There
are, as we know, several circumstances in which a player may need to take
action to identify his/her ball. However, let’s consider a just a couple.
1.
A
player’s ball comes to rest covered by loose impediments through-the-green and
s/he is unable to identify it. What can the player do?
a) S/he
may attempt to move all of the loose impediments (Rule 23-1), or as many as is
necessary to identify the ball, at the player’s choice. If the ball does not
move it is played as it lies. If the ball moves during this process the player
is penalised one stroke and the ball must be replaced (Rule 18-2a) but the lie
does not need to be re-created, even to the condition which applied immediately
prior to the ball moving.
Or/and
b) S/he
may invoke Rule 12-2 which, it should be noted, is not
about identifying the ball, per se,
but lifting it for the purpose of
identification. In this case, before lifting the ball, the player must
announce his/her intention to the opponent in match play or marker or a
fellow-competitor in stroke play and mark the position of the ball. S/he may
then lift the ball and identify it, provided that s/he gives the opponent,
marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to observe the lifting and
replacement.
If the lie is altered during this identification process (which
it undoubtedly must be) the ball must be placed in ‘the
nearest lie most similar to the original lie which is not more than one
club-length from the original lie’ (Rule 20-3b). This seems like a
long-shot. What if such a lie cannot be found?
2.
A
player’s ball comes to rest covered by loose impediments in a hazard and s/he
is unable to identify it. What can the player do?
a) In
accordance with Rule 12-1b, s/he may touch or move loose impediments in order to find or identify the ball. If the
ball moves as a result the player is penalised one stroke and the ball must be
replaced (Rule 18-2a). If the ball is found or identified as his/hers, the
player must replace the loose impediments: If the ball was entirely covered by
loose impediments, the player
must re-cover the ball but is permitted to leave a small part of the ball
visible. If the ball is moved during the replacement of the loose impediments, there is no
penalty and the ball must be replaced.
b) In
addition to the process described in 2.a) the player may invoke Rule 12-2. Just
what this means is very difficult to ascertain given that the application of
Rule 12-2 is in addition to but not in
place of Rule 12-1b. As stated above, Rule 12-2 is
not about identifying the ball, per se,
but lifting it for the purpose of
identification. What this does clearly signify, however, is that if Rule
12-1b is invoked there is no requirement on the player to advise the marker, a fellow-competitor
or an opponent or for such a person to observe the process of identification.
If the ball is in a water hazard, and Rule 12-2 is
invoked, and the lie is altered during the lifting process (as it surely must
be) then the ball must be replaced in the water hazard in the nearest lie most
similar to the original lie that is not more than one club-length from the
original lie and not nearer to the hole. If you can find one!
Yet if the ball is in a bunker, and the lie is similarly
altered during lifting then the lie must be re-created and the ball placed in
that lie.
If
the Castle Dwellers believe that the
average punter would:
a)
contemplate
for one moment that the matter of identification could be so complex;
b)
have
any interest in investigating the vicissitudes of these various situations; or
c)
be
able to navigate his/her way through this maze of regulations.
then
they have a very tenuous grasp on reality.
It’s
time for The Castle to clean-up this
mess and put in place a simple, rational and consistent set of provisions to
cover all identification situations.
And
the principles upon which identifying a ball covered in loose impediments
should be premised, should be as follows:
1. The
game is based on playing the ‘right’ ball, and having the ‘right’ to reasonably
identify the ball prior to playing it. Thus, the player must have every
opportunity to ensure that the ball about to be played is his/hers and not be
constricted by arcane provisions which maximise the chance that this will not
be able to be done with ease and/or confidence.
2.
Anywhere
on the course, a player should be entitled, with the agreement and under
observation of marker, fellow-competitor or opponent, to remove such loose
impediments as is necessary to identify his/her ball.
3.
If
the ball is moved during this process there should be no penalty, and it must
be replaced, also without penalty.
4. The
lie should be restored to a state similar to that which pertained immediately
to the ball moving.
5. Once
identified, if the removal of further loose impediments causes the ball to move
then Rule 18-2a would apply.
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