No, you don't get relief from 'that obstruction'

What you need to know:

  • One of the things that we as referees are supposed to do in preparation for such an event is to identify possible trouble spots.
  • At Karen Country Club, we did not need to go very far before we saw an area that could invite a few questions and demands for relief from the players.
  • A player is entitled to relief if such an immovable obstruction interferes with the line of the ball, his/her stance or the area of intended swing.
  • Even if there is a possibility of the ball ricocheting from the obstruction and injuring the player, there can never be relief granted under this rule.

Barclays Kenya Open, the foremost golfing event in Kenya, will be hosted at the Karen Country Club in the next few weeks.

The Kenya Open Golf Limited is on overdrive to ensure that this year’s event will be as spectacular as golf events on the main European Tour.

To this end, a few local referees and I have been invited to join the European Tour referees to ensure that the technical parts of the event run smoothly.

One of the things that we as referees are supposed to do in preparation for such an event is to identify possible trouble spots.

At Karen Country Club, we did not need to go very far before we saw an area that could invite a few questions and demands for relief from the players.

To protect players teeing off on the second tee box from long-hitting golfers teeing off on the first hole, the green keeping staff of Karen erected a barrier.

This barrier initially consisted of poles and a wire mesh. Since the poles and wire mesh are artificial and not marking the bounds of the course they are an immovable obstruction.

'RELIEF' ENTITLEMENT

A player is entitled to relief if such an immovable obstruction interferes with the lie of the ball, his/her stance or the area of intended swing.

They would not however be entitled to relief for the line of play.

Even if there is a possibility of the ball ricocheting from the obstruction and injuring the player, there can never be relief granted under this rule.

Over the years, a live hedge has grown around the poles and wire mesh.

The bushes have almost covered the entire barrier of poles and wire mesh making an even better cover for players on the second tee since they can no longer see what is happening behind.

Should we treat this barrier as an immovable obstruction? The answer is no. Whereas the wire mesh is an obstruction, the bushes are not.

EXCEPTION TO RELIEF RULE

The exception to the rule on relief from immovable obstruction states that if interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction makes the stroke clearly impracticable, a player may not take relief.

In this particular case, if a player’s ball lay next to this barrier and the path of their swing would be impeded by it, the question I would ask if called upon would be how they would play if the wire mesh were not there?

This reminds me of an incident that happened on a golf course some time back.

A golfer’s ball ended up a foot from the base of a mature tree. This golfer had 150 yards to the green.

He obviously would not have a good back-swing from this position.

Alas, there was young tree nearby that was marked by the committee from which the player was entitled to relief.

As is often the case, the player promptly shouted to his marker “Relief from young tree”.

When his hawk-eyed marker denied him a drop, the player was distraught and demanded that I have a look.

This happened to be on the 18th hole and since I was already at the 19th, I did not mind walking to see what the issue was.

My question to the player when I saw the situation was simply how he would have played that shot had the young tree not been there.

To cut a long story short, he did not get relief.

I am informed that a number of golfers at Karen Country Club reckon that they are entitled to relief from the hedge behind the 2nd tee.

I am curious to see if any of the professional golfers will think that they deserve relief from this hedge come the Barclays Kenya Open.