Ball in a Box!

On Course... with Tom Casady

Now that we have been out on the course a few time together, I thought it would be a good idea to address some of the interesting occurrences I have observed or heard about from members of our group, and 27 year old Austin Case  from Edmond, provides just what this tour needs: a funny, yet complicated, situation.

Austin is our newest Oklahoma Tour member playing in the Hogan Flight. During the Bixby Classic at White Hawk this last weekend, he choose to demonstrate how easy it is to hit into a hazard, saving his expertise for the end of the 18th hole. Into the willows he went, and upon inspection, found his ball resting in an overturned empty golf ball box top nestled between the reeds to the front of the 18th green.

So what do you do with a ball in a box in a hazard? What's the rule? In this case, it's not just important to know the rules; you need to know the definitions, too. Remember that loose impediments are natural objects. We saw an example of a loose impediment in a hazard in a golf tournament on TV a few weeks ago. But this is not a loose impediment situation. For a loose impediment situation, see Rules 23-1 (Except when both the ball and the loose impediment lie in or touch the same hazard, any loose impediment may be removed without penalty.), and Rule 13-4 (Before making a stroke at a ball lying in a hazard, the player must not touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching a hazard).

But for Austin, Rule 24-1b, saves the day (A player may take relief through the green or in a hazard, without penalty, from a movable obstruction, if the ball lies in or on the obstruction. This rule can save you strokes, if you follow the procedures correctly.

But before I speak of procedures, what saves the day is definitions. The difference between a loose impediment and a movable obstruction is important. A loose impediment is a natural object found on the course. A movable obstruction is an artificial object found on the course. And they are treated differently, as stated above, in a hazard!

So, after realizing the movable obstruction can be moved, here is the proper procedure. As always, mark the location of your ball, and then lift your ball. Next, remove the movable obstruction (in this case, the box top). Then, as near as you can below the original place your ball lay, drop your ball. For the correct procedure for dropping a ball, see Rule 20. For the correct procedure for lifting the ball and removing the obstruction, see Rule 24-1b. By applying all of these rules and procedures, you will save strokes that might be lost to improper procedures.

So what did Austin do? Ask him next time you see him on tour. I'm sure he would enjoy telling you about his ball in a box in a hazard.

Remember, follow the rules of golf to save yourself strokes.

Tom Casady is the Oklahoma Tour Handicap Chairman, a member of the Tournament Committee and is a partner with Scott Chilcutt and Loyd Welch in the operation of the Oklahoma Tour. Tom can be reached @ TC3ofCnC@aol.com