Rules Query

slingerz

In matchplay if your ball is off the green on the fringe but has a sprinkler head in front of it before the green are you entitled to relief or must you chip over it?

plumber77

No relief. Only if your ball lies on it or it interferes with stance I think

callaway92

Yeh I’m fairly sure it’s the above comment that’s correct

If there’s no interference with lie of ball or your stance it’s play as it lies

Format of the round doesn’t matter

If for some reason you’d want to move the ball you’d need to take an unplayable lie which is one shot penalty (and something I think people should do more and don’t utilise it enough)

Rikand

Sometimes there can be a local rule granting relief, but that is the only time you would get it. Check your local rules and if nothing on there about it, then no relief.

slave1

Yeah, local rule only, listed in Appendix I in Part B of the Rules of Golf under Specimen Local Rules.

1. The ball must lie through the green (not in a bunker of water hazard); and
2. The immovable obstruction (sprinkler head) must be on or within two club-lengths of the putting green; and
3. The immovable obstruction must be within two club-lengths of the ball; and
4. The immovable obstruction must intervene on the line of play between the ball and the hole.

Seve OB

interesting one this. it must be a local rule in my own place. i thought it was an actual rule. i also thought 1 club length. must look it up

blue note

I assume on point 4 the line of play is as the crow flies from your ball to the hole? As in, the line you'd actually want to hit it on doesn't matter, it's just whether the object is directly between you and the hole?

I didn't realise places had a local rule for this until I was asked about it playing with visitors one day. It's not a bad rule in fairness. A sprinkler doesn't feel like a course obstruction in the same way that a tree or whatever does.

slave1

I agree, local rule makes sense as a decent shot blocked by an artificial insertion to the natural ground

Seve OB

I disagree.

it should be a rule everywhere and not just local

slave1

I don't disagree with that but sure some courses have virtually no artificial object relief, likes of sh1tty paths and roads are integral in too many places, I get they are "off line" in general but sometimes they are well on line and not worth ruining a club over