What Should I Have Done?

[Diane]

I was on the 4th hole tonight and my drive hit a stake and came flying straight back at me landing on the cart path, which was man made - I would have damaged my club hitting off of it. On one side of the cart path was a steep hill leading up to the tee box. On the other side was brush leading down to water. I opted to tee off again taking a one stroke penalty. I have a feeling that wasn't the right thing to do, but dropping on either side of the cart path felt like I would be dropping into an unplayable lie. What was the correct thing to do?

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by Diane

I was on the 4th hole tonight and my drive hit a stake and came flying straight back at me landing on the cart path, which was man made - I would have damaged my club hitting off of it. On one side of the cart path was a steep hill leading up to the tee box. On the other side was brush leading down to water. I opted to tee off again taking a one stroke penalty. I have a feeling that wasn't the right thing to do, but dropping on either side of the cart path felt like I would be dropping into an unplayable lie. What was the correct thing to do?

You could have dropped off the path without penalty but had to live with the result. If that was not acceptable, you can always take stroke and distance and play it over. (Basically declaring an unplayable lie.) What you did was acceptable under the rules.

[Bulls9999]

And, correct me if I'm wrong, dropping off the cart path would require 'nearest point of relief'.....which may differ if you are right-handed vs left-handed. I have seen people who's ball is resting on the left side of a 4-5 foot wide cart path against the grass on the left edge, pick up and drop off the right side of the cart path because if gives them a better shot (bushes, trees, etc, in the way on the left side). I believe it's stance with club in hand and 1-club length from there....and then again, I see people just drop at the end of their stance without seemingly recognizing they can go another club length past.

Originally Posted by atticusfinch

You could have dropped off the path without penalty but had to live with the result. If that was not acceptable, you can always take stroke and distance and play it over. (Basically declaring an unplayable lie.) What you did was acceptable under the rules.

[JungleJ]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

And, correct me if I'm wrong, dropping off the cart path would require 'nearest point of relief'.....which may differ if you are right-handed vs left-handed. I have seen people who's ball is resting on the left side of a 4-5 foot wide cart path against the grass on the left edge, pick up and drop off the right side of the cart path because if gives them a better shot (bushes, trees, etc, in the way on the left side). I believe it's stance with club in hand and 1-club length from there....and then again, I see people just drop at the end of their stance without seemingly recognizing they can go another club length past.

The nearest point of relief is just that, the nearest spot that gives relief from the condition requiring it, in this case the cart path. I suspect the biggest mistake people make is confusing "nearby" with "nearest". No doubt AF or Fourputt can provide definitive guidance on locating your NPR and how to proceed once that has been done.

[Fileygolfer]

Firstly, what does the Card say.
Some courses have artifically surfaced paths as "Integral Parts of the Course" so no free relief.
Others have Dropping Zones when a path runs through brush, gorse etc.

If it was a Free Drop from where you were and you didn't think you could get relief you can declare the ball "Unplayable" and proceed as you did.

[Bulls9999]

That's what I once thought....but I believe, if you look it up, that 'the nearest point of relief' can change depending on if you are right handed vs. left handed. For instance, the ball is sitting 1 yrd from the left edge of a 3 yrd wide cart path (2 yrds in from the right edge of the path). For a right hander, proper stance to the left would probably move the ball 1 yrd + change, proper stance to the right of the path would require moving the ball 2 yrds just to get it on the edge but the player would still be standing on the path....so probably around 3 yrd to the right.....in that case, nearest point of relief is the left of the path. For a lefty, it could change that scenario to where the left's nearest point is on the other side of the path.

Determining the Nearest Point of Relief

Originally Posted by JungleJ

The nearest point of relief is just that, the nearest spot that gives relief from the condition requiring it, in this case the cart path. I suspect the biggest mistake people make is confusing "nearby" with "nearest". No doubt AF or Fourputt can provide definitive guidance on locating your NPR and how to proceed once that has been done.

[Leaguegolf]

That's when I reach into my cart-partner's bag, pull his iron, and spark it off the cartpath.

[Bulls9999]

I've seen quite a few people do this on the PGA on TV.

Vijay Singh when he won in Hawaii last year or year before....not sure Mercedes or Sony?... he hit it right off the cement cart path.

Also, did Charles III do it at Riviera when he took it away from Phil last year....during the play off stretch?

Originally Posted by Leaguegolf

That's when I reach into my cart-partner's bag, pull his iron, and spark it off the cartpath.

[Leaguegolf]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

I've seen quite a few people do this on the PGA on TV.

Vijay Singh when he won in Hawaii last year or year before....not sure Mercedes or Sony?... he hit it right off the cement cart path.

Also, did Charles III do it at Riviera when he took it away from Phil last year....during the play off stretch?

Those guys rarely worry about club repair. Now that I mentioned it.......I rarely worry about my cart partner's club repair either.

[GolfSavage]

Originally Posted by Leaguegolf

Those guys rarely worry about club repair. Now that I mentioned it.......I rarely worry about my cart partner's club repair either.

They also don't usually hit a stake with their tee shot and have it end up next to them on the cart path!

[Diane]

Originally Posted by GolfSavage

They also don't usually hit a stake with their tee shot and have it end up next to them on the cart path!

That's true - not everyone can be that lucky.

[Texas Wedge]

As previously mentioned by others...see rule 28.

Rule 28 -- Ball Unplayable

* If your ball is under a tree or in some other bad situation and you decide you cannot play it, add a penalty stroke and do one of the following:

1. Go back to where you played the last shot and play a ball from there

2. Measure two club-lengths from the unplayable lie, drop a ball and play from there

3. Keep the unplayable lie between where you drop the ball and the hole, go back as far as you wish on a straight line and drop and play the ball.

Your best bet was probably to do what you did.

[Diane]

I have what may be a silly question - was it ok for me to tee it up again?

[atticusfinch]

Originally Posted by Diane

I have what may be a silly question - was it ok for me to tee it up again?

Anytime the rules allow or require you to play from the spot where the last stroke was played, and that spot is in the teeing ground, you have all the options available on the teeing ground as you had when starting the hole.

Ans. to your question: ?