USGA Rules Question

[TitleistHOG]

Official Ruling for hitting Wires on telephone poles

Ok, so I was playing today and got into a discussion about balling hitting wire that stretches across fairway. It was my understanding the player must re-hit the shot without penalty no matter the out come of the first shot. Is this an accurate statement?

[golframfan]

you mean like a power line running across in the air?

 

It all comes down to local rule, the course has to set up a local rule, but in most cases it is a re tee with no stroke, also the player does not have the option of re-teeing, the player must re-tee in this situation.

[TitleistHOG]

That is what I thought, I did not know it had to be a local rule.

[honketyhank]

Ok, so I was playing today and got into a discussion about balling hitting wire that stretches across fairway. It was my understanding the player must re-hit the shot without penalty no matter the out come of the first shot. Is this an accurate statement?

 

Our course has a local rule prominently printed on the back of the score card that on hole 9 (where it might be an issue), any shot that hits a power line must be replayed with no penalty. And any shot that hits a power pole (or tower) must be played where it lies (just as if it had hit a tree).

 

I guess what that means to me on my course is that power towers are a part of the course but power lines are not. The logic being, I guess again, that the power lines extend over the fairway or other likely paths of the ball. The power towers are located where we might well have strategically placed trees. It is fair to define and limit the x-y envelope of the hole, but limiting the z-dimension at the same time is not a usual practice in golf course design unless we are under a tree or somewhere we shouldn't be to begin with.

 

But all this is a local rule. Or two local rules.

 

Me, I play as if the power lines and power poles are not there. The old saying that trees are 95% air applies to power towers much better than to trees. But when I hit that power tower, I do get hooted pretty soundly.

[Watch]

43B (2.a) "The player hitting the power line must climb the utility pole and remove the obstructing wire by severing it with a pocket knife. If the player does not have a pocket knife available, a rake from the nearest bunker may be substituted."

 

 

Oh, wait a minute. What am I thinking? That rule only applies in Arkansas!

[honketyhank]

43B (2.a) "The player hitting the power line must climb the utility pole and remove the obstructing wire by severing it with a pocket knife. If the player does not have a pocket knife available, a rake from the nearest bunker may be substituted."

 

 

Oh, wait a minute. What am I thinking? That rule only applies in Arkansas!

 

Where is Booooooooooooo when we need him?

[Par Fore]

Ok, so I was playing today and got into a discussion about balling hitting wire that stretches across fairway. It was my understanding the player must re-hit the shot without penalty no matter the out come of the first shot. Is this an accurate statement?

 

Our course has a local rule prominently printed on the back of the score card that on hole 9 (where it might be an issue), any shot that hits a power line must be replayed with no penalty. And any shot that hits a power pole (or tower) must be played where it lies (just as if it had hit a tree).

 

I guess what that means to me on my course is that power towers are a part of the course but power lines are not. The logic being, I guess again, that the power lines extend over the fairway or other likely paths of the ball. The power towers are located where we might well have strategically placed trees. It is fair to define and limit the x-y envelope of the hole, but limiting the z-dimension at the same time is not a usual practice in golf course design unless we are under a tree or somewhere we shouldn't be to begin with.

 

But all this is a local rule. Or two local rules.

 

Me, I play as if the power lines and power poles are not there. The old saying that trees are 95% air applies to power towers much better than to trees. But when I hit that power tower, I do get hooted pretty soundly.

 

 

Easy there I failed high school geometry x,y,z???

[jjj912]

Just visually superimpose a three dimensional cartesian coordinate system on the fairway and it'll make sense. :D

[honketyhank]

Actually it's pretty simple. Just visualize a Hilbert space with n = 3.