2006 #15 Burrowing Animal Hole

THE SCENE:
You are playing the 18th hole. You hit your second shot over the hill and lose sight of it but you know it was on the right side of the fairway. You just hope it didn’t bounce down into the trees. You drive your golf cart down to the cart path. There is no sign of your ball. You climb out and walk down into the trees, searching under the huge rocks, inside the grate and finally you see it. It’s in a small hole. It’s a hole made by some animal, probably a mole or groundhog and your ball is down inside it. You can see it and it has your mark on it.

What would you do?
A. That area is not a hazard. You have to play the ball as it lies. But you can’t because it’s down in the hole. So you declare your ball unplayable, take a penalty stroke and drop within 2 club lengths.
B. The hole was made by a burrowing animal so you get free relief. You lift your ball, find your nearest point of relief and drop within one club-length, no closer to the hole.

B is correct.
The definition of Abnormal Ground Condition is:

Abnormal Ground Conditions


An “abnormal ground condition” is any casual water, ground under repair or hole, cast or runway on the course made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird.

So what is a burrowing animal? The definition is:

Burrowing Animal


A “burrowing animal” is an animal that makes a hole for habitation or shelter, such as a rabbit, mole, groundhog, gopher or salamander.

So, your ball is in a hole made by a burrowing animal, which means it’s in an Abnormal Ground Condition. And you can drop within 1 club-length of your nearest point of relief. See the rule:

25-1 Abnormal Ground Conditions
a. Interference


Interference by an abnormal ground condition occurs when a ball lies in or touches the condition or when the condition interferes with the player's stance or the area of his intended swing.

b. Relief


Except when the ball is in a water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an abnormal ground condition as follows: 


(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief.

REMEMBER: If you find your ball in a burrowing animal hole anywhere on the course except in a water hazard, you get FREE relief.