Out of bounds stakes

[scrollerpete]

Was playing in club championship last Sunday and one player's ball was very close to the white stake, he ask if he could remove the stake and we said no, his ball was in bound but in tall grass ( too much rain and too much trim to do on the course), he proceed to punch the ball out, in his first attempt he broke the stake in half, his second attempt he did punch the ball out. When he added his score he did add a stroke for the stake and another to punch the ball out.
Now since golf rules are so idiotic sometimes, is there a rule that will apply here, like consider improving his lie after he broke the stake?

[jvincent]

There is no violation.

Rule 13-2 covers the situation. Since he broke the stake in the process of making his stroke it's fine.

[BC MIST]

Now since golf rules are so idiotic sometimes,

No doubt they are. Consider a player who is 1" over the line as it applies to:
Golf - Teeing ground - Penalty: two strokes
Golf - Out of Bounds - Penalty: stroke and distance
Football - Offside - Penalty: 5 yards
Basketball - Free throw - Penalty: Point does not count
Long Jump - Penalty: World record jump does not count
Hockey - Player over the blue line before the puck ..... And all this for 1"?

But then if you look at all these games from a logical, rational, reasonable point of view, they are all idiotic, and therefore, so must be the rules. And we all love to play them, meaning, I guess, that those who do are illogical, irrational and unreasonable? Probably. At least our wives think so.

In a tournament yesterday, a player was disqualified because he played his own ball that he hit from the tee. How idiotic is that?

[byerxa]

Could have he removed the stake first? Or is that not allowed in this case?

[jvincent]

No, you aren't allowed to remove OB stakes.

[Kiwi battler]

Without searching the rule book , or more likely the decisions book
From memory , which is getting more worserer by the day , I vaguely recall that OOB markers for an internal OOB may be moved when playing a hole that the markers have no relavance on .......but DONT quote me lol

[AAA]

Without searching the rule book , or more likely the decisions book
From memory , which is getting more worserer by the day , I vaguely recall that OOB markers for an internal OOB may be moved when playing a hole that the markers have no relavance on .......but DONT quote me lol

I am quoting you but it is not recommended that they be movable. The problem being that they may not be replaced correctly.

24/5 Boundary Stakes Having No Significance in Play of Hole Being Played
Q. White stakes installed between the 7th and 8th holes define out of bounds during play of the 7th hole, but they have no significance during play of the 8th hole. Are such stakes obstructions during play of the 8th hole?
A. No, the Definition of “Out of Bounds” states that such stakes are not obstructions. However, in this case it is recommended that, by Local Rule, the stakes be deemed immovable obstructions during play of the 8th hole.