Ball comes to rest against cart path carved into hill

[Liko81]

So at a course I played a while back, the right side of the fairway is bounded by a fairly steep grassy ridge, with the cart path running along it about halfway up the slope. The reason for this design is that the other side of the course has a lateral water hazard that would be unfairly affected by the presence of a cart path, and the peak of this ridge has a netting fence protecting golfers on the course from errant shots by the driving range adjacent to this hole (also defining out-of-bounds for this hole, so the hill and cart path are in-bounds). The cart path is thickly poured, and new enough that the outer edge of the cart path is above the ground level of the hill, with no retaining wall needed (not yet anyway). This was in July, in Texas under drought conditions, so the roughs were very thin yellow bermudagrass, given just enough water from the course sprinklers to not die completely.

Upon teeing off, my fellow-competitor's ball fades and runs up the hill, rolls along the cart path for a while, then off the outside edge of the path, coming to rest against the cart path. The cart path being an immovable obstruction, Rule 24-2 applies, allowing a drop within one clublength of the "nearest point of relief" and no nearer the hole. My fellow-competitor determines, and we agree, that the nearest point of relief is further up the hill by enough distance to clear the cart path (about a grip-length), and so he elects to drop about a clublength from the edge of the cartpath itself which is in accordance with the Rule. However, the hill is steep enough that the ball rolls right back down to the edge of the cartpath. Under Rule 20-2c, this calls for a re-drop, which occurs with exactly the same result, and again under 20-2c the ball must be placed at the point where it first hit the ground. However, when placed, the hill is still steep enough and the grass thin enough that the ball will not lie at rest in accordance with Rule 20-3d, even after replacement. So, under 20-3d(i), the ball must be placed at the nearest point where it will come to rest that is not nearer the hole.

Here is where we didn't know how to proceed. What we actually did, since by the time we got this far the next group was at the tee behind us, was to allow the fellow-competitor to place the ball at the nearest point we could find where the ball would come to rest in a playable position, not nearer the hole, and in a similar ground condition (in the rough, with the ball still above the level of his feet), and to play from that point with no penalty. We found such condition on the other side of the cart path, closer to the fairway, and play continued from there.

However, this seems to have been in error. Technically, the closest point where that ball could have come to rest in accordance with 20-3d is against the cart path where it originally lay before all this began. Neither Rule 20-3d(i) nor any decision on 20-3 stipulate that the point in question must be playable; just not nearer the hole. Decision 20-3d/2, which generally advises players to proceed under Rule 28 and allow alternate relief in exchange for a penalty stroke, seems the closest to our situation, only we wouldn't have to use 1-4 to justify proceeding under any option provided by Rule 28.

Since we'll play there again, what would be the correct/fair move by strict rules? Requiring a penalty stroke for relief from an immovable obstruction that would, in any less severe circumstance, be penalty free doesn't seem fair, but neither does allowing the player to move it anywhere without penalty just because it's impossible to move it according to 24-2.

[Fourputt]

The rule first requires that you take complete relief.  That still applies if you have to find a secondary spot where the ball will remain at rest.  There is no limit on how far that spot can be from the original dropping area, only that it must be the nearest such spot that is not closer to the hole and that it doesn't bring the lie, stance or swing back into interference with the condition from which relief is being taken.. 

[Spitfisher]

what many amateurs don't know is you have only one choice of what side of the cart path. You have only one choice of where the ball  will be played, not two or not one better than the other, there is only one. Nearest point of relief. 

 

Nearest point of relief is determined by using a likely club to be used, set your feet, ground the club, place a tee there. From that Tee you have one club length distance to take a drop, it can be six inches from the tee or 2 feet, needs to be inside club length.  If you have a cart path running parallel to the fairway and you are right handed, the left side of the fairway will be a closer point of relief than the right ( assuming the ball is directly in the middle of the cart path)

 

Think it over wisely, and quickly

 

Obviously no closer to the hole and your drop from a cart path or hazard can not return to the area that you are taking relief from. 

[Rulesman]

On 9/2/2016 at 11:27 PM, Liko81 said:

 

However, this seems to have been in error. Technically, the closest point where that ball could have come to rest in accordance with 20-3d is against the cart path where it originally lay before all this began. Neither Rule 20-3d(i) nor any decision on 20-3 stipulate that the point in question must be playable; just not nearer the hole. Decision 20-3d/2, which generally advises players to proceed under Rule 28 and allow alternate relief in exchange for a penalty stroke, seems the closest to our situation, only we wouldn't have to use 1-4 to justify proceeding under any option provided by Rule 28.

Since we'll play there again, what would be the correct/fair move by strict rules? Requiring a penalty stroke for relief from an immovable obstruction that would, in any less severe circumstance, be penalty free doesn't seem fair, but neither does allowing the player to move it anywhere without penalty just because it's impossible to move it according to 24-2.

You were correct up to this point. The place where it would stay at rest could be on either side of the cart path provided it was not nearer than any other point it would stay at rest.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Rulesman