ObstructionsObstructions are defined as anything artificial, such as a concrete roadway, a wooden telegraph pole or a bridge over a ditch. If the object can be removed fairly easily without causing damage it is movable. If it cannot readily be moved it is immovable. Sometimes the committee may decree that artificial structures on the course are not defined as obstructions but are an integral part of the cause and, as such, relief cannot be taken. Any object defining an Out of Bounds boundary is not an obstruction. If a movable obstruction interferes with the players’ stance or swing then the object may be removed prior to the stroke. With an immovable obstruction, interference occurs when a ball lies on or in the object or when the object interferes with the players’ stance or intended area of swing.
When an immovable obstruction interferes with a players’ intended line of flight only, no relief can be taken unless the obstruction interferes with the line of a putt on a putting green. To take relief, when outside a water hazard, the player must locate the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole, lift the ball and drop it within one club’s length of this point. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. If the ball is suffering interference from an immovable obstruction in a bunker the ball must be dropped in the bunker. Alternatively, the ball may be dropped outside the bunker, with a one stroke penalty, ensuring that the point where the ball lay lies directly between the hole and the point where the ball is dropped. Players are also entitled to relief from abnormal ground conditions which include casual water, ground under repair or any hole, cast or runway made by a burrowing animal, reptile or bird. For a section of ground to be declared an area of casual water, water must be visible before or after the player takes his stance. A player may take relief when the ball lies in or on an abnormal ground condition or the condition causes interference to a players’ stance or area of swing. To take relief, when outside a water hazard, the player must locate the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole, lift the ball and drop it within one club’s length of this point. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. If the ball is suffering interference from an immovable obstruction in a bunker the ball must be dropped in the bunker. Alternatively, the ball may be dropped outside the bunker, with a one stroke penalty, ensuring that the point where the ball lay lies directly between the hole and the point where the ball is dropped. On the putting green the player must lift the ball and place it at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard. Often, when confronted with a large patch of casual water on the green, this may mean placing the ball in thick rough, which may be highlighted as the nearest point of relief.
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