Phil and Slugger, and the new Relief Area; R14.3
Foremost (F) was thrilled when Phil (PM) summoned Slugger White (SW) to explain his “Relief Area” and options after he splashed his ball into a Penalty Area during the closing holes of the Desert Classic. F took careful notes, and reports this conversation to the best of his ability:
PM: Sorry, I just don’t know the Rules.
SW:That’s okay, that’s what I’m here for.
(F: that’s what I’m here for, too).
SW: Where’s your “Relief Area”?
PM: This was my point of entry (pointing at a marked spot on the red line). I took my biggest club , my driver, and measured two club-lengths. Do I get another club?
(F: PM is on top of this, so far, taking two-club lateral relief from a Red Penalty Area (R17.1d(3)), although the new language for point of entry is “reference point”).
SW: No.
PM: Only inside not outside?
SW:Yes.
PM: I can’t go forward?
SW: No.
PM: So I have a club-length all around?
SW: You have two club-lengths.
PM: It extends out? It goes a club-length back?
SW: It goes back two club-lengths, all the way around.
PM (confused and now shaking his head): You need to explain that to me.
Now they speak simultaneously:
SW: like a semi-circle…
PM: like a square…
Both nod their heads at this meeting of the minds.
PM (now preparing to drop): May I still move stuff?
SW (initially nodding head in agreement) balks as PM continues
PM: Sand? (SW nods a “no” to this request, but points at something)
(F: Sand, by definition, is not a loose impediment; but note, sand may be removed on the putting green only, R13.1(c)(1))
SW (pointing now at something else): But you can move that.
PM, now that he has identified his Relief Area and removed Loose Impediments prior to his drop, extends his arm at shoulder height to drop
SW: Whoa!
PM (catching himself) quickly executes a perfect drop from crotch height.
SW: (watches in silence, then walks off)
Announcer: Old habits are hard to break
Announcer (explaining further) : now drop must be from “near knee height”
(F: the announcer saw the same drop as his viewers!)
(F: actually, R14.3b(2) states the drop must be from “knee height”, not “near’ knee height. Illustrations in the Rules indicate that “knee height” is not merely a suggestion, particularly when the term is further defined as the height of the player’s knee when standing).
F finds that the crotch-high drop didn’t comply with the new Rule, although it apparently satisfied SW. And, of course, it really didn’t matter as PM could have dropped again under the Eraser Rule (R14.5) had SW found issue with the height.
New Rules 2019…here we go! Gotta love this episode and love Phil! One of the best players in the world and just now figuring out how to drop from a Lateral Water Hazard… I mean Penalty Area…I mean, Red Penalty Area.
As usual, all comments or corrections are welcome!
Respectfully submitted,
F
4 thoughts on “Phil and Slugger, and the new Relief Area; R14.3”
SW vs. F??? Come on. Who would you choose???
Great edition, Tate!
It looked like Phil took a generous two club-lengths- he dragged his driver about a foot between his first club-length and his second. If you saw that, was it okay?
Trav
Travis,
No, I missed the measurement…too engrossed in rest of the exchange! The Referee’s say on facts and interpretation of the Rules is binding, so if if SW accepted the two-club measurement and the knee-height drop, that ends the discussion. R20.2a.
In our game (with no Referee), playing a ball dropped from outside the RA (if facts merit) incurs the GP….LOH in match play, and 2 strokes in stroke play. R14.3b(3).
I understand a referee or fact finder will often begin the inquiry by asking the player where his “reference point” was …then the RA can be measured.
Great comment! Thx, F
Thanks, Tate. Phil actually measured the two club lengths, with the extra foot, and marked the entry and relief with tees. It wasn’t until after this that the ref was called over, so he never saw the actual measurement. If I remember right, the ref did ask the point of entry, but did not question the measurement. It was done purposefully, in my opinion, rather than sloppily. Reminds me of Lex Thompson’s marking of her ball a couple of years ago. She essentially moved her ball an inch or so, all in one continuous action- could only have been done intentionally. Gamesmanship (cheating), maybe? Phil was saved by the elimination of the “call-in” ref!
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