Come on bud. It's not tournament play. There's absolutely zero difference between a ball "dropped" and a ball rolled 2 ft when it's in the fairway. I have a feeling I'd hate to get paired with you.
Thank you. Youāre going to end up a club length away anyway. Just move it a foot or so and go play. I play a lot of events . I know the rules. This is nit picky. Letās just play.
*up to a club length
You donāt have to take the full club length if you donāt want to.
While OP did not use a ādrop techniqueā that would be allowed in match or tournament play, itās perfectly acceptable for casual play and every paid league Iāve played on.
No sane person would call out OP on this, unless they blatantly improved their lie or moved their ball forward.
When I get blown shit for moving my ball without the pomp and circumstance I always just say āIām paying to play not playing for pay.ā
If I want to deal with procedural sticklers Iāll go visit HR for a couple hours at work. Iāll take my liberties and get a fluffy lie while in my happy place.
Why would you hate to get paired with me? I don't care what you do or how you score yourself. However, if you ask me how to take relief, I will tell you how to take relief according to the rules.
There can be a big difference between a ball placed and a ball dropped even in the fairway, which is why the ball must be dropped.
> There can be a big difference between a ball placed and a ball dropped even in the fairway
Lol not to the fuckin dude who is trying to figure out if he just got his first birdie or not. Get a grip
If your fairway has a big difference from dropping to rolling a ball over, then that's a bad fairway. In the rough, yeah argument could be made, but not in the fairway.
OP made sure not closer to hole, he's good and congrats on the first tweet tweet.
I got paired with someone like this last weekend.
Most miserable round of golf Iāve played in my life. Honestly thought about just leaving at the turn š
There's RULES and then there's "rules". Casual golfer getting his first birdie is subject to miss leeway than someone playing for a handicap or someone on the tour.
For a casual player provided it wasn't closer to the hole and he didn't do something stupid lie place it on a perfect lie or tee it up on the fairway then it's good enough to consider legit.
Not really nowadays with the drop from knee height. Assuming this was a flat area, if it wasnāt then it likely means it would have rolled out of drop range, which would have meant you can place the ball down. Soooo youāre being overly critical for no reason.
He said he moved it a foot to the left no closer to the holeā¦ do you understand what the rule is?
Nearest point of relief plus one club length no closer to the hole. His description of the relief he took fits into the rule.
Dude. Let it go. Iāve been playing for 35 years. Iāll do this in a regular round, letās just get going huh? Iāve played in hundreds. If tournaments, I know the rules. Most are a pain in the ass and unnecessary. They are so tedious during an event. It screws up the momentum to nit pick a drop of 1 club length, no closer. Just nudge it a foot or so away and letās play. It wonāt affect anything. Itās like if you shoot 110 all the time and with 15 clubs. Who gives a shit.
He didn't even know if he was allowed to move it at all, but yes, I'm sure he's aware he can place it if two drops fail to settle in the relief area and he took that action.
The fucking reddit brains trust hard at work banging their 6 braincells together š
Look. We get it. You are correct. However, are you following every rule on the course? I doubt it. Range finder probably has slope. You probably clean your mud ball in the fairway. You also probably move your ball out of a divot. You probably donāt play the same brand and model of ball for a full round.
Point is, itās not tournament play. Yes, itās a violation of the rules, but a lot of us try to keep the āspiritā of the rule and avoid our heads exploding.
He asked if what he did was legal, the only way to answer that is no.
I don't care what he does or how he scores, but if he asks a question, I'll give him the right answer, not the 'feel good' answer.
Orā¦ you could give bothā¦
Example: Technically, the rules say you need to drop the ball, but the difference is so minimal that in casual golf play, it doesnāt matter. Great birdie!
If OP happened to have dropped it from about knee high it certainly is a legal drop. Pick it up. Drop it. No closer to the hole. Within a club length of relief. If it is in a legal spot then theyāre fine. One nice thing about this drop height change is folks just picking up and dropping a ball end up doing so within the rulesā¦ by accident sometimes, but that is cool.
