RULE 28 – BALL UNPLAYABLE

For those balls that become unplayable in the desert, plan your relief procedures with the best option.

The desert areas of Arizona and southern California, where LPGA and Epson Tour competitions are held during the early part of their seasons, generally provide good weather and playing conditions. But when golf balls stray off the manicured fairways and roughs and into the hard-pan ground, where most vegetation is no more than small scrub bushes and wiry plants, there is another issue with which players must deal more frequently – the potential of the unplayable ball.

A ball may be declared unplayable anywhere on the course except in a water hazard. In many of the circumstances off the beaten paths of these courses, the undergrowth makes it nearly impossible to strike the ball cleanly, so the most prudent decision is to apply Rule 28 – Ball Unplayable, and take the one stroke penalty. There are three options to proceed under this rule and the player should consider carefully the best one in her circumstance.

1. The most common option is to drop a ball within two club-lengths of where the ball lay, but not nearer to the hole. However, be mindful that if the pitch of the ground is such that the ball might roll back toward the area where the ball originally lay, but not roll more than two club-lengths from where it strikes the ground on the drop, it is not a free re-drop, but it could become unplayable again.

2. Another option is to drop a ball behind where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and spot where the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped. Many times, this can give you a clearer opening or more desirable direction to play your next stroke.

3. The third option is to proceed under stroke and distance and play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. We hope you will not have to venture off the straight and narrow very often. But if you do, and find you are unable to play your ball, hopefully you will be able to take care of the matter easily by following one of the options of the rule. At any rate, feel free to contact one of your LPGA or Epson Tour officials if you need assistance.

We’ll see you down the road!

Mike Waldron – Epson Tour Rules Official

Know the Rules: Ball Unplayable

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