Wasn’t this Bryan bros and didn’t he say he should have taken the drop but he wasn’t paying attention?
Dakota said:
Wasn’t this Bryan bros and didn’t he say he should have taken the drop but he wasn’t paying attention?
I mean his relief would have been even closer to the OB fence, so not sure a drop would help him.
@Sam
No, it wouldn’t? You’re required to take full relief if you choose to take relief. They’d have had to find the nearest point of being able to take full relief, which could have been like 30 yards away. But moving towards the fence wouldn’t grant full relief.
Dakota said:
Wasn’t this Bryan bros and didn’t he say he should have taken the drop but he wasn’t paying attention?
Correct, he realized it shortly after. It was a funny hole full of mistakes, and I think Wes was caught up in the hilarity and just forgot to take his drop.
Aw man, foot wedge that baby into the grass.
With a hindered backswing, you say the only way to play it is left-handed, where you definitely get a drop. Then you take a drop and play right-handed. This is correct. I watched this happen twice on the same hole in a professional tournament with a rules official present.
@Oakley
OB boundary (the fence) does not entitle you to relief. He could take relief from the path, which would get him to the other side.
@Darwin
Not sure why you have downvotes… this is correct.
Welcome to r/golf, no surprise!
@Darwin
Nah, u/GolfNutOM is correct. There’s a specific rule for free relief depending on handedness, which comes into play here.
The ball is in play. A left-handed player would get relief from standing on the path. They would go to the nearest point of complete relief, not closer to the hole, which CAN be on the other side of the path if there is nowhere on the left side of the path within two club lengths that would allow them to swing without their feet on the path.
Wes would get relief from the path by saying he would have to take the shot left-handed to make a full swing. As his feet (on a left-handed swing) are on the path, anywhere within two club lengths of that lie, it gets moved laterally across the path and dropped within two club lengths. He can then line up right-handed and get a drop for relief from the path AGAIN. This has happened a few times on tour, mostly with lefties getting relief from things other players haven’t taken relief from.
Wilder said:
@Oakley
OB boundary (the fence) does not entitle you to relief. He could take relief from the path, which would get him to the other side.
What I said is not taking relief from a boundary fence.
@Oakley
Got it, and fair point you can do that if it is a reasonable shot left-handed. I don’t think OP needs to do that in this case, as he’s on the path with a regular stance.
Wilder said:
@Oakley
Got it, and fair point you can do that if it is a reasonable shot left-handed. I don’t think OP needs to do that in this case, as he’s on the path with a regular stance.
Yeah, I was pretty much shocked when I watched this happen. Dude had made the cut in a major this year, so he knows his stuff. Plus, with the rules official ok’ing it we knew it was legit.
@Oakley
I took advantage of this rule in a tournament a few weeks ago. Made par.
It looks like he’s entitled to a drop. But there is nowhere to drop.
Kelby said:
The boundary fence doesn’t preclude you from taking relief from the path. Can’t say where the relief area is from this picture. If he could squeeze his feet in, it could even be closer to the fence.
A lefty would get a drop on the other side of the path, so he could’ve done that legally.
Yes, he’s entitled to a drop. But he’d almost certainly have to stay on that side of the gutter. Would have to know the surrounding area to know if a drop would be better or worse than just playing it.
@Vance
Nope, he wouldn’t have to stay on that side. He can say that if he were to hit it left-handed for an unimpeded backswing, his feet would be on the path. Per the rules, he gets two club lengths from that lie on the left of the path to drop. As there’s no place within that distance where a left-handed golfer wouldn’t be standing on that path, he’d be entitled to move it laterally across the path and drop there. This is actually in the official PGA rulebook. You’re allowed to use handedness as an advantage for taking relief.
Boundary fence doesn’t matter for relief. So most likely he would have to drop directly against the fence.