Ruling: Ball hits ball washer??

[martytilma]

In my golf league last night, my opponent hit his tee shot that went straight right and struck the ball washer which deflected it about 20 yards behind us. A golfer in our group said that he was allowed to play that shot over because his ball struck a man made object. I disagreed. Can anyone clarify when and if you get to replay a shot without taking a stroke?

[goblue107501]

Pretty simple. Play it as it lies.

I can't think of any rules that make it okay at anytime to replay a shot without penalty. Certianly not in this case. I can remember one course that had power lines over one hole. If you hit the lines you were required to hit again, but that was a local rule only.

You don't get a free pass for sucking.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I dont think so, either. He cant play the shot over. Unless there is some kind of local rule saying different. I know on one course, telephone wires hang very close to the tee box and there is a rule saying if you hit them with your tee shot, you are allowed to replay the shot with no penatly.

[clearwaterms]

lets change the question a little bit. Lets say for some strange reason a ball marker were in the way of a swing or shot, would he be able to move the ball because of the object in the way?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Just move the ball marker...

[kpaulhus]

  DavidFehertysBike said:

. I know on one course, telephone wires hang very close to the tee box and there is a rule saying if you hit them with your tee shot, you are allowed to replay the shot with no penatly.

The funny thing is, someone in our foursome always seems to hit the wires. Then the ball makes a pop noise and we can never find it. Who knows where they always land lol

[martytilma]

  goblue107501 said:

Pretty simple. Play it as it lies.

That is exactly what I said!! But he played golf in high school and I didn't so he though he knew more. Ha!

  clearwaterms said:

lets change the question a little bit. Lets say for some strange reason a ball marker were in the way of a swing or shot, would he be able to move the ball because of the object in the way?

I believe you would, but I could be wrong.

[kpaulhus]

I think you can move the ball if there is a man made object preventing you from swinging. I saw this done at the masters when the player hit his ball way left and there was a building in the way of his back swing. he got to move it a clubs length without penalty.

[zeg]

  clearwaterms said:

lets change the question a little bit. Lets say for some strange reason a ball marker were in the way of a swing or shot, would he be able to move the ball because of the object in the way?

Assuming you mean ball washer, not marker, that is usually considered an immovable obstruction. You get free relief within 1 club length of the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole.

There is no relief for hitting the ball washer, nor anything else except possibly a power line, but as was said above, that's dependent on there being a local rule. See "Rub of the Green" for more info.

[kpaulhus]

  zeg said:

Assuming you mean ball washer, not marker, that is usually considered an immovable obstruction. You get free relief within 1 club length of the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole.

Alright!:) I thought I was right about that one.

[Fourputt]

For a movable obstruction you move the object. For an immovable obstruction, you take relief as described in Rule 24 -2. Movable and immovable can vary depending on the strength of the player.

If you don't know what an obstruction is, then read the definitions at the front of the Rules of Golf.

[Ignorant]

I'm pretty amazed how poorly people actually know even the most basic Rules

So, a ball washer is normally an immovable obstruction and a player get a free relief from it as follows:

24-2a
Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or
on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s
stance or the area of his intended swing. If the player’s ball lies on the
putting green, interference also occurs if an immovable obstruction on
the putting green intervenes on his line of putt. Otherwise, intervention
on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.

As far as cancelling (i.e. replaying) a shot without penalty in stroke play is quite uncommon and only occurs in circumstances described in Rules 19-1, 19-5, 17-2 and 5-3. In match play it is far more common and is described in Rules 10-1, 10-2 and 11-4. The power cable situation is, as already said, a matter of local rules.

[kpaulhus]

  Ignorant said:

I'm pretty amazed how poorly people actually know even the most basic Rules

His ball hit the washer and went backwards. He wasnt trying to play a shot off or near a ball washer. His friend thought becasue he hit the washer, he could replay his shot with no penalty.

[zeg]

  Ignorant said:

I'm pretty amazed how poorly people actually know even the most basic Rules

I dunno, I find that until a rule has come up, I have trouble remembering it, and I've read through the rule book multiple times. I've not often encountered situations where I've hit anything other than a tree, and I can understand how a non-rule like this would come into "folklore."

The rule of thumb is that if you don't know the rule, play it as it lies and you are not going to pick up any penalties. You may miss out on some relief, but if in doubt, play it as it lies and look up the rule later. Guessing at relief procedures will probably only make things worse... but I find I remember the rule better if I can think back to the time when it would have saved me a stroke, or when it cost me a couple...

[Fourputt]

  kpaulhus said:

His ball hit the washer and went backwards. He wasnt trying to play a shot off or near a ball washer. His friend thought becasue he hit the washer, he could replay his shot with no penalty.

His friend was wrong. Contrary to popular belief, that is the true definition of "rub of the green". When a ball is deflected by an outside agency you play the ball as it lies unless relief is allowed under a rule because of the lie. Sometimes the ball bounces good, sometimes it bounces bad. The ruling is the same in any case.

[kpaulhus]

  Fourputt said:

His friend was wrong. Contrary to popular belief, that is the true definition of "rub of the green". When a ball is deflected by an outside agency you play the ball as it lies unless relief is allowed under a rule because of the lie. Sometimes the ball bounces good, sometimes it bounces bad. The ruling is the same in any case.

Yeah...sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you get wet lol

[goblue107501]

I'd bet my left nut that if the ball would have bounced forward and into the fairway we wouldn't have had this discussion.

[Rexx]

I bet Jean Van De Velde would have loved to say the stands at Carnoustie were man-made and he gets a redo.