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Rules issue - what's the verdict?

Rockford35

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Last nite at the mens club, we had a rules issue that rarely would come up. Anyways, here's the scenario.

#5 is a slight dogleg left that requires a draw off the tee or you risk hitting the trees on the left. That said, the left side of the fairway is red staked so you can drop out of the trees where you went in, no closer, counting one, shooting 3. You don't have to re-tee.

Last weekend, there was an amateur tourney that went through and those stakes were removed. In the trees, lost ball, re-tee. Simple enough.

However, local rules dictate on the scorecard for general audience that #5 is red staked on the left side.

A guy I know hits his ball into the left trees, not very deep. He's playing a match play match and his playing partner says he has to re-tee. My buddy balks, stating that local rules show that the left side is red staked, he can drop and be shooting 3 from his drop rather than 3 from the tee with a lost ball.

We sat with the pro and asked him. He said it was a unique thing, as the stakes "were meant to be put back, but weren't".

Comments? I think he should have gotten the drop. This wasn't the amatuer tourney, so local rules should dictate, whether or not the actual stake was in the ground or not.

Needless to say, he was pretty rattle and took an 8. He lost the hole, but did with the match, so it's moot. But it was a tough argument.

R35
 

halifax_golfer

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I thought you only had to go back and re-tee if it was OB.

If tree's are un-staked around here, its just a drop. I thought that was the norm.
 

Clugnut

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It would seem to me that regardless of the stakes actually being there, that the local rule was established on the scorecard. The problem is, where is the line if the stakes aren't there? I guess if it is a voluntary drop, it doesn't matter as much.
 

mddubya

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It would seem to me that regardless of the stakes actually being there, that the local rule was established on the scorecard. The problem is, where is the line if the stakes aren't there? I guess if it is a voluntary drop, it doesn't matter as much.

Thats what I was thinking. If the scorecard states the trees are OB, whether the stakes are there or not is a moot point.
 

eclark53520

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In the trees, lost ball, re-tee. Simple enough.

R35

Got a question on this...from what i have read(unless the tree's are assumed OB) they could find their ball, call it as an unplayable lie and do the whole draw a line thing OR within 2 clubs no closer to the hole...why is it automatically assumed its a lost ball?

Were the tree's assumed or marked as OB?
 
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Rockford35

Rockford35

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Got a question on this...from what i have read(unless the tree's are assumed OB) they could find their ball, call it as an unplayable lie and do the whole draw a line thing OR within 2 clubs no closer to the hole...why is it automatically assumed its a lost ball?

Were the tree's assumed or marked as OB?

The trees are marked as red, as a lateral hazard. White stakes is OB. It's the only set of trees on the course marked as such, which is weird in it's own right.

So, you'd take an unplayable and shoot 3 from your drop.

R35
 

eclark53520

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The trees are marked as red, as a lateral hazard. White stakes is OB. It's the only set of trees on the course marked as such, which is weird in it's own right.

So, you'd take an unplayable and shoot 3 from your drop.

R35

Right, i understand that...but what you said(and maybe i misunderstood) that if the amateur players on the tourney hit it in the tree's it was automatic re-tee and hit 3 from the tee....why would that be if the tree's are not marked with white stakes?
 
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Rockford35

Rockford35

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Right, i understand that...but what you said(and maybe i misunderstood) that if the amateur players on the tourney hit it in the tree's it was automatic re-tee and hit 3 from the tee....why would that be if the tree's are not marked with white stakes?

For the tournament, it's play it as it lies there. You could walk in and play it if you found it. If it's lost, it's back to the tee. If you find it, but have no swing, then it's an unplayable.

For the regular joes, it's just a lateral hazard so even if it's lost, you're still only shooting 3 after the drop, stroke plus distance. The tourney guys are shooting 3 off the tee.

R35
 

VtDivot

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However, local rules dictate on the scorecard for general audience that #5 is red staked on the left side.

This is your answer. The stakes don't need to be present if the local rule is there. They must have had separate local rules for the tourney omitting the hole #5 rule.

I'm wondering why there is a local rule anyhow if the area is typically marked with red stakes?
 
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Rockford35

Rockford35

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This is your answer. The stakes don't need to be present if the local rule is there. They must have had separate local rules for the tourney omitting the hole #5 rule.

I'm wondering why there is a local rule anyhow if the area is typically marked with red stakes?

This was the issue. One side debated that the rule was in effect when the stakes were present, the other side was saying that it's "always" a rule, unless it's tournament golf.

It seemed straight forward, but half the guys were on one side of the fence, the other pointing to the stakes making the rule in effect. Of course, the local rules supercedes a peice of red wood stuck in the ground, but it was a hard sell. Even the pro was tossing it around until he agreed that the local rule was law, and the stakes being there or not was moot.

R35
 

VtDivot

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This was the issue. One side debated that the rule was in effect when the stakes were present, the other side was saying that it's "always" a rule, unless it's tournament golf.

It seemed straight forward, but half the guys were on one side of the fence, the other pointing to the stakes making the rule in effect. Of course, the local rules supercedes a peice of red wood stuck in the ground, but it was a hard sell. Even the pro was tossing it around until he agreed that the local rule was law, and the stakes being there or not was moot.

R35

those guys were right
 

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