Rog’s Blog: Dodgy Decisions #6

 

In DD#4 we examined an example of a ridiculously punitive dodgy decision. Now, in the interests of balance, we should consider a case of ridiculous generosity.

Consider the following:

A player tees his ball a little behind the markers. He plays a stroke at the ball, just touches it and moves it a metre. The ball comes to rest within the defined teeing ground for the hole.

Because there is a small earth mound behind his ball, the player presses it down with his foot and then plays his second shot.

 

We know two important things:

1.      The ball is in play after the tee shot, and

 

2.      The player has improved the lie of his ball in play.

 

On the face of it, one would assume that the player has incurred a ‘loss of hole/two stroke penalty’ pursuant to Rule 13-2.

But we find that Decision 13-2/2 states:

 

Player Who Misses Tee Shot Presses Down Irregularities Before Next Stroke

Q. In playing a tee shot A misses the ball. Before playing his next stroke, A presses down turf behind the ball. Is this permissible, since the ball is in play?

A. Yes. Rule 13-2 permits eliminating irregularities of surface on the teeing ground, whether or not the ball is in play.

  

The Definition of the teeing ground states that the teeing ground is the starting place for the hole to be played.

Consequently, I would argue that logic dictates that once the hole has been started, the designated area in question is no longer the teeing ground but reverts to ‘through the green’ status along with all other teeing grounds.

A teeing ground, surely, can only be a teeing ground for the purpose of playing the tee shot!

 

The application of the principle contained in the Decision that the teeing ground on a hole technically remains a ‘teeing ground’ until the hole is completed could become absurd.

For example, the player ‘duffs’ his tee shot just outside of the teeing ground and then plays his second shot into a tree causing the ball to rebound into the teeing ground.

 

He is then, according to the Decision, entitled to improve the lie of his ball by ‘creating or eliminating an irregularity in the surface’.

 

This is definitely dodgy.