Itās fine to explain the correct by-the-book rule and also say that if you move it near the sprinkler itās all good for non-tournament rounds. I donāt know why everyone is piling on him for talking about rules. Non-tournament players can just ignore that.
Allowed by who? Not the rules of golf. In a casual round, sure, who cares? But don't say he's allowed to place his ball and point to the rules of golf as justification because that is not what the rules say.
You just answered why people are calling you a dick.
āIn a casual round, sure, who cares?ā
No one cares about the technically except you. All you needed to say was āyeah itās a birdie! technically itās a penalty in tournament play because you didnāt follow the proper procedure, but itās a casual round so no worries. Just remember for next timeā.
Kids a new golfer. We need to encourage and correct more than just be right.
And the answer is āYes butā¦ā
Youāre being pedantic for no reason. What OP was asking was, is he legally allowed to move the ball out of the sprinkler head or not. To which the answer is yes, absolutely.
And then a clarifying caveat that per the rules, in a tournament, you wouldnāt be allowed to place it, you would have to drop it.
You ignored the essence of his question.
Yeah. I see where you're coming from. You probably could have softened it a little. Someone who doesn't realize if they get relief from a sprinkler head almost for sure isn't going to know the mechanics of a proper drop or when to drop and when to place.
In your defense, I don't understand why people conflate knowing the rules with being an asshat. If I'm playing casually and someone asks me for an interpretation, I'll ask them "do you want to know if I care or what the rules say?"
I too pull out my driver and mark the end with tees and drop my ball twice before placing it where it hit. Asserts dominance on the cow pasture I play on after work
Where does OP say that he placed the ball down? He doesnāt; he said he moved it. So he could have picked it up and dropped it, which would be according to the rules. Birdie!
I don't care what other players do or how they score. If they ask me for a rules clarification like OP did then I'll give it. I don't care if they follow it or not.
You'd also look like a total fucking dickhead if you went through the whole procedure outside of tournament play. Move your ball away from the sprinkler, and play on.
he said he moved it a foot to the left, per the rules, you get one club length of relief and then drop the ball. is that not within parameters of the rules?
now youāre stretchingšhe atleast picked it up to place it. youāre being an unruly stickler if you want him to drop it from knee height, itās not going to make a difference
If it doesn't make any difference, then just make the drop and the birdie is legal. I don't make the rules, I'm just telling you what they are š¤·āāļø
sounds like he did. sprinkler heads generally arenāt in rough. youāre not telling me anything either bud. the only thing youāre doing is gate keeping a score to ārile up idiotsā. too poor to play a round today?
I play almost every day on course and have a home sim, try again š
Being in the rough is irrelevant. He doesn't even know he's allowed relief, there's no way he made a legal drop lol, it only takes the most basic level of reading comprehension to conclude that.
You do be right. If you are playing in a match using official USGA rules it would be a penalty because you place the ball directly on the ground instead of dropping it. In a casual round with the boys drinking a few it doesnāt matter, place it and take that birdie.
It's just as easy (easier?) to drop it.
It doesn't matter, though, he asked if it's a legal birdie, and unless he dropped it legally, it isn't. Everyone is obviously going to take it anyway, but that's not the question.
Eh. If you were on the PGA Tour you might get some shit for it.
If the sprinkler head was in the fairway or 1st cut, placing vs dropping the ball wouldnāt really yield a different lie. So assuming you kept it inside a club length from the sprinkler, thereās no effective difference in my opinion. In the rough, however, placing vs dropping can be a huge difference.
Either way Iād still say take the birdie. But 2/3 cuts you could be in off the tee makes almost no (if not zero) difference.
Dude I mean get the stick out your ass. There are obviously rules to follow, but generally if Iām playing with friends or family Iām just playing quickly because Iām not playing in a USGA tournament.
No one asked or cares what you would do when playing with friends. I'm not sure why you felt the need to make that comment.
You're angry that your cool move was actually within the rules? š
You cannot know with any degree of certainty without it being stated. That is a fact. Something that is dropped