Getty Pictures
The Guidelines of Golf are tough! Fortunately, we’ve bought the guru. Our Guidelines Man is aware of the e book entrance to again. Obtained a query? He’s bought all of the solutions.
My house course has a dust cart path, which my tee shot got here to relaxation upon. With a concrete curb between my ball and the inexperienced, I made a decision to take a drop from the trail. Can I achieve this with out penalty? —Craig Twitchell, Chandler, Ariz.
A mud cart path with a concrete curb? Aesthetic quibbles apart, underneath Rule 16.1b there isn’t a free reduction from a dust path until the Committee has outlined it as an immovable obstruction. Per Rule 16.1a(1), the concrete curb will intrude with a participant just for bodily interference (lie of the ball, space of meant swing or space of meant stance) not for line of play.
Certainly, until one’s ball is on the placing inexperienced, reduction isn’t out there for an obstruction that’s solely on a line of play.
For extra cart-path steering from our guru, learn on …
You are taking reduction from a cart path. Your toes are nonetheless on the cart path, however you just like the lie and select to play the shot. Is {that a} penalty? —Tim Booker, by way of e-mail
How does golf spell reduction? C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E.
For a cart path, underneath Rule 16.1(b) interference consists of the lie of the ball, the world of stance and swing. Even when solely a kind of issues creates the unique interference, you need to take reduction from all of them to create the required full (!) reduction.
When you’re attempting to take reduction however are nonetheless standing on the cart path, you’re taking part in from the improper place, per Rule 14.7, and also you get the final penalty of two strokes in stroke play and lack of gap in match play.
Need assistance unriddling the greens at your house course? Choose up a customized Inexperienced Ebook from Golf Logix.
Obtained a query concerning the Guidelines? Ask the Guidelines Man! Ship your queries, confusions and feedback to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he gained’t throw the e book at you.