These guys are good. I think the PGA tour hit the nail on the head with their slogan after watching both Stewart Cink (pictured) and Adam Scott scramble from behind trees and bushes at points during the last two PGA tour events. In each circumstance the player hit an errant tee shot which ended up in a less than desirable location that resulted in him turning his club over and playing a left handed shot (both are right handed players). For a player like Adam Scott (who later commented that Butch Harmon has given him a left handed lesson) this shot was not a problem. For average golfers like most of us, a play like this could result in a disaster. This is why we need to apply Rule 28 (ball unplayable) which in my opinion is the most helpful yet under-utilized Rule in golf.
The unplayable Rule states that “The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable.” What does this mean? It means that if you find your ball in a precarious lie the Rules of Golf will give you additional options under penalty of one stroke that will allow you to keep your ball in play and you playing golf. There are three options under the unplayable rule, all of which will cost you a one stroke penalty. They are:
a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot where the original ball was last played. (an easy way to remember this is that option A stands for Again ““ stroke and distance.)
b. Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is to be dropped. There’s no limit on how far back you can go. (option B stands for Behind)
c. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole. (option C stands for Club lengths)
If a player declares his ball unplayable in a bunker and chooses option b or c the ball must be dropped in the bunker.
As you can see, the three options available under this Rule can easily save you from taking risky shots which could result in a rather large number on your scorecard. However, there are some nuances to this Rule worth pointing out. The most important thing to emphasize with this Rule is that if your ball is in a water hazard you cannot declare it unplayable. The Rules of Golf have an entire Rule dedicated (Rule 26) to water hazards and how to proceed if your ball is at rest within in a water hazard and you do not want to play it, the unplayable Rule is intended to cover all of the other areas on the course that do not have such options available.
The second point concerns option “˜a’. It is important to note that under this option of Rule 28 it states “where the original ball was last played”. This means that if you find yourself in chest high weeds and subsequently take a whack at the ball and it doesn’t move, where did you last play the original ball? You got it, in the chest high weeds so option “˜a’ is no longer going to get you out of the situation.
The third point can deal with both option “˜b’ and option “˜c’. If you take a drop and your ball rolls into the same unplayable lie, or another unplayable lie, there is NO free re-drop. In this circumstance you can either play the ball as it lies, or declare the ball unplayable again (incurring another one stroke penalty) using its new position as your reference point. Like many Rules that require you to drop, it is always beneficial to be aware of your surroundings and how those surroundings may affect your drop before you ever pick up your ball.
The final point also deals with both options “˜b’ and “˜c’. When taking relief under these two options you are required to use a specific reference point where your ball has come to rest which means that you must first find identify your ball before proceeding. For example, if you see a ball resting twenty feet off of the ground in a tree but you cannot identify the ball as yours, the only option available to you is to return to where you last played from under penalty of stroke and distance. Keep in mind that when dealing with the Rules of Golf and identifying your golf ball it is not good enough to see the general area (or tree) that you think it may have ended up – you must be able to identify the ball as yours. This is why we are told twice in The Rules of Golf (Rule 6-5, and Rule 12-2) that it is the player’s responsibility to play the proper ball, and each player should put an identification mark on his ball.
The next time you are on the course and find yourself behind a tree, or in chest high native, think about invoking Rule 28 – the unplayable Rule. A one stroke penalty can end up being a much better option than some of the other possible outcomes. Leave the heroic opposite-handed shots to the pros ““ unlike us, those guys are good!
