The recent storm created casual water and ground under repair throughout our course. Both of these situations as well as others such as your ball lying on a cart path or a sprinkler head provide free relief. But how do you take free relief? It would certainly speed up play if everyone knew exactly what to do.
To take free relief you do 3 things.
1. Find your nearest point of relief
2. Create a drop area
3. Drop your ball properly
Find your nearest point of relief
What is your nearest point of relief?
It is the spot where your ball would lie if you moved it just enough so that there was no longer any interference. It can’t be closer to the hole, in a hazard or on the putting green.
The easiest and quickest way to find your nearest point of relief it to grab the club you intend to use to make the shot; take your stance and ground your club as if you were going to hit your ball as it lies right now. Then, without changing your posture, move forward, back or sideways, (no closer to the hole) just enough so that there is no longer any interference. You are not standing in it. Your club is not touching it and it wouldn’t interfere with your swing. This might be only 2 inches! Then, the place where your club is grounded is your nearest point of relief. Place a tee in the ground to mark it.
Create a Drop Area
Many of you think that is where you should hit from. Not so. This is a rule to help you. You drop within a club length of your nearest point of relief. Take any club in your bag and measure one club length (no closer to the hole) from the tee you placed in the ground. Pretend your club is making the wing of a snow angel – swing it around on the ground creating an arc the length of your club and no closer to the hole. This might be a half circle. That entire area is your drop area but not in a hazard or on the putting green. When you get the hang of this you can just estimate the drop area. You don’t have to place a tee in the ground.
Drop Your Ball Properly
Hold a ball at arm’s length, shoulder height and drop it straight down into the drop area. If it rolls more than 2 club lengths from where it strikes the ground (use the club you measured with) you must drop again. This time, watch where the ball hits the ground. If it again rolls more than 2 club lengths, place the ball on the spot where it hit the ground.
REMEMBER: Taking free relief is as easy as 1-2-3. Practice it so you can do it quickly.
2. Create a drop area
3. Drop your ball properly
Find your nearest point of relief
What is your nearest point of relief?
It is the spot where your ball would lie if you moved it just enough so that there was no longer any interference. It can’t be closer to the hole, in a hazard or on the putting green.
The easiest and quickest way to find your nearest point of relief it to grab the club you intend to use to make the shot; take your stance and ground your club as if you were going to hit your ball as it lies right now. Then, without changing your posture, move forward, back or sideways, (no closer to the hole) just enough so that there is no longer any interference. You are not standing in it. Your club is not touching it and it wouldn’t interfere with your swing. This might be only 2 inches! Then, the place where your club is grounded is your nearest point of relief. Place a tee in the ground to mark it.
Create a Drop Area
Many of you think that is where you should hit from. Not so. This is a rule to help you. You drop within a club length of your nearest point of relief. Take any club in your bag and measure one club length (no closer to the hole) from the tee you placed in the ground. Pretend your club is making the wing of a snow angel – swing it around on the ground creating an arc the length of your club and no closer to the hole. This might be a half circle. That entire area is your drop area but not in a hazard or on the putting green. When you get the hang of this you can just estimate the drop area. You don’t have to place a tee in the ground.
Drop Your Ball Properly
Hold a ball at arm’s length, shoulder height and drop it straight down into the drop area. If it rolls more than 2 club lengths from where it strikes the ground (use the club you measured with) you must drop again. This time, watch where the ball hits the ground. If it again rolls more than 2 club lengths, place the ball on the spot where it hit the ground.
REMEMBER: Taking free relief is as easy as 1-2-3. Practice it so you can do it quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment