{"id":15548988,"date":"2024-09-17T07:26:26","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T11:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15548988"},"modified":"2024-10-11T14:36:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T18:36:37","slug":"rules-guy-can-you-take-free-relief-from-mole-hill","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/instruction\/rules\/rules-guy-can-you-take-free-relief-from-mole-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules Guy: Can you take free relief from a mole hill?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we\u2019ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back<\/a>. Got a question? He\u2019s got all the answers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My ball came to rest within an inch of a mole track \u2014 the mounded-up soil left by a burrowing mole \u2014 so I couldn\u2019t hit the next shot without striking the mound. Free relief? \u2014 Gary Schlotterer, Durham, N.C.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We appreciate you invoking the mole, which is not a varmint in our book, rather than the cliched gopher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To your query, ground pushed up resulting from an animal digging a hole underground gets treated the same way as a hole itself, namely, an abnormal course condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free relief is allowed if the pushed-up ground interferes with your lie, stance or swing, unless the Committee has limited relief to only lie and swing by local rule. Please see Rule 16.1 and Definition of Animal Hole.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n \n Rules <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \"bunker\"\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n
Rules Guy: Can you take free relief from an animal hole in a bunker?<\/a><\/blockquote>\n By:<\/span>\n \n \n Rules Guy <\/a>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

For more animal-related guidance from our guru, read on …<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my friend and I were approaching his tee shot in the fairway, a fox trotted out of the woods, sniffed the ball and then urinated on it. Is my friend allowed to clean or replace the ball? \u2014 David Cole, via e-mail<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, presumably unlike the now \u201cmarked\u201d golf ball, the rules here are cut and dried. In equity, the player is entitled to the lie present when the ball came to rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, your friend may lift and clean the ball. If there is, um, \u201ccasual water\u201d present, the player can take relief under Rule 25-1, which also allows the ball to be cleaned (and disinfected).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Green Book<\/a> from Golf Logix.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won\u2019t throw the book at you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If your ball lands near loose dirt from a mole hill, is it permissible to take free relief? Rules Guy has the answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15548991,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-09-17T11:26:29Z","apple_news_api_id":"98b61584-a608-4ea6-922d-42574081a830","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-09-17T16:44:51Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AmLYVhKYITqaSLUJXQIGoMA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[52],"tags":[61891],"class_list":["post-15548988","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rules","tag-rulesguy"],"acf":{"art_author":[{"ID":14046396,"post_author":"235","post_date":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_date_gmt":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_content":"","post_title":"Rules Guy","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rules-guy-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_modified_gmt":"2018-02-10 16:33:43","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.golf.com\/?post_type=golf_person&p=14046396","menu_order":0,"post_type":"contributor","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"art_source":"None","tee_time_button_status":false,"article_template":"standard","featured_image_caption":"What do the rules say about taking relief from a mole hill?","featured_image_credits":"Getty Images","wsum-gated-content":false,"wsotp_enable_one_time_payment":false,"ad_meta":false},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nRules Guy: Can you take free relief from a mole hill?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If your ball lands near loose dirt from a mole hill, is it permissible to take free relief? 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