Free relief?

[RC]

This brings up an interesting question about a swing.  I started out playing left-handed and switched to right handed in my teens.  To this day, I can hit a pretty decent shot left handed so I can use a 2 or 3 iron turned backwards and hit a low bounding shot pretty far, or I can turn something like a 9 iron upside down and actually hit an air-borne shot.  So, being a foot or so from an OB fence just means I might choose to make a golf stroke but left-handed.  This is not impractical for me and it is a normal choice I make a lot.  There was a time when I actually considered carrying a left-handed wedge because I chipped pretty well left-handed.

But a ball in a burrowing animal hole already provides for relief, so I can take relief and then depending on how the ball and the one stroke distance no nearer the hole works out, I might have a completely different shot become my best choice.  The ball can roll up to two club lengths no nearer the hole so I might well have been prepared to make a normal stroke left-handed and now decide it is better ot go ahead and hit it right handed.

Now there is a case I know where this is not allowed.  If my ball is near the cart path and I announce I want to play a left-heanded shot just to get an otherwise unallowed drop that might provide a better lie that would be a penalty or not allowed.  In this case, I cannot artificially create a relief situation. Taking relief from something like a cart path is done for your normal or ordinary stance and swing and not some manufactured swing.  It is normal for me to swing left handed if a right handed swing might hit a tree or an OB fence.  I suspect this situation might require some special considerations and understandings in order for the full intent of the rules to be honored.  I have studied the rules and decisions about this fine point and am still not absolutely sure of what is a normal stance and swing is if you can play either way.  And it is not unlikely that a controversy might prove me wrong on this dual concept.  I know you cannot manufacture an abnormal stance or swing to gain relief.  Surely this has come up at some point and there is some decision somewhere that covers it -- maybe Mac O'Grady knows the answer.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Are you sure the fence was a course boundary or OB fence?

He was given relief from the AGC not the fence which was an OOB margin.

The ball was under the lower rail of the fence but was in bounds.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Are you sure the fence was a course boundary or OB fence?

Same thing. I would be trying to explain or understand the diffeence.

Internal OB fences may be different.

[Dormie1360]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Are you sure the fence was a course boundary or OB fence?

Sounds like Rulesman saw the tournament.  It was a boundary fence........someones back yard.  The ball lay under the fence, there was horizontal railing about 8 inches above the ball.  The ball looked to be partially under the fence laying on an AGC which looked like some sort of burrowing animal hole.  Because the ball was not totally behind the fence it was still in bounds.

I didn't mean to get this thread convoluted.  You get relief from obstructions, not OB fences.  As Rick mentioned, just because you have interference from an Abnormal Ground Condition or immovable obstruction, that does not guarantee relief ...........per the exception spelled out in both Rules 24 and 25.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Are you sure the fence was a course boundary or OB fence?

Same thing. I would be trying to explain or understand the diffeence.

Internal OB fences may be different.

Yep, I know that a course boundary fence is the same as an OB fence as far as the rules are concerned. (And an internal OB fence is treated the same way.)

What I meant was, are we sure the fence Phil got relief from was really an OB/boundary fence, or just a fence. If the latter, then it wouldn't have been an issue as far as giving him the relief from the AGC. From a couple recent posts though it apparently was indeed an OB fence.

[Rulesman]

I can assure you it was and is an OOB fence.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by Rulesman

I can assure you it was and is an OOB fence.

Not disputing that, was just clarifying for Shorty the question I had asked.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Not disputing that, was just clarifying for Shorty the question I had asked.

[stangmark]

You get free relief from animal burrows.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by stangmark

You get free relief from animal burrows.

But not if the stroke you would play is impracticable or unreasonable.

See the excption to Rule 25 (and 24 for that matter).