Movable Obstruction – Marshal’s Drinks Bag
Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, highlights an interesting Rules scenario from the opening round of the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open, when Callum Shinkwin’s drive on the 18th found its way into a particularly unusual lie.
Shinkwin’s ball landed in the rough before bouncing into, and coming to rest in, a bag full of drinks cans belonging to one of the volunteer marshals. Under the Rules, any artificial objects on the golf course that can be moved with reasonable effort and without damaging the obstruction or the course (except for integral objects and boundary objects) are considered movable obstructions, and the paper bag stocked full of drinks clearly fell into this category.
As a result, it was clear that he was entitled to take free relief. However, as there is a distinct and crucial difference between taking relief for a ball ‘in or on’ an immovable obstruction and situations where a player would simply remove the obstruction, Shinkwin called in one of the tour’s Rules officials for assistance.
The difference in relief procedures proved to be a significant one in terms of where Shinkwin was able to play his next stroke from. When a movable obstruction is interfering with the conditions affecting the stroke or even simply distracting a player anywhere on or off the course, a player may remove it without penalty. In these situations, if a player’s ball moves while he or she is removing the movable obstruction, there is no penalty and the ball is simply replaced back on its original spot.
When the ball is either in or on a movable obstruction, i.e. no part of the ball touches any part of the course, the relief procedure changes. Under Rule 15.2a, when a ball Is in or on a movable obstruction anywhere on the course (except on a putting green), a player is entitled to take free relief by lifting the ball, removing the movable obstruction and dropping the original ball or another ball within one club-length of the spot on the course right under where the ball had originally come to rest on or in the obstruction.
Being able to mark the spot directly under where his ball was in the bag and take a full club-length from that point allowed Shinkwin to get clear of the tree. He took full advantage, going on to make birdie and claim his maiden victory on the European Tour 54 holes later.