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To scare the waterfowl away from the shore of the lake, our course uses fake birds on slender poles attached by rope and wire that can “fly” with the breeze – soaring, dipping, turning, etc. A few of these fake birds can be in the line of play from a tee box or near a green. What happens if a shot hits one of these “birds”? It is possible to take the pole out of the ground, play the shot, and replace the pole before hitting, although this may slow down the pace of play a bit. Mobile obstruction? Immobile? Help! -Bill Spahn, via email
Trying to sneak in a multi-part question, Bill! We’re pretty much rooting for the waterfowl at this point.
As for the first question, if you play near one of those “birds” and hit one, you must play the ball as it lies – no different than jumping a moving cart or a stationary post, per Rule 11.1.
As for being able to remove it, this depends on how they were installed and, potentially, if the course has decided to treat it as real estate (versus, say, temporary real estate obstacles).
Without specific Rules in effect, if the “birds” can be moved with reasonable effort and without causing damage to the course or “bird”, then you can move them. If not, they are immovable obstacles and should not be moved if doing so improves your situation (especially here, the line of play).
Check out Rule 8.1, 15.2 and Definition of Movable Obstruction. If the course has decided to treat the “birds” as temporary real estate obstructions, sight line relief will be allowed, although this does not apply if the “birds” are permanently installed – see Model Local Rule F-23.
Rules Guy is now flying off for a well deserved nap.
For more obstruction guidance from our guru, read on…
My ball is in a red penalty area. It is played, but there is a fence between the ball and the green. The fence is out of bounds, my ball is not. Can I get relief from an immovable obstacle? If so, should I shoot in the penalty area, or just two club-lengths from the nearest relief point? -Gary Ahlstrom, Charlotte, NC
First of all, Gary: No, you do not get free relief from an immovable obstruction if your ball is in a penalty area, per Rule 17.3.
In addition, since the fence is out of bounds, even if it was not in a penalty area, you will not get free relief from it. Alas, this makes your follow-up question questionable, although it never hurts to ask!
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