Dangerous Animal (Alligator) Question

[gbogey]

I think I know the rule so this is really what would you do?

Today on our 4th hole I hit a ball right next to the water. Due to a tree, I had no shot at the green, but I had a stance and I could advance the ball maybe up to 100 yards forward to the green (I was around 165 away). From there I expected to have an easy wedge to the green and more likely than not a two putt for bogey.

As I'm lining up my shot, I look over and there's a decent size gator, probably +6 feet, about two feet away from me in the water looking right at me. Although I know it's very unlikely it would go after me, it's unnerving, so I took my allowed free relief and move my ball to a safe spot 15 feet away. From 170 I now had an opening to the green, I hit a nice 6i pin high and just missed the putt from 20 feet.

I'm allowed free relief so I made par, but it doesn't feel right to record as a par? Thinking I should post a 5. Thoughts?

[iacas]

  On 7/5/2024 at 9:45 PM, gbogey said:

I'm allowed free relief so I made par, but it doesn't feel right to record as a par? Thinking I should post a 5. Thoughts?

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Why would you post it as a five?

If I'm standing on a cart path and my ball is in a horrible lie, sometimes I get a much better lie after the drop (if my ball is in a good lie, I may just play it standing on the cart path).

This is no different.

It's not like the alligator was 20 yards away, or 50. Even if your two feet is off by a factor of five, an aligator within ten feet of you is a dangerous animal condition.

Free relief.

[DaveP043]

  On 7/5/2024 at 9:45 PM, gbogey said:

I think I know the rule so this is really what would you do?

Today on our 4th hole I hit a ball right next to the water. Due to a tree, I had no shot at the green, but I had a stance and I could advance the ball maybe up to 100 yards forward to the green (I was around 165 away). From there I expected to have an easy wedge to the green and more likely than not a two putt for bogey.

As I'm lining up my shot, I look over and there's a decent size gator, probably +6 feet, about two feet away from me in the water looking right at me. Although I know it's very unlikely it would go after me, it's unnerving, so I took my allowed free relief and move my ball to a safe spot 15 feet away. From 170 I now had an opening to the green, I hit a nice 6i pin high and just missed the putt from 20 feet.

I'm allowed free relief so I made par, but it doesn't feel right to record as a par? Thinking I should post a 5. Thoughts?

Expand  

No question, @iacas is absolutely right.  Sometimes free relief gets you a better lie.  Look at Clarification 16.1/1, it says exactly that.  Although that applies to 16.1 and not 16.2 (dangerous animals), the concept still holds.

[gbogey]

I guess I was just struggling with how much the relief granted me as opposed to a normal situation where a difficult might be made easier, in this case no shot was given a shot.

[iacas]

  On 7/6/2024 at 2:08 AM, gbogey said:

I guess I was just struggling with how much the relief granted me as opposed to a normal situation where a difficult might be made easier, in this case no shot was given a shot.

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Nah, sometimes a few inches can change a shot from not possible to entirely possible (like if a ball is right behind a small sapling or something).