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To scare waterfowl away from the lake shores, our course uses fake birds on slender poles attached by string and wire that can “fly” with the breeze—soaring, dipping, turning, and so on. A few of these fake birds can be in the line of play from a tee box or near a green. What happens if a shot hits one of these “birds”? It is possible to take the pole out of the ground, play the shot, and replace the pole before hitting, though this can slow the pace of play quite a bit. Movable obstruction? Immovable? Help! —Bill Spahn, via email
You’re trying to sneak in a multipart question, Bill! We’re almost rooting for the waterfowl at this point.
As to the first question, if you play near one of those “birds” and hit one, you’ll have to play the ball as it lies — no different than bouncing off a moving cart or a stationary pole, per Rule 11.1.
As far as being able to remove them, that depends on how they’ve been installed and, potentially, if the course has decided to treat them as immovable (versus, say, temporary immovable obstructions).
With no specific Rules in effect, if the “birds” can be moved with reasonable effort and without causing damage to the course or “bird,” then you can move them. If not, they’re immovable obstructions and must not be moved if doing so improves your situation (in particular here, line of play).
Check out Rule 8.1, 15.2 and Definition of Movable Obstruction. If the course has decided to treat the “birds” as temporary immovable obstructions, line of sight relief would be allowed, though this doesn’t apply if the “birds” are permanently installed — see Model Local Rule F-23.
Rules Guy is now going to fly off for a well-deserved nap.
For more obstruction-related guidance from our guru, read on …
My ball lies in a red penalty area. It’s playable, but there’s a fence between the ball and the green. The fence is out of bounds, my ball is not. Do I get relief from an immovable obstruction? If so, must I drop within the penalty area, or just within two club-lengths of the closest point of relief? —Gary Ahlstrom, Charlotte, NC
First things first, Gary: No, you do not get free relief from an immovable obstruction if your ball is in a penalty area, per Rule 17.3.
Further, since the fence is out of bounds, even if the ball wasn’t in a penalty area, you still wouldn’t get free relief from it. Alas, this renders your follow-up question moot, although it never hurts to ask!
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The post Rules Guy: Do I get free relief if my ball hits a fake bird? appeared first on Golf.
