Interesting Ruling

I was watching a bit of the Aussie Open in Melbourne this morning on Sky.  One of the players (can't remember who) put himself in a deep fairway bunker off the tee.  He steps up with a six iron and buries it into the wall of the bunker about an inch above the sand.  "He got too greedy there" mutters the commentator.  "Wonder how he'll play this".  He called the course marshall and referee for a ruling.  His argument -

On the European tour we have a ruling that any ball through the green that is embedded (plugged) can get relief not nearer the hole.  I'm not in the sand, therefore I'm not in the hazard.  Can I get relief?

The ruling?  He was allowed a free drop sideways within one club length.  When his ball rolled back into the bunker on dropping, he was allowed to redrop, the referee told him where it bounced and he was allowed to place his ball on this spot on the front lip of the bunker. 

I bet if I try to pull that tomorrow when I play Paul, John and Tim tomorrow I get called a cheat!  Do pros bend the rules to suit themselves or do we amateurs just not know how to manipulate them fully to our advantage?

I think it boils down to this. Amateurs do not know all of the rules or get them correct (nor do pros for that matter)

Where the pros differ is they just know how to manipulate a certain ruling to their advantage given a set of circumstances (as described above). They also have the benefit of asking the question to a referee or rules official that follows every match so a correct ruling can be given.

We amateurs certainly don't have that luxury. We very much rely on the people we are playing with.

That may well be a rule for the European golf tour but not for the amateur, I'm afraid, unless the area outside the bunker, where the ball is plugged, is fairway.

Relief is only available for a plugged ball through the green on close cropped grass (fairway)

As Santo says Dave, plus you have to get a round in for being so rubbish.....

You may be being unfair to Dave.  Many professionals go down the wrong fairway deliberately if they think it gives them an advantage.  Maybe Dave has found a cunning route into the green via another one. 

Ah, that must be the problem, I quite often go down the wrong fairway, admittedly not deliberately, but on one course I play on it's the only route that allows me to hit the green with my second.  By the look of the divots on the 'wrong' fairway I don't think I'm the only one either.  It's not out of bounds so I've always assumed it's technically, but probably not morally, legal.  

I think it is morally legal too as long as you give due consideration to the safety of any golfers coming up the fairway the right way and look after their safety.

Dave, my daughter had a friend like that.  She called him Pete and no one else could see him. 

Here's an additional to this.  At The Belfry on Friday, the starter told us of the daily rulings (bunker on the sixth is GUR, etc).  He told us that winter rules were in force.

"That means pick and place through the green" said Mr Starter. 

"That's just on the fairway, right?" asked Mr Flood. 

"No, anywhere through the green.  That includes the rough but not in a hazard or on the green". 

So according to The Belfry, the ruling of the referee in Melbourne was correct.  In all honesty, I didn't take full advantage of this and in the main played the ball as it lay unless it required cleaning.  This meant I had tougher lies when in the rough, but I just accepted the lie and played it.  I know full well that a pro would've picked and placed for every shot to improve their lie.  Now here's the question: -

Am I a better person and more honest golfer for not picking and placing in the rough when I could have, or am I stupid for not taking advantage of the rule that allowed me to improve my lie when I was clearly told I could at the outset?   

The rules are there to make a level playing field for all competitiors.

Now if you know the rules and use them to your advantage that is not your fault.

Know the rules and use them for your benefit.

Russ

This is a blatant case of the headquarters of the PGA deciding that through the green can be classed as including the rough, when it suits them, against the rules of the R & A. This is taking course protection way too far. No one ever gets a free clean and place in the rough.

This charade does not make the Melbourne ruling correct at all.

As regards to whether you are a better person, more honest or just had no wish to abide by a rule that you will probably never ever come across again, only you and the group you were with will know the answer to that. Myself I would take full advantage of any rule that gives me relief if I were in a competition as everyone else would be doing the same, probably in a game like yours, Chris, I would have done what you did and play it as it lay. The whole episode would be laughed at in any self respecting club.

Th eone time I took advantage of the rule on Friday was on a par 3 and my tee shot actually plugged in the wall of the bunker about 6 inches above the sand line - so I picked (prised) it out, cleaned it.  It was impossible to replace it on the near vertical face of the bunker and I wasn't going to put it into the hazard, so placed it back along the line in front of the bunker.  My partners agreed it was ok so I went along with it!

Hi Chris, Gentlemen,

I saw the same incident Chris, and the commentator did say that that particular ruling was a local one!, What ever that means??

Chris, lets just hope we do not come across this issue on Friday at the Belfry, and if we do I have a good idea who it might be!!

Anyway gents, looking at some of the reply times, people will get the wrong idea that many of us don't work afternoons!! ha ha.

Cheers

Steve

A local rule Steve is one that a course or body decides to enforce across the board that is not part of the standard rules of golf.  A good example of this is winter rules, otherwise known as "pick and place".  This generally means that if you're on the fairway you can clean the mud off your ball and put it back down within six inches in any direction of the original point.  The main reason behind this was if your ball gets embedded into the fairway due to it being wet, they would rather you remove it than hack a chunk out of the course trying to play it.  The other one that is commonly occuring at the moment is the use of GPS as the latest R & A rules did not take account of them. 

With hindsight, I think I should have taken advantage of the ruling, I know Tiger would have!

A plugged ball is not abnormal.

Must admit that this was the first time that I'd seen pick and place anywhere but on the fairway (with the exception of an embedded ball).  I understand unplugging as wet conditions can make it quite likely and if everyone tried to play out of it then there would pretty soon be no course left, but I was surprised by the allowance of general pick and place anywhere. 

I usually don't take advantage of the ruling unless my ball needs cleaning or I have ended up in a position made difficult by the conditions.  I tend to play it as it lies unless I'm at a disadvantage through no fault of my own or I will damage the course doing so. 

I took full advantage of this rule on Friday. Although I only picked & placed in the rough (I did not clean my ball).

Mind you saying that I wasn't in the rough that much .

Jonny, it seems that to speed up play they will try anything, now we have a situation that one is allowed to pick, clean and place in the rough as a local rule by one of the top courses in the country. The game use to be hit the ball from the tee and never touch it again until taken out of the hole. I suppose these rounds cannot possibly count towards handicap, can they.

John,

I agree that you can't use these rounds for handicap purposes. I only picked & placed in the rough when my ball was either sitting down in water or it was plugged in the rough. Also as we teed off 20mins (11:50am) later than arranged the light was against us so speeding up play was crucial to us getting in a full 18 holes which we just about did.

I would also say that the green were in good condition & they rolled quite true for the time of year.

John.