Hi Linda,
Thanks again for your very helpful blog. Another query for
you. In a competition recently it started snowing during the competition. Towards
the end of this competition some snow started to lie on the greens to a depth
of about 3-4 mm. My query is this: can a competitor remove the snow on the
green to form a path between his/her ball and the hole? If so, what can be used
to make this path? – the back of one's hand, a putter or even the back of a
bunker rake? What happens to the condition that the green is left in, with
ridges of snow?
As soon as the snow started settling on the greens, should
the Competitions Committee have abandoned the competition?
Yours thankfully,
Lou from the UK
Dear Lou,
Snow can be treated as casual water or a loose impediment
[Definition of Casual Water; Definition of Loose Impediments]. In your
scenario, you would want to treat the snow as a loose impediment. You may brush
the snow away, providing you do not press anything down on your line of putt
[Rule 16-1a]. Your best bets for a tool would be your hand, hat, glove, or
towel. I would not recommend the back of a rake, since it might prove difficult
to remove the snow without pressing anything down.
I would not presume to recommend what the Committee should
do. With such a small amount of snow, and the tournament near the end, the
Committee might be inclined to complete the tournament. The determining factor
should be whether the competition would be fair. The USGA recommends that a
tournament be canceled only if “it would be grossly unfair not to cancel it”
[Decision 33-2d/1]. Committees are expected to use good judgment.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
