Nearest Point of Complete Relief
Probably one of the most common rules scenarios which arises while playing a round is taking relief from abnormal course conditions, such as areas of ground under repair or immovable obstructions like cart paths, says Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A.
While it is often very clear where a player’s nearest point of complete relief will be in these situations, some misconceptions still exist about what free relief the Rules provide, especially when the difference between getting a very good lie and a practically unplayable lie can come down to a matter of inches.
It is important to note that a player isn’t required to take relief from a cart path and that they will always have the option to play the ball as it lies. This can be especially important to remember if the free relief area provided by the Rules is in an area of the course which may potentially be unplayable. It also serves as a good reminder to assess where you may be dropping the ball before picking it up to take your free drop. If you pick up your ball in play to take relief and then find you don’t actually want to drop it in the relief area the Rules have provided, it will cost you a stroke to replace your ball back to its original position as you would have deliberately moved your ball in play (Rule 9.4).
In determining the nearest point of complete relief, the player should use the club with which they would expect to play their next stroke if the obstruction weren’t there, simulating the address position and intended stance. The nearest point of relief is then the point nearest to where the ball lies that is not nearer the hole where there would no longer be any interference to their simulated stance and area of intended swing from the cart path.
It’s important to remember that you don’t get to choose the nicest point of relief and one of the most common mistakes happens when players drop on the fairway side of a cart path, when actually their nearest point is on the other (usually less appealing) side. There is only ever going to be one nearest point of complete relief, and that point isn’t always going to provide the nicest relief area!
Taking the wrong relief can lead to players playing from a wrong place, which usually results in the general penalty of two strokes, but can, in some situations, result in a disqualification if the player gains a significant advantage (Rule 14.7).