Linda,
Next to the second green at a local course we have a shallow
pond that has a rubber lining under it to retain the water, and on top of the
liner is a thin layer of mud. In spots it's only an inch or two deep. With his
ball just into the pond, a player, happy to get his feet wet, gently stepped in
to play his shot. In doing so, the liner under his feet pushed down, but under
the ball it went up, presenting his ball now high and dry. It remained exactly
in place in relation to the lie and the mud it was resting on, but it clearly
had moved “in space.” With no way to approach the ball without causing this
effect, the player was confused whether any shot was legal or, if he played a
shot, whether a penalty would be assessed. I would say that no shot can be
played without playing from the wrong spot, but the player was adamant that the
lie hadn't actually changed. What would have been the correct procedure?
Thanks,
Lou from Sydney, Australia
Dear Lou,
Surprisingly enough, the shot is legal. A ball has moved
only if it leaves its original position and settles in a new position
[Definition of “Move” or “Moved”]. For example, if the brand name is facing up
before the player steps on the rubber liner, and is facing sideways after he
steps on it, the ball has moved.
However, in your narrative, the mud on the liner was serving
as glue. When the player stepped on the liner, the ball did not move in
relation to the liner – ball, mud, and liner rose together as one unit. The
ball is deemed not to have moved, and the player may hit it with no penalty
[Decision 18/3].
If there had been no mud on the liner to hold the ball in
place, and the ball rolled when the player stepped on the liner, he would incur
a one-stroke penalty for moving his ball in play. There would be no penalty for
moving the ball if he indicated, prior
to approaching the ball, that he was going in to retrieve it in order to take
relief outside the hazard.
My thanks to Lou from England who contacted the R&A for this answer.
My thanks to Lou from England who contacted the R&A for this answer.
Linda
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