Friday, September 9, 2016

Ask Linda #1376-Relief from casual water on line of play

Linda,
During a recent round my ball came to rest in the rough just 2 or 3 yards off the green. There was casual water on the fringe of the green and it was directly where I would want my chip shot to land before rolling towards the hole.

Due to the fact that the casual water was in my target landing spot, I chose to play a different shot (more of a high lob shot).

Was I entitled to a free drop because of the casual water?

Thanks,
Lou from Nova Scotia

Dear Lou,

No.

A player is entitled to relief from casual water if the ball lies in the water, or if the water interferes with his stance or the area of his intended swing. There is no free relief from casual water (or any other abnormal ground condition) that lies on the player’s line of play [Rule 25-1a].

The only exception to this is if the player’s ball lies on the putting green and the abnormal ground condition intervenes on the player’s line of putt.

Linda
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