Can you take a drop (unplayable) on a cement cart path?

[Bulls9999]

Just curious, but after watching Greg Chalmers yesterday on The Golf Channel's Nationwide Tour take a 13 on a par-3 (see below), my son suggested he could have taken unplayables all the way over to more hittable grassy areas, whereas I suggested could he not have dropped on the intervening cement cart path that was cutting through the big grass area (1 ft deep grass...unbelievebly nasty)? I've seen people hit it off cement cart paths before (Vijay in Hawaii last year), but never dropping it onto a cart path to do so.

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Well, just when you think you've seen everything, someone shows up making you scratch your head...

Nationwide Tour, Greg Chalmers (I think I've seen him on the PGA?),

Par 3

Shot:
1. Tee, misses to the hill below the hole...deep rough...like 1 foot deep!!
2. moves it 1 ft
3. moves it another foot
4. unlplayable - stroke
5. moves it 1 foot
6. unplayable-stroke
7. moves it 1 foot
8. over the green into the (shorter) rough
9. chips onto the green
10.
11.
12.
13....heck I must have missed some, because he shot a 13 on a par-3 (with no water around it, lol).

Rules Question - in the vicinity of the rough there was a cart path, could he have dropped it on the cart path and hit off of it? (I've seen several players hit of a cart path in recent years, but not from taking a drop on one).

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

Just curious, but after watching Greg Chalmers yesterday on The Golf Channel's Nationwide Tour take a 13 on a par-3 (see below), my son suggested he could have taken unplayables all the way over to more hittable grassy areas, whereas I suggested could he not have dropped on the intervening cement cart path that was cutting through the big grass area (1 ft deep grass...unbelievebly nasty)? I've seen people hit it off cement cart paths before (Vijay in Hawaii last year), but never dropping it onto a cart path to do so.

-------------------------------------

Well, just when you think you've seen everything, someone shows up making you scratch your head...

Nationwide Tour, Greg Chalmers (I think I've seen him on the PGA?),

Par 3

Shot:
1. Tee, misses to the hill below the hole...deep rough...like 1 foot deep!!
2. moves it 1 ft
3. moves it another foot
4. unlplayable - stroke
5. moves it 1 foot
6. unplayable-stroke
7. moves it 1 foot
8. over the green into the (shorter) rough
9. chips onto the green
10.
11.
12.
13....heck I must have missed some, because he shot a 13 on a par-3 (with no water around it, lol).

Rules Question - in the vicinity of the rough there was a cart path, could he have dropped it on the cart path and hit off of it? (I've seen several players hit of a cart path in recent years, but not from taking a drop on one).

Yes, if he declares it unplayable he can move it as far back as he wishes to keeping the original location of the spot and the hole in front of him. If the cart path was within a clubs length and no closer to the hole he could have chosen that route, also. Either way it would be a one strioke for the unplayable instead of 8 or however many it took to get out of there.

[Leaguegolf]

Originally Posted by coralpro

If the cart path was within a clubs length and no closer to the hole he could have chosen that route, also.

One of the options of declaring a ball unplayable allows you to drop the ball 2 club lengths, no rearer to the hole, from where you deem it to be unplayable.

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by Leaguegolf

One of the options of declaring a ball unplayable allows you to drop the ball 2 club lengths, no rearer to the hole, from where you deem it to be unplayable.

I took it for 1 club no further than two after the drop. You are saying that they can use two clubs to get relief but it can not roll out passed two clubs? I'm definitely not a rules guru so I learn as I go.

[Fourputt]

Yes. One of the options for taking relief from an unplayable lie is to measure 2 clublengths from where the ball lies, and drop within that radius. The problem with dropping on a concrete path is that the ball will usually not stay where you drop it. If comes to rest in a place that is unplayable because if the cart path, you would get relief from the obstruction, but then you have very little choice as to where to drop. You HAVE to locate the nearest point of complete relief from the condition (i.e. the cart path), then drop within one clublength of that point. From the description of the situation (I haven't seen the video), he might have then been right back in the rough, no better off than he was in the first place.

The best scenario would be if he could find a way to make the drop from the unplayable lie so that it rolls down the path more than 2 clublengths from where it hits the path. If it does that on 2 consecutive drops, he would get to place the ball on the path, and hit from there if he chose to do so.