Lateral hazard relief

I lost a match in the club championship that hinged on the following ruling. My competitor hit his ball and landed within the red stakes of a lateral hazard. It rested on the edge of the cart path. This portion was within the hazard. The ruling was he got free relief from the cart path even though it was within the hazard. Was this correct?

I would say he is right. Relief from the cart path is a local rule, which supercedes the Rules of Golf.

The local pro that made the ruling said that "the rules of golf state that you get relief from a man made obstruction even in a hazard" He didn't quote a local rule. I am still confused.

I have never heard of that local pro's ruling. Any relief from a hazard should invoke a penalty. Did he show you what rule he was citing from the book?

No, I am trying to find out.

you was robbed!

Note 1 to Rule 24-2 b. states "If a ball is in a hazard (including a lateral water hazard), the player may not take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction. The player must play the ball as it lies or proceed under Rule 26-1." Rule 26-1 pertains to water hazards and would require a penalty of one stroke be added for any relief taken.

First off, the cart path is NOT a local rule - I think this has been discussed before - see obstructions at the bottom. As for the ruling, you can not take relief inside a hazzard:

24-2. Immovable Obstruction
b. Relief
Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction as follows:
(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.
(ii) In a Bunker: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either:

(a) Without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above, except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker; or
(b) Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped.
(iii) On the Putting Green: If the ball lies on the putting green, the player must lift the ball and place it without penalty at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief may be off the putting green.
(iv) On the Teeing Ground: If the ball lies on the teeing ground, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty in accordance with Clause (i) above.

The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.
(Ball rolling to a position where there is interference by the condition from which relief was taken — see Rule 20-2c(v).)
Exception: A player may not take relief under this Rule if (a) it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction or (b) interference by an immovable obstruction would occur only through use of an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing or direction of play.
Note 1: If a ball is in a water hazard (including a lateral water hazard), the player may not take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction. The player must play the ball as it lies or proceed under Rule 26-1.
Note 2: If a ball to be dropped or placed under this Rule is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.
Note 3: The Committee may make a Local Rule stating that the player must determine the nearest point of relief without crossing over, through or under the obstruction.

Obstructions
An “obstruction’’ is anything artificial, including the artificial surfaces and sides of roads and paths and manufactured
ice, except:
a. Objects defining out of bounds, such as walls, fences, stakes and railings;
b. Any part of an immovable artificial object that is out of bounds; and
c. Any construction declared by the Committee to be an integral part of the course.
An obstruction is a movable obstruction if it may be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without causing damage. Otherwise it is an immovable obstruction.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

YES, I WAS ROBBED. This is a lesson to all including myself, Keep a rule book in your bag.

Here's a really simple answer: nope, he wasn't entitled to relief. Immovable obstructions do not count in hazards unless it is a local rule.

He can't take relief from anything in a hazard unless it is in a local rule. Like: if he hit the golf ball onto a platform floated in a water hazard that a car was standing on. If relief was given in a local rule, he can drop n.p.o.r. otherwise he has to play it as it lies. Now, if n.p.o.r. was in the water, then he has to drop it in the water!

One thing worries me: how the hell can they run a cart parth through an area marked with read stakes and not include that area as part of the hazard!? That is seriously bad of the Committee! Normally the Committee include bridges, paths, floats, etc. as being part of the hazard.

Sorry that you were robbed! That is a pity.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Thanks Gord. I missed that part - I was looking in the appendix. I thought that since I usually see the cart path rule posted, I figured it got classes as local, overriding the Rules. Kind of like playing Winter Rules golf.

To Teaching Pro, Originally there was a red line about one foot to the left of the cart path along with red stakes. Due to rain and the fact that the line had not been painted in a while, there was no longer evidence of the red line between the stakes. Without the line, the only option was to go stake to stake. The path curved where is ball laid on the extreme left edge of the path. Going stake to stake he was about 3 feet inside the hazard line. The red line was evident after about 50 feet on either side of the ball. The rules committee first tried to say that the grounds keepers intention was to have the path outside of the hazard. However if there is no evidence of a hazard line there is no choice except going stake to stake. Intentions don't matter. To make a long story short, the rules committee said even if the ball was in the hazard he got free relief from the cart path. My pleas to consult the rule book were ignored and I was left in the fairway with my pleas falling on deaf ears as they left. I refused to sign the card. Losing that ruling cost me going to the first tee for a playoff. Bottom line, this is a semi private course, he is a paying member and I am a daily fee player. Guess who got screwed?

You got screwed alright ... the fact that the cart path entered the hazard using the stake-to-stake method, means the cart path is an integral part of the hazard and he shouldn't have received relief.

That's nasty ...

You do not get relief from an obstruction in a hazard. This cannot be overriden by a Local Rule. A Local Rule cannot override a Rule of Golf.

I don't see a rule providing an allowance for 'winter rules' or 'preferred lies' golf, yet I see it all the time, as a Local Rule. This local rule is then overriding the Rule of Golf stating that a golfer should take a stroke for moving a ball at rest.

What does this fall under, aaa?

I thought that the point of local rules was to augment the Official Rules?

Rule 33-8 Local Rules
a. Policy
The Committee may establish Local Rules for local abnormal conditions if they are consistent with the policy set forth in Appendix I.
b. Waiving or Modifying a Rule
A Rule of Golf must not be waived by a Local Rule. However, if a Committee considers that local abnormal conditions interfere with the proper playing of the game to the extent that it is necessary to make a Local Rule that modifies the Rules of Golf, the Local Rule must be authorised by the R&A.

Appendix 1
Part A - Local Rules
As provided in Rule 33-8a, the Committee may make and publish Local Rules for local abnormal conditions if they are consistent with the policy established in this Appendix. In addition, detailed information regarding acceptable and prohibited Local Rules is provided in "Decisions on the Rules of Golf" under Rule 33-8 and in "Guidance on Running a Competition".
If local abnormal conditions interfere with the proper playing of the game and the Committee considers it necessary to modify a Rule of Golf, authorisation from the R&A must be obtained.