Check This Odd Situation - Rules Question
 

I recently found myself in a bunker on the 9th hole, with the lip being a good 5-6 feet high. It has this weird unfinished grass on the lips because they were just being renovated, the stuff is light brown and feels like very dry grass. I didn't take a high enough lofted club and found myself in this situation:

http://i25.tinypic.com/5yb95s.jpg

as you can see, my ball got wedged inside the lip of the bunker. I removed it, and took a 1 stroke penalty as an unplayable. I felt it should have been a free lift, as my ball ripped through the netting to keep the mud inside the lip, and I felt the lip was still "under construction"

What is the ruling?

You should have played two balls and asked when you got inside the clubhouse. At the least, playing two balls would have been the thing to do until fourputt could chime in with his opinion (which is usually right).

This happened after my second shot, so I'm not completely sure I understand. I hit my 2nd shot, wedged it in there, removed it back into the bunker, took a 1 stroke penalty, so hitting out of the bunker again would have been my 4th shot.

Just play two balls the rest of the hole after the rules question and mark down both scores. Find out the correct ruling later and score accordingly.

I would have taken an unplayable lie per the rules. Then when the round was over, describe the situation to the pro shop gurus. They might have given you the same the relief, with out penalty as ground under repair. http://www.thehackersparadise.com/fo...s/computer.gif

Yeah, I guess it could have been the same ball, just with a different ruling.

Oh okay, makes sense now.

Yes I guess I should have asked the Pro shop, but just forgot about it at the time. I took an unplayable, which is probably the worst penalty in this situation I could get, so I just took that and lived with it. I guess without actually seeing it and being there its hard to determine if it is ground under repair or not.

With your picture they could have made that decision as if they were there on the course with you. I too am interested to see what the "ruling" on this would be.

I would say ground under repair, take a drop & no penalty.

That's what I would say too Dyna, but I'm usually wrong! But makes sense to me.

Seems like ground under repair to me.

You could have played two balls but if it was not declared "GUP" before the round by the "committee" then you may have been out of luck. I do not believe the decision of ground under repair can be made retroactively.

I played a tournament two weeks ago and the rules was if it is not marked or called out in the pre-round meeting/info then no drop for ground under repair. Guy were moaning about it all day, calling out rules officials and slowing play waaaay down. As far as I know no one was given a free drop unless it was called out before the tourney. Some areas were called out globally, such as "all bunker lips on he back nine with new sod".

I would love to here the final outcome on this one.

EDIT ** i think there is provision to the rule about items that are intended to be removed such as large pile a grass clipping left next to the green. Maybe the netting would fall under that part. ******

I'm not sure If I can determine if this is ground under repair or not. Maybe the bunkers are actually finished and that is their intended finishing look.

Next time I'm at the club I will ask the pro and give you guys a verdict.

I was assuming this situation happened during a friendly round of golf. If it happen in a sanctioned tournament, and was not marked by the tournament committee, you might be out of luck.

Our course is having a problem in areas that don't dry up as fast as the rest of the course when watered. People with carts drive through these areas, causing ruts of mud, and severe damage. Big sign in the club house says "ground under repair" for these damaged areas, even though they are not marked. http://www.thehackersparadise.com/fo...ies/angry2.gif

What IS that grass? I've never seen white grass before (other than snow).

I have no idea, but its mainly flat with alot of bumps around it, it feels like Grass, but it is really dried up.

Wouldnt the netting be considered a man made object?

Went to the course today, and It is indeed ground under repair. I would take a lift without penalty. I went back and while playing that hole, I noticed grass starting to grow ontop of the stuff, so It is GUR.

Does it need to be marked by the course to conside i GUR?