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Our course has several spots where one edge of the cart path is marked as the edge of the penalty area, with painted red dots on the path rather than stakes in the adjacent ground. Is free relief from an immovable obstruction allowed when either the ball is resting on the path but touching the edge of the grass in the penalty area, or resting on the grass in the penalty area but touching the edge of the path in an unplayable condition? —Barry Cushing, North Port, Fla.
Barry, see spot take his medicine.
If the ball is in the penalty area (which by Rule 17.1a includes any time the ball touches any part of the penalty area edge above or below the ground), then free relief from abnormal course conditions (which includes immovable obstructions like cart paths) would not be allowed per Rule 17.3.
Steer clear of the cart path.
Rules Guy: My ball rolled 100 yards backward on a cart path. Can I replace it where it landed?
For more cart-path-related guidance from our guru, read on …
Due to rain, our club decided to use preferred lies during the club championship. On the 4th hole, a competitor took the one-club length relief allowed under the Local Rule for preferred lies, then claimed relief from a cart path that now interfered with his stance. His original lie was behind a tree, and the relief provided him a clearer path to the green. Was he clever or all wet? — Paul Hinz, Sartell, Minn.
Paul, this is precisely why the Rules recommend that preferred lies not be used in the entire general area and instead be limited just to parts of the general area cut to fairway height or less — otherwise, there is definite potential for a player to sashay out of golf jail.
If the Committee indeed enacted the Local Rule in the entire general area, once the player uses his free club-length and then has interference from an abnormal course condition such as a cart path, he would be allowed to take relief under Rule 16.1b.
Once finished doing so, he could then prefer his lie under the Local Rule again if so desired. We thus prefer that the Local Rule be done in the recommended fashion.
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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.
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