width=Broedende vogel op hole 7 dit voorjaar

Uit het grote decisions boek heb ik onderstaande beslissing gevonden voor een bal dicht bij een vogelnest hetgeen op onze baan ook regelmatig voorkomt. Hieronder de gehele beslissing met daaronder een samenvatting:

Decisions boek nummer 1-4/9
Bird’s Nest Interfering with Stroke
Q. A player’s ball comes to rest in a bird’s nest or so close to the nest that he could not make a stroke without damaging it. In equity (Rule 1-4), does the player have any options in addition to playing the ball as it lies or, if applicable, proceeding under Rule 26 or 28?

A. Yes. It is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a situation and unfair to require the player to incur a penalty stroke under Rule 26 (Water Hazards) or Rule 28 (Ball Unplayable). If the ball lay through the green, the player may, without penalty, drop a ball within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that would allow him to make his stroke without damaging the nest and that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. If the ball lay in a hazard, the player may drop a ball, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that would allow him to make his stroke without damaging the nest. If possible, the ball must be dropped in the same hazard and, if not possible, in a similar nearby hazard, but in either case not nearer the hole. If it is not possible for the player to drop the ball in a hazard, he may drop it, under penalty of one stroke, outside the hazard, keeping the point where the original ball lay between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped. If the ball lay on the putting green, the player may, without penalty, place a ball at the nearest spot not nearer the hole and not in a hazard that would allow him to make his stroke without damaging the nest. If interference by anything other than the bird’s nest makes the stroke clearly impracticable or if damage to the bird’s nest would occur only through the use of a clearly unreasonable stroke or an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing, or direction of play, the player may not take relief as prescribed above, but he is not precluded from proceeding under Rule 26 or 28 if applicable. (Revised)

Conclusie voor situatie van broedende vogels.
Nest met vogel mag ontweken worden zonder straf binnen één clublengte niet dichter bij de hole. Als het nest is gelegen in een hindernis moet de bal ook worden gedropt in de hindernis niet dichter bij de hole. Als er niet gedropt kan worden in de hindernis mag met één strafslag buiten de hindernis worden gedropt.
Als er vanwege een andere reden dan het nest geen slag kan worden gemaakt bijvoorbeeld doordat er een boom in de nabijheid staat dan krijg je geen vrije drop maar kan je de bal onspeelbaar verklaren of de waterhindernis regel toepassen.

Groeten Regel en Handicap Commissie
George