I was recently told about your website and then my brother
had a rules query the next day. He was playing a mixed foursomes match and his
ball was off the green but he had a sprinkler head interfering with his line. I
always thought that if the ball was within 2 club lengths of the sprinkler head
then he could have relief; he thought the rule was within 1 club length. He
didn't take a drop anyway. I can't find the rule in the rulebook under Rule 24
obstructions. There is a rule if the ball is on the green. But in this case the
ball was off the green.
Please could you clarify this for me.
Kind regards,
Lulu from Sheffield, UK
Dear Lulu,
Relief from immovable obstructions such as sprinkler heads
that intervene on your line of play
(but do not interfere with your stance or the area of your intended swing) is
only available through the adoption of Local Rule #6 [Appendix I, Part B].
Sometimes the apron surrounding the green is cut so short
that some players may wish to putt from off the green. If there is a sprinkler
head within two club-lengths of the green and two club-lengths of the ball, and
it intervenes on the player’s line of play to the hole, the Committee may adopt
a Local Rule that permits the player to drop his ball at the nearest point that
is not nearer the hole, avoids the intervention, and is not in a hazard or on
the putting green. If this Local Rule has not been adopted, players are not
entitled to free relief.
Players are always entitled to free relief from a sprinkler
head when the ball lies on the sprinkler head or it interferes with their
stance or the area of their intended swing [Rule 24-2b].
Linda
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