New Rules - relief from Penalty Area stakes

[markTHEblake]

Just reading through new rules 15-17, and it seems that now if you are in a penalty area, a Stake can be moved - unless the committee has defined Stakes as immovable see 16.1a(2) - most clubs seem to do that. Under old rules I am fairly sure that there was no relief from hazard stakes if you are in the hazard.

(1) Removal of Movable Obstruction. Without penalty, a player may remove a movable obstruction anywhere on or off the course and may do so in any way. https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/ru...f-golf/rule-15


Had an interesting dilemma recently. Ball was in a dry penalty area, lying against penalty area stake that had fallen over and lying on the ground, completely removed from the hole it was meant to be in by about 15cm. After some careful thought i determined that it was now by definition a movable obstruction, no different than a coke bottle. So i just moved it - does that sound right?

[Johnny Canuck]

Just reading through new rules 15-17, and it seems that now if you are in a penalty area, a Stake can be moved - unless the committee has defined Stakes as immovable see 16.1a(2) - most clubs seem to do that. Under old rules I am fairly sure that there was no relief from hazard stakes if you are in the hazard.

(1) Removal of Movable Obstruction. Without penalty, a player may remove a movable obstruction anywhere on or off the course and may do so in any way. https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/ru...f-golf/rule-15


Had an interesting dilemma recently. Ball was in a dry penalty area, lying against penalty area stake that had fallen over and lying on the ground, completely removed from the hole it was meant to be in by about 15cm. After some careful thought i determined that it was now by definition a movable obstruction, no different than a coke bottle. So i just moved it - does that sound right?

Sounds good to me.

Interesting scenario.

[Steve57]

Just reading through new rules 15-17, and it seems that now if you are in a penalty area, a Stake can be moved - unless the committee has defined Stakes as immovable see 16.1a(2) - most clubs seem to do that. Under old rules I am fairly sure that there was no relief from hazard stakes if you are in the hazard.

(1) Removal of Movable Obstruction. Without penalty, a player may remove a movable obstruction anywhere on or off the course and may do so in any way. https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/ru...f-golf/rule-15


Had an interesting dilemma recently. Ball was in a dry penalty area, lying against penalty area stake that had fallen over and lying on the ground, completely removed from the hole it was meant to be in by about 15cm. After some careful thought i determined that it was now by definition a movable obstruction, no different than a coke bottle. So i just moved it - does that sound right?

Hazard stake has always been able to be removed if you can get it out of the ground without affecting your ball.
The only stake that cannot be touched is an OOB stake.

[Daves]

Hazard stake has always been able to be removed if you can get it out of the ground without effecting your ball.
The only stake that cannot be touched is an OOB stake.

Except most clubs seem to invoke a local rule that makes them Immovable.

The rule change Mark mentions is that you can now get relief if you are in the Penalty area. Previously it was only if you were outside the Hazard.

[Johnny Canuck]

My club has distance markers that are in PVC pipe, so they can be easily removed, but our local rule prohibits their removal.