on the scorecard say that all bridges and pathways are to be treated as immovable obstructions - yet these particular bridge deliberately have the yellow hazard line painted right across the bridge/path

So if a ball ends up on the bridge, inside the hazard line, would relief be given or not?

As I understand it no relief given, play the ball as it lies (without grounding the club obviously) or take a drop under penalty

Davie wrote:Another little quick question .. is there anything special about an immovable obstruction within the boundaries of a hazard?

We have two new ditches in place across our 16th fairway, and the local rules on the scorecard say that all bridges and pathways are to be treated as immovable obstructions - yet these particular bridge deliberately have the yellow hazard line painted right across the bridge/path

So if a ball ends up on the bridge, inside the hazard line, would relief be given or not?

Hazards extend up from the edge. So unless specifically stated that you obtain relief are inside the hazard.

Incidentally I asked this question on our own club website. I thought Blue was probably correct but I was told that the yellow lines DIDN'T cross the bridge and approaches to it (though that conflicts with my own memory) so a free drop was available

I still think Blue was right, given the description I made, but it appears I misunderstood the markings and therefore the local rule about bridges applied