What are your options?

[LobWedge]

Hey Gary,

A player plays his shot from a bunker (A) and skulls it in to heavy fescue (B). He finds his ball but declares it unplayable. There is no relief within 2 club lengths of where the ball lies. I know that he can go back to (A) and and play from the original spot (stroke and distance). There is also a teeing ground for the next hole that lies behind point (B) beyond the fescue that is directly in line through where his ball lies and the hole. Can he go back along that line and drop on the tee?

[Gary Hill]

Can he go back along that line and drop on the tee?

Yes.
1. It is not a requirement of the Rule to drop a ball on the hole being played.
2. The teeing ground of a hole not being played is "through the green" and has no special significance.


Rule 28 Option b.
Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped;

[jbrace]

Yes.
1. It is not a requirement of the Rule to drop a ball on the hole being played.
2. The teeing ground of a hole not being played is "through the green" and has no special significance.


Rule 28 Option b.
Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped;

While we're on this subject, I heard recently that to apply this option when declaring a ball "unplayable", the player MUST be able to actually see the hole from where he/she drops. i.e. If the player is behind heavy bush/trees, they would not be able to go straight back. The player cannot simply "guess" at where the hole is and say "Well this should be in line with the hole right around here." Again, this is what I heard. Gary?

[Kilroy]

Methinks you heard wrong.

[jbrace]

Methinks you heard wrong.

Methinks so too. The person who said this tried to argue "Well how can you keep that point between you and hole when you cannot seen the hole?" I did not buy into it, but I had to ask because if it were true, it would not be first time I learned something new about the rules and said to myself "Man that is just weird..."

[Gary Hill]

As always, the answer lies in the Rule itself which I will post again.

Rule 28 Option b.
Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped;

The Rule says: "...directly between the hole and the spot....".

It does NOT say: "on a line you can see".

If the ball is dropped on that line, you have complied with the Rule.

BTW - "directly between" means "directly between".
It is NOT allowed to stand on the line and drop an arm's length to the side.