Golf ball up against fence - what is the golf rule in this scenario?
Golf Rule question of the week - three possible answers, but which one is true?
If you were out playing golf at the weekend, chances are you stumbled across a ruling somewhere in your group. We received this one in our inbox on Monday morning, involving a golf ball up against a boundary fence.
We caught up with PGA Rules Panel member Ashley Weller, who offered us three answers to the following rules question that he faced during a recent tournament...
Question:
A player's ball lies in bounds but against a boundary fence.
He decides to go round to the out of bounds side of the fence, strikes the fence with his club which makes the ball move a few feet into the course from where he plays onto the green.
Which of the following is true? (extra points if you can identify the correct interpretation for the answer)
A) The stroke counts and there is no penalty
B). The player incurs a 2 stroke penalty for not making a correct stroke at the ball.
C) The ball must be replaced and the player must make a correct stroke at the ball or proceed under the unplayable ball rule. If he does not do this before teeing off at the next hole he is disqualified.
Scroll down the page to see if you were right...
Answer: A
Interpretation 10.1 a/3 - Other Material May Intervene Between Ball and Clubhead During Stroke
In fairly striking a ball, it is not necessary for the clubhead to make contact with the ball. Sometimes other material may intervene.
An example of fairly striking a ball includes when a ball is lying against the base of a fence defining out of bounds and the player makes a stroke at the out-of-bounds side of the fence to make the ball move.
