Decisions
13-4/16.5 and 23-1/5.5 and are not so much dodgy as plain risible!
Decision
13-4/16.5 reveals that the Rules 'do not contemplate' the possibility of
mosquitos (or other flying insects) existing in water hazards(!) and provides that an
insect flying in or alighting upon the player may be ‘swotted away’. Presumably
this includes taking the 'physical' action of killing the insect.
Decision
23-1/5.5 provides that a player ‘may take action’ to remove an insect from
his/her ball at rest in a bunker so long as this action is not ‘physical’.
One
could engage in a lengthy discussion around these two Decisions, including
whether ‘waving one’s hand, a club or a towel’ (as permitted by 23-1/5.5) constitutes a 'physical' activity
or whether only 'mental' activity is permitted to encourage the insect to move and, indeed, what sort of game it is that
requires that Decisions like these need to be made, and published.
It
is not the Decisions themselves, however, which are the main point of interest;
it is the attention they focus onto the sheer absurdity of differentiating
between loose impediments in and out of hazards. As argued on the ‘Loose
Impediments’ page there is absolutely no rational reason why a loose impediment
inside a hazard should be treated differently from the same loose impediment
outside of a hazard.
For
instance, without the effect of the Decisions quoted above, a bee landing on a
player in a hazard has a significantly different status from the same bee
landing on a fellow-competitor whose ball is on the fairway. Similarly, relief
can be obtained from a pine cone on the ground in a pine forest (where pine cones
live) yet cannot be obtained from a pine cone in a fairway bunker (where they
do not live). These distinctions are ludicrous and serve no meaningful purpose
within the game of Golf.
The
Rules should be modified as follows:
1.
Rule
23 to become:
Rule
23 Loose Impediments
23-1.
Relief
A
loose impediment may be removed without penalty. However, if the ball lies anywhere
other than on the putting green and the removal of a loose impediment by the
player causes the ball to move, Rule 18-2a applies.
On
the putting green, if the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved in the
process of the player removing a loose impediment, the ball or ball-marker must
be replaced. There is no penalty provided the movement of the ball or
ball-marker is directly attributable to the removal of the loose impediment.
Otherwise, if the player causes the ball to move, he incurs a penalty of one
stroke under Rule 18-2a.
When
a ball is in motion, a loose impediment that might influence the movement of
the ball must not be removed.
2.
Rule
12-1b to become:
Rule
12 Searching for and Identifying Ball
12-1.
Seeing Ball; Searching for Ball
A
player is not necessarily entitled to see his ball when making a stroke.
In
searching for his ball anywhere on the course, the player may touch or bend
long grass, rushes, bushes, whins, heather or the like, but only to the extent
necessary to find or identify the ball, provided that this does not improve the
lie of the ball, the area of his intended stance or swing or his line of play;
if the ball is moved, Rule 18-2a applies except as provided in clauses a - d of
this Rule.
In
addition to the methods of searching for and identifying a ball that are
otherwise permitted by the Rules, the player may also search for and identify a
ball under Rule 12-1 as follows:
.
.
b.
Searching for or Identifying Ball Covered by Loose Impediments
If
the player’s ball at rest anywhere on the course is believed to be covered by loose impediments to the extent
that he cannot find or identify it, he may, without penalty, touch or move
loose impediments in order to find or identify the ball. If the
ball is moved during the touching or moving of loose impediments while
searching for or identifying the ball, there is no penalty; the ball must be replaced and the lie re-created to reflect its state prior to the ball moving.
3.
Rule
13-4c. to be deleted.
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