Sheriff
on rules 17/7/2017; Rule 13 comes with the title “Play the ball as it
Lies”
Questions
and decisions cover many instances, for example touching the grass during your
backswing. Penalty or no Penalty is the question raised.
Rule
13.4 states if your ball is in the hazard a player must not [a] test the
condition of the hazard or similar hazard. [b] Touch the ground in the hazard or
water in a water hazard with his hand or club. [c] Touch or move a loose
impediment lying in or touching the hazard. There are of course specific
instances within the rules that over-rule these statements, but I am talking in
general play conditions.
Back
to the question, if when in a hazard your club touches the ground (you have
grounded your club). You are considered
to have grounded your club when the grass supports the weight of your club.
At this point you are penalised and not when sweeping through grass on your
backswing.
Conversely
should a large stone be embedded in the hazard and you make contact with this
stone before or during your backswing you have grounded your club and penalised.
Likewise if a mound from a burrowing animal is touched with your club, you have
grounded and incur a penalty. Sheriff
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