Removing distance stakes.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I thought you were too until I read Rulesmans response, then I realized how you both could have been confused by my ambiguity. :)

I think part of our confusion is that you were somehow attaching the "movable" appellation to this particular obstruction.  An obstruction is not intrinsically classified as movable or immovable.  That distinction is made, strangely enough  based on whether the obstruction can be moved, as was already quoted.

Say there is a post with the outside sleeve and it is a nice warm sunny day.  The post slides out easily, hence the obstruction is a movable obstruction.

Now 6 months later the situation is the same except it is real cold and water has seeped down and frozen solid and now you cannot slide the post out of its sleeve.  NOW the post is an immovable obstruction.

But without knowing the conditions all we can say about the post itself is that it is an obstruction.

The one exception is if the committee has declared a particular movable obstruction to be immovable.  From the Definition of Obstruction:

If a player moves such an obstruction, he is penalized two strokes for breach of Rule 13-2.

13-2. Improving Lie, Area Of Intended Stance Or Swing, Or Line Of Play

A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

the position or lie of his ball,

the area of his intended Stance or swing,

his Line Of Play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond theHole, or

the area in which he is to drop or place a ball,

by any of the following actions:

pressing a club on the ground,

moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable Obstructions and objects defining Out Of Bounds),

creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,

removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or

removing dew, frost or water.

[rogolf]

See post #31 above.

OK

[turtleback]

The one exception is if the committee has declared a particular movable obstruction to be immovable.  From the Definition of Obstruction:

Good point and good catch.  I can't recall ever encountering that in practice.  I wonder what circumstances would lead a committee to so declare.

[Rulesman]

Good point and good catch.  I can't recall ever encountering that in practice.  I wonder what circumstances would lead a committee to so declare.

Some committees declare WH stakes to be IOs so that players won't remove them and either put them back in the wrong place or not at all.

[turtleback]

Some committees declare WH stakes to be IOs so that players won't remove them and either put them back in the wrong place or not at all.

That makes sense, thanks.

[Rulesman]

That makes sense, thanks.

Not a practice I would endorse though.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rulesman

Some committees declare WH stakes to be IOs so that players won't remove them and either put them back in the wrong place or not at all.

That makes sense, thanks.

I've seen some water hazard stakes in some pretty odd places, and I've found them pulled up and not replaced.  Those are a couple of reasons that a course might be inclined to declare them as immovable.

[ColinL]

Good point and good catch.  I can't recall ever encountering that in practice.  I wonder what circumstances would lead a committee to so declare.

It's not uncommon to find internal OOB stakes for one hole to be declared immovable obstructions when playing the adjacent hole if they are not defining OOB for that hole.