Rules Question

IITYWYBMAD

Situation: Player has to hit his third shot towards the green. when approaching the ball, he notices that a footpath is in-line with the intended swing. i.e. if he hits the ball, he is going to hit the footpath in his follow thru. We both agree that he has relief from the footpath as an immovable obstruction, no issue.

I follow the footpath around to the Green, while he is playing his shot, but I don't actually see his stroke. when I get to the green, it is obvious that he has duffed his shot, as the ball has only moved 5-6 yards from his previous position.

He plays his 4th stroke, onto the green, and while marking the ball, he says "I was better off with my original lie, sure I had to stand on the footpath after the drop". I queried him on this, as I thought that one had to take "full relief" when taking a drop from an immovable obstruction. He countered that the reason he took relief originally, was not because of his stance, but was because of the fact that his wedge was going to hit the path.

We looked up the rule and it states "A dropped ball must be re-dropped if it rolls to a position where there is interference from the condition from which relief is being taken" , which is actually open to interpretation, especially around the word "condition".

So, who was correct? Me or Him?

G1032

You were correct

GreeBo

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

Situation: Player has to hit his third shot towards the green. when approaching the ball, he notices that a footpath is in-line with the intended swing. i.e. if he hits the ball, he is going to hit the footpath in his follow thru. We both agree that he has relief from the footpath as an immovable obstruction, no issue.

I follow the footpath around to the Green, while he is playing his shot, but I don't actually see his stroke. when I get to the green, it is obvious that he has duffed his shot, as the ball has only moved 5-6 yards from his previous position.

He plays his 4th stroke, onto the green, and while marking the ball, he says "I was better off with my original lie, sure I had to stand on the footpath after the drop". I queried him on this, as I thought that one had to take "full relief" when taking a drop from an immovable obstruction. He countered that the reason he took relief originally, was not because of his stance, but was because of the fact that his wedge was going to hit the path.

We looked up the rule and it states "A dropped ball must be re-dropped if it rolls to a position where there is interference from the condition from which relief is being taken" , which is actually open to interpretation, especially around the word "condition".

So, who was correct? Me or Him?

You were imo.
Relief was from the path, not from the club hitting the path.

ernieprice

You were correct

He must drop the ball within 1 club length of nearest point of relief (this point allows for his stance and he does not need to stand on the path)

24-2. Immovable Obstruction
a. Interference

Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or
on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s

stance or the area of his intended swing. If the player’s ball lies on the

putting green, interference also occurs if an immovable obstruction on
the putting green intervenes on his line of putt. Otherwise, intervention
on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.

b. Relief

Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a
player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction

as follows:
(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player
must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length
of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief.The

nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green.

When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest
point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot
that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in
a hazard and not on a putting green.

96 Rule 24