Hugh Hunter - Former club captain, ex SGU president and Golf Referee - has agreed to write a series of articles on the rules of golf and apply them to situations which we might meet on at specific points on Schawpark.
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8th HOLE TROUBLES ...
CRAIGBANK ...
STROKE INDEX 1
The magnetic right side awaits your tee shot----
the tree and the ditch have conspired to produce
an angled slope to divert a ball in their direction;
it's a place where four rules can come into play
for your (right-handed) sliced/pushed tee
shot .... a lost ball (Rule 27) .... an unplayable ball
(Rule 28) an immovable obstruction .... the road
(Rule 24) .... and a water hazard (lateral) Rule 26.
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In playing the 8th, if your tee shot goes towards the tree area and disappears from view then a provisional ball should be played. There is a rule that says a provisional ball cannot be played for a ball lost in a water hazard. However to apply this rule on the 8th, you have to KNOW or be VIRTUALLY CERTAIN that the ball is in the water hazard. Since the ditch is invisible from the tee (even allowing for the edge of the hazard being a little way up the grass banking) then you cannot assume the ball is in the hazard if it is not found. You therefore have to put the provisional ball into play.
If your ball is found (and identified), it may be unplayable and you proceed with the three options available .... drop within two club lengths; drop on the extended line from flag to ball back as far as you want; return to the place where you hit the original ball.
You cannot declare a ball in the water hazard as unplayable---- you have to use the water hazard rule.
You can drop on the road and proceed under Rule 24. However to take free relief from the road it must be complete relief for the lie of the ball and a normal stance ... you cannot drop into grass and stand on the road. You cannot drop in grass and take an abnormal stance to avoid standing on the road.
If your ball is found (and identified) within the margins of the water hazard, you have two options ... play it or drop under penalty. To drop under penalty you have to agree with your opponent/playing partners the point of entry... that is an estimate of where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. This is the reference point for taking a penalty drop. Because it is a lateral water hazard (red stakes) ... you have four options all under penalty of one shot
- Go back to the place where you hit the original ball and play another ball
- Go back on the extended line .... point of entry .... as far as you like and drop a ball.
- Drop a ball within two club lengths of the point of entry
- (Not well known) Drop a ball within two club lengths of a point on the opposite margin of the hazard. This point must be the same distance from the hole as the original point of entry.
All drops are allowed up to two club lengths roll and the ball must not finish nearer the hole than the reference point. If the ball goes back in the hazard it must be redropped .... you cannot drop out the ditch and play from the bank that is inside the water hazard.
Yes .... It's all very complicated .... best to keep away altogether!!!!
For a general interpretation of the rules applying to lateral hazards, you can follow this link. |
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Third Tee - Drive in to the Rhoddies on the third |
The THIRD TEE...TERRROR FOR SOME
Ah ... the third tee, the start of an easy hole for most, but for some a mental hurdle, especially with the prevailing wind from the west. The fairway is wide, but who can escape the rhododendron bushes swaying in the wind and beckoning the golf ball in their direction. You drive off--- the ball starts straight--- and then it moves to the right as if attracted by a magnet in the bushes. There is a silence as the ball disappears--- is it short? Is it in the bushes? What should you do?........
The rules of golf provide the way forward ....
ON THE TEE.
If the ball may just have reached the bushes, then a provisional ball should be played, however this MUST be declared on the tee ( you are allowed to go off the tee afterwards to collect a ball to play).
The original ball is still in play and you have five minutes when you reach the approximate area to find it. After five minutes, the original ball is lost and you must continue play with the provisional ball which is now the ball in play.
If on the tee, you see the original ball going deep into the bushes, then it can be declared unplayable immediately and another ball put into play. The original ball is now out of play and you cannot proceed with it even if you find it. In doing this you have to judge if the problems listed below are highly likely.
YOU REACH THE BUSHES.
If you find (and identify) it and you have played a provisional ball, then the provisional ball is out of play and you MUST proceed with the original. If the original ball is playable then you proceed probably somewhat relieved----
Golfer 1 Rhododendrons 0.
If you decide the ball is unplayable (you are the sole judge) then you have three options with a one shot penalty.
- Drop a ball (doesn't need to be the original) within two club lengths of the original ball not nearer the hole. The ball can roll up to two club lengths from where it strikes the ground, but must not go nearer to the hole than the original ball. If it does then a re-drop is required. If it happens again the ball must be placed where it struck the ground on the second drop. If the ball rolls into a very bad lie or is unplayable again .... Tough!
- Take a line from the pin, original ball position and extend it backwards. Your ball must be dropped on this line, but you can go as far back as you like
- Go back to the place where you hit the original and play from there (This may be the tee).
PROBLEMS
- If the ball is deep in the bushes, then two club lengths may not get you out---you could take another two club lengths with another penalty shot and so on.
- Going back in the line may take some time to get out the bushes---- you might have to go to the 12th fairway!!
- If you have a swipe at the ball in the bushes and miss it or put it into a worse lie, you CANNOT go back to the tee.
- Dropping a ball at the point of entry of the ball to the bushes is NOT an option unless that point is (a) within two club lengths of the unplayable ball and (b) not nearer the hole than the original.
Have a nice round! ... Well at least till we come to the eighth in the next newsletter! |
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Rules/Hugh's Corner