Stump the Rules Wizard
BALL RESTS IN PITCH MARK
GROUND UNDER REPAIR
Q: Tom writes: The
maintenance crew left a pile of branches trimmed from nearby trees in the space between two fairways. The assumed intent is to clear them away at some later time. I hit a drive into the pile of branches. The ball was not visible in the pile. How should I proceed?
A: Ryan Gregg writes:
By definition, mate- rial piled for removal is considered ground under repair even if not marked. The player is entitled to relief for ground under repair as prescribed in Rule 25. For a ball lost in the ground under repair, the player would deter- mine the spot in which it last crossed the mar- gin and use this spot for determining the near- est point of relief. The player is then entitled to one club-length of relief from that spot that is no nearer the hole. See Rule 25-1b(i) and 25-1c(i).
Q: Bobby writes: While
playing recently, I hit my shot into the green and it landed on a steep slope. I was a bit surprised when my ball did not roll down the slope, but as I reached my ball, I saw that it had lodged up against its own pitch mark thus not al- lowing it to roll down the slope. I contended that I could repair the pitch mark without marking the ball and if the ball moved then I could play from where it came to rest. My playing partner said I had to mark the ball and place it in a spot where it would not move. What was the correct procedure? Thanks for the help.
A: Gregg writes: See
Rule 20-3d. If a ball, when placed, fails to come to rest on the spot on which it was placed, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. If it still fails to come to rest on that spot it must be placed at the near- est spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole and not in a hazard. However, if the ball, when placed, comes to rest on the spot on which it is placed, and it subsequently moves, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provisions of any other rule apply.
NCGA Golf invites members to post situations or rulings to Stump the Rules Wizard. These questions were judged to be the most interesting from the last few months.
BALL RUN OVER BY CART
Q: George writes: While searching for his ball in his cart, a player runs over his ball in the fairway rough (the first cut). This caused the ball to become embedded. Two questions: (1) Should the player be penal- ized for running over his own ball (in his own cart—own equip- ment)? (2) Does he get relief from the embedment? A: Gregg writes: The player is penalized one stroke for causing his ball to move under Rule 18- 2a. According to Rule 20-3b, the player must place the ball in the
nearest most similar lie that is not more than one club-length from the original lie, not nearer the hole and not in a hazard. If the original lie and location are unknown the player would proceed under Rule 20-3c and would have to drop the ball as near as possible to where it lay.
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SPRING 2010 NCGA Golf 67
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