USGA Rules: Relief from Lateral Hazards & Abnormal Ground Conditions

Question
ball is found in burrowing animal hole inside a lateral hazard.  free drop?

Answer
HI Phil;

Nope, but nice try at getting the rules to work for you.

Under the USGA Rules of Golf it says and I quote...

"Rule 25-1b  Abnormal Ground Conditions

Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an abnormal ground condition as follows:

b. Relief

Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an abnormal ground condition as follows:

The USGA Rules and Decisions Book also says this:

25-1b/26 Player Unaware Ball in Water Hazard Takes Relief from Interference by Burrowing Animal Hole.

Q. A player, unaware that his ball is in a dry water hazard, lifts and drops the ball under Rule 25-1b(i)  believing he is entitled to relief from a hole made by a burrowing animal. After dropping the ball in the hazard, he discovers his mistake. What is the ruling?

A.  As the player's ball lay in a water hazard, he was not entitled to relief without penalty from a hole made by a burrowing animal ?see first paragraph of Rule 25-1b. However, as his ball lay in a water hazard, he is not precluded from taking relief under Rule 26.

Hope this helps

For future Reference, you may always go to http://www.USGA.org for rules and decisions on the game of golf.

Happy Golfing and have a great day
Robb Nunn, PGA Professional

For more information on how to contact me, you can find me at http://www.robbnunn.com