Most abused relief situations among golfers

I was recently informed of a group of seasoned Nairobi golfers who constantly play together and usually have a bet going.

There is nothing sinister about that. Except that this group of golfers have their own set of “local rules” when it comes to relief (free drop).

They have taken the statement “Play the ball as it lies. Play the course as you find it” to a whole new level. For them, it does not matter what the local rules say, if you are playing with them, you will not get relief unless it is absolutely impossible to play the ball as it lies due to an immovable obstruction only.

At first I thought how bizarre it was for these golfers to deny each other relief where they are entitled. Then I remembered how several golfers abuse relief situations and the times I have been called upon to make a ruling in situations where a golfer was denied relief, and I thought, “good for them”.

They are severe, but we have many undeserved relief situations going on the golf course.

Tyre/Tractor mark. This must be the most abused local rule in Kenya today. There is no Rule of Golf that grants a golfer relief for the ball lying in an indentation made by tractors or equipment used in course maintenance no matter how deep it is.

Relief from these has to be given through a local rule or a referee where one is appointed. I also don’t think that clubs should issue local rules throughout the year allowing for relief for tractor marks. If there are a few bad patches where the damage warrants relief, the committees should have them marked as ground under repair. Surely not all indentations made by course maintenance equipment deserve relief.

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

There is this misconception among many golfers that they deserve a good lie when playing a round of golf. You will not be foul of the rules if you play the ball as it lies and the course as you find it. In some cases, the local rules will give an unfair advantage to those that don’t deserve it.

Anthills. It is not uncommon to hear a golfer who hits an errant shot shouting from the trees that he deserves relief from an anthill. The ball could be lying on a small mound, which may not necessarily have been made by termite, but some golfers will see this as a “get out of jail free” card for a better lie from a shank or a hook.

Granted, a golfer is allowed relief for interference of the lie of the ball, swing or stance by a hole or mound made by a burrowing animal. However, the Rules of Golf state that insects are not burrowing animals. We have had discussions with a geneticist friend who tells me that insects are animals as they belong to the Animal Kingdom. Unfortunately, the exception in the definition disallows golfers from claiming relief from anthills unless there is a local rule to that effect.

Even on golf courses with anthills, the committees should not be fast to give a blanket relief. They could probably give relief for termite mounds that are conical and hard.

There are many local rules in different clubs that need streamlining in order to reduce ambiguity and probably also inspire confidence of all golfers. Some clubs have been known to introduce faulty local rules probably to appease some golf captains, committee members or cantankerous golfers.

The Kenya Unified Handicapping Committee will be proposing the standardisation of local rules across all the golf clubs in Kenya to help with this problem.

In your experience, what do you reckon is the most unusual local rule that you have encountered?