Ball Lodged In Tree
hris Wallace, R&A Rules manager, explains your options should your ball ever get stuck up a tree. Justin Rose was a recipient of some less than good fortune during the second round of the recent Honda Classic at PGA National when, following a slightly errant tee shot, his ball got stuck in the trunk of a palm tree. Easily able to identify his ball from the markings which he had added before teeing off, Rose was then faced with the tricky decision of how best to proceed from there. So, what are a player’s options when their ball is in a tree or a bush above the ground?
Well, as tricky a shot as it may be, the player always has the option to play the ball as it lies. Sergio Garcia climbing up into a tree during the final round of the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is a prime example. However, it may not always be the player’s best option, as Garcia demonstrated by injuring
Chimself in the process and having to withdraw two holes later. Looking at the other options available, if the player has identified their ball, they are entitled to take unplayable ball relief under Rule 19, which, for one penalty stroke, allows the player three options.
Firstly, a player can take stroke-and-distance relief by going back to the spot where they last played and dropping a ball within one club-length of that point, no nearer the hole. If they are returning to the tee, they can play a ball from anywhere within the teeing area. Secondly, the player may take back-on-the-line relief by dropping a ball in a relief area – which is, again, one clublength no closer to the hole – at a point on the course which is on a direct line going straight back from the hole through the spot of the original ball.
The final option is to choose lateral relief. Usually, this would involve dropping a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the original ball lay. However, doing this when your ball is 20 feet off the ground in a tree might not be the easiest thing to do, so the Rules make an exception for this situation.
When a player’s ball lies above the ground, the player can take lateral relief by using the point on the ground directly below their ball as their reference point. The player would then be entitled to drop the ball within two club-lengths of that point, no closer to the hole. It’s also worth remembering that when taking relief in this situation, the Rules allow a player to substitute a ball, so there’s no need to go climbing to retrieve the original.