Corporate Golf Services

Maybe the better question is “What can’t you move?”

You may not move anything in a hazard even if the object is interfering with your shot. In the photo, you’ll notice that even though the ball is clearly within the hazard markings, it is very playable. The only problem is the reed (a loose impediment) lying on top of the ball. Unfortunately, you may not move the reed. You have to play the ball as it lies – without grounding your club. That makes the shot a little more challenging but not impossible. By the way, this rule applies to the bunker as well.

Let’s go back to the original question. What can you move? You may move any movable obstruction (man-made objects), such as a candy wrapper or cigarette butt – even in a hazard. Movable obstructions are defined as anything that “may be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without causing damage.” (Rule 24)  You might want to be proactive in marking your ball before you try to move a movable obstruction. If your ball moves, you must replace it without penalty.

You may only move loose impediments (natural objects) – things such as twigs, rocks, and leaves outside of hazards. One thing to remember is that if, in the act of moving a loose impediment,  your ball moves, you must take a penalty stroke and replace your ball.

By the way, I was playing golf today when out of the blue, one of my companions said, “I just love playing golf!” So do I! Enjoy this beautiful season of golf.

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I consulted with the Rules Director for the tournament I referenced in my last post, (see “Use the Rules”) and she added some very interesting additional information. She said that what I wrote about was actually Part 2 of the scenario.

“Part 1: (The player’s) ball was next to a coffee cup lid (movable obstruction). So first I had her mark her ball (in case it moved), and remove the obstruction.

“Then there was part 3: When dropping while taking relief, a cart path was within the area she would drop in. If she dropped to avoid the cart path, she would have been back in the ‘jungle.’  So she took a chance and dropped on the path. The ball rolled not more than two club lengths and rolled to the edge where there was a bit of dirt that had washed onto the path. She could’ve taken relief from the cart path at that point, but she had a pretty good lie and a a good line to the green, so she elected NOT to take that relief.”

Note: if the ball had rolled further than two club lengths, she would’ve had to drop again, and if that, too, rolled further, she would’ve placed it.

Pretty interesting stuff!

The rules of golf are not meant to punish a golfer, but rather to keep things fair and equitable among golfers. If you can use a rule to your advantage, go for it!

For example, a woman competing in a tournament found her ball in the woods in an unfavorable lie. When she determined the stance she would take in order to hit the ball, she noticed that she would be standing on a drain pipe. She was given free relief and ended up having an open shot to the green.

Now maybe I should tell you that the drainpipe stance wasn’t the only stance she could have taken in order to hit her ball. In this case, she noticed the drainpipe first and used it to her advantage. After the incident was over, she was complimented by the rules official for knowing the rules.