“I heard the ripple washing in the reeds,
And the wild water lapping on the crag” *

Facts

The competition was three-ball match play at BMCC. On the daunting Par 3 hole #6 Foremost tugged his 7-iron shot ever so slightly. The ball soared, curved, struck the bank and bounced into Richland Creek.

It was a swing F wished he had back the moment contact was made. He quickly recoiled his swing rather than pose in a follow through. Upon recoil, the club slipped completely out of his grip and soared in a high arc over F’s back right shoulder, splashing 11-15 feet into Richland Creek. F listened to the splash…

F’s opponents on Hole #6 were in shock, as was F, as the club had not been thrown in anger; rather, it had clearly just slipped out of F’s grip. Fortunately, some bubbles surfaced where the club came to rest, with the grip handle just submerged under the surface. Unlike in legend, no arm raised from the bosom of the lake to return the weapon. F then looked at Caddies E and V for some assistance…. none was forthcoming… It was 47 degrees, and a retrieval would have involved wading 12 feet into cold ,muddy water. F decided he didn’t want to go in after it either.

Players and Readers MJ, BS, and PH watched the splash from the 4th green and offered a few cat-calls. They assumed they had witnessed a F breakdown, an assumption that could not have been farther from the truth. But, they were kind enough to later document the club resting in its watery grave beside the 6th hole tee-box.

F gamely fought on without his 7-iron. He contemplated replacing it at the turn. The club had not been damaged or lost in anger…conduct which would have precluded any relief. (Most experienced players would have to agree with this factual conclusion….no one intentionally throws a club backwards!)

Issue

Could F replace his 7-iron at the turn?

Ruling

Under R4-3a(iii) a player may replace a club “unfit for play” if it is damaged during the “normal course of play.” F had no trouble concluding that his misfortune occurred in the normal course of play in that this action was more akin to”accidentally dropping a club” than it was to the action of “throwing a club … in anger.” (See examples, Dec 4-3/1). The problem with this analysis, however, (although the shaft may have been filled with water) is that there could not be a finding of “damage” as the club was not in hand and available for inspection.

F would have to look elsewhere for relief.

Dec 4-3/10 considers whether a player who simply loses a putter during a round may replace it during the round. (This circumstance is not as rare as it may sound as F has observed players leave their putter at the 91/2 hole at the turn, or even place it in the wrong bag, in the wrong cart, at the turn… F did that once). Nevertheless, the Dec states a club “lost” is not a club “unfit for play.”

F would note, however, a critical factual distinction in the present case and the above-referenced decision in that F’s 7-iron was not lost. F knew exactly where it was!

Nevertheless, F finds that the option to replace a club under Rule4 requires a finding that the club be “unfit to play” and the inaccessibility of the club, for whatever reason, does not present the opportunity to prove this standard.

As usual, all comments or corrections are welcome!

Respectfully submitted,
F

* “Morte d’Arthur”, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Sir Bedivere telling Arthur what it sounded like when he threw Excalibur in the lake…yep.