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October 2025: Rule 16 – Relief from Abnormal Course Conditions
At a time when the course is soggy it is timely to be reminded of the rule covering temporary water. Rule 16 covers this along with other abnormal ground conditions
- Animal holes
- Ground under repair
- Immovable obstructions
- Ball embedded in it’s own pitch mark
- Temporary water
The relief from all these is the same .
To get the relief the temporary water should be interfering with your ball or your stance .
Free relief
One club length from the nearest point of relief ( N B the nearest point not the nicest point . It may put you in deep rough or in the trees )
You must take full relief –
- Mark the spot with a tee where the temporary water is not interfering with the ball or your stance
- Mark a club length from there (any club)
- Drop the ball within that club length not nearer the hole
On the green
You can also get relief if the temporary water is in the line you intend to hit the putt
NB . If you are not on the green but you still intend to putt , tough , you’ll either have to chip, or putt through the puddle .
If the green is one big puddle and you can’t take full relief . Take the best relief you can find .
In a Bunker
Again you get free relief but you must drop still in the bunker
If the bunker is full of water and there is a little bit of sand available which is not nearer the pin you have to drop there ( even if you are standing in the water . Good for finding out if your shoes are waterproof )
If the bunker is totally full of water and there is nowhere to get any relief then you are out of luck you have to drop outside the bunker with a one shot penalty .Lets hope the greenkeepers designate it GUR in this case .
If you drop outside the bunker there is a one shot penalty ( straight back as far as you like in line with the pin )
Please note
- None of the above applies if you are in penalty area
- The reilief applies if you are sure the ball is in the temporary water but you can’t find it – A possibility in some of the massive puddles we can expect in the next few months