Finally,
northern California is back to normal. So much so that it is receiving an
abnormal amount of rain in a short span of time. The conditions for golf courses, not surprisingly,
are less than ideal. So I’ve received a
lot of questions regarding various options and Local Rules that can be used to
help players get through the muddy, mucky conditions. This can be incredibly challenging when there
are misunderstandings as to how various Local Rules can be used, and this
weekend at the Peg Barnard we had to come up with a unique solution to best
serve the players while still staying firmly within the bounds of the Rules of
Golf.
Before
speaking to my experience this week, it should first be explained what Rules
and Local Rules are available for players in these conditions. The first two are better known and are part
of the Rules of Golf:
1.
Rule 25-2
– Relief without penalty for a ball embedded in its own pitch-mark. Generally the Local Rule in Appendix I is in
effect to extend relief to anywhere through the green, except when embedded in
sand in a non-closely-mown area.
2.
Rule 25-1
– Relief without penalty for interference by an abnormal ground condition. I
think where many golfers are confused is that an abnormal ground condition is a
specific term under the Rules that refers to ground under repair, casual water
or a hole, cast or runway made by a burrowing animal, reptile or bird. The fact
that the mushy earth is abnormal to the usual conditions of the course does
not, of itself, constitute an abnormal ground condition under the Rules of
Golf.
When conditions warrant, there are two Local Rules that are
designed to alleviate problems affiliated with extremely wet, poor conditions
that are detrimental to the proper playing of the game. What is often confusing, is that there are
limitations as to how far the Rules can be extended:
1. “Preferred
Lies” also known as “Winter Rules” or Lift, Clean and Place – Appendix I
gives the Committee the authority to permit players to lift, clean and place
their ball within a specified distance of the original spot. This should only
be used when fairway conditions are unsatisfactory. The catch to this Local Rule is that it is
only permissible to put it in effect in closely-mown areas through the green or
a MORE restricted area. The Committee does not have the authority under the
Rules to extend this Local Rule to anywhere through the green. In other words,
this Rule is designed to be used for fairways or fringes, not in the rough.
Many are confused about this
because there are examples of Committees who have over-stepped the authority given
by the Rules and made the decision to play “preferred lies” anywhere through
the green, notably on the PGA Tour last year (see my FarbTalk article here). “The
Committee is always right, even when they’re wrong,” however, there is a
difference between having the authority to do something under the Rules and the
Committee being permitted to make its own decisions.
So when conditions throughout the
course are so mucky that permitting a player to clean their ball should be
granted anywhere through the green, there is a Local Rule that is permissible
to use:
2. Cleaning
Ball: Lift, clean and Replace – The Local Rule in Appendix I immediately
following “preferred lies” permits players to lift, clean and replace the ball in the same
spot from which it was lifted. This Rule can be restricted if desired, but the
Committee does have the authority to use this Local Rule anywhere through the
green.
So this past weekend at Stanford
for the Peg Barnard Invitational, a women’s event held this time of year each
year, the course was thoroughly saturated.
And while good weather was forecasted (and came true) for the days of
play, the damage had already been done.
My initial recommendation was to use Lift, Clean and Replace through the
green so that there would be some relief for players in the rough as the balls
were picking up tons of mud. There were
some who very much wanted to play “preferred lies” through the green and I had
to explain what I explained above: it is not permissible under the Rules to
extend lift, clean and place to anywhere through the green. I even confirmed
that this was the official stance again to be certain. My argument was a bit
hampered by examples and rumors of prominent events using the illegal Local
Rule, but while the conditions were not great, they were not to the point where
exceeding the authority of the Rules was necessary. So, finally, after way too
much time as I should have seen this sooner, came the solution:
For the event we played “preferred lies” in closely-mown
areas through the green. So in fairways (which
were still distinguishable as all cuts had not been mown for the same amount of
time), players could lift, clean and place the ball within a score card length,
no nearer the hole. Additionally, we invoked lift, clean and replace anywhere
through the green. So players could lift, clean and replace the ball in the
same spot if the ball was in the rough. The invocation of both Local Rules
granted the players the maximum amount of relief we could provide while still
operating under the Rules of Golf.
Due to the unique solution, a few unexpected
and interesting questions arose.
Embedded Ball Relief:
Because of the two different local Rule procedures, if the ball was embedded it
mattered whether it was in the fairway or the rough. In the fairway, because a score card length
was permitted, a player could simply mark, lift and then place the ball out of
the pitch-mark without having to use the drop procedure in Rule 25-2. In the
rough, because replacing would mean putting the ball back into the pitch-mark,
players had to take the Rule 25-2 relief by dropping and then could still lift,
clean and replace if desired.
Casual Water Relief:
Again, the two different local Rule procedures could lead to two very different
scenarios. In the fairway, if a player had interference from casual water where
the ball came to rest, they could either a) take relief and then use lift,
clean and place from the new position, or b) lift, clean and place the ball
within a score card length to try and avoid interference and if interference
still existed they could then take relief from the casual water. In the rough, if
the ball came to rest in an area with interference by casual water, the player
could lift, clean and replace the ball, then decide to take relief or they
could take relief and then lift, clean and replace the ball.
Ball Lost in a Muddy
Area: I received a ton of questions, both in this event and from others
playing around the area, about balls that plug in the middle of the fairway and
cannot be found. There is some confusion
about this and how it relates to Rule 25-1c, Ball Not Found in Abnormal Ground
Condition. Unfortunately, soft, mushy
earth is not an abnormal ground condition (see Decision 25/1). So if a ball plugs in a large area of soft,
mushy earth and cannot be found within five minutes, even in the middle of the
fairway, the ball is lost and the player must proceed under penalty of stroke
and distance. A large area of mud is different from an area that has been
declared ground under repair or a large puddle of casual water. If it is known
or virtually certain that a ball is in ground under repair or casual water
(both abnormal ground conditions
under the Rules), but it cannot be found, the player is entitled to relief
without penalty. Now before you go and
declare the entire fairway to be ground under repair so players can take this
relief, know that the relief is going to be relative to where the ball last
crossed the outermost limits of the condition.
So, in the end there are a lot of options for relief when
these kinds of muddy, mucky conditions occur and because the Rules give us
specific guidance and specific local Rules to use in these conditions, we,
whether as players, course operators or Committees need to ensure we utilize
the local Rules properly and in accordance with the authority given by the Rules.
If you are running an event, playing an event or officiating
an event with these kinds of conditions and need to know your options, please
remember that your state or regional golf association is there to help you and
guide you, or you can always contact the USGA directly. Don’t assume the
Committee can just do whatever it wants and still play under the Rules of Golf.
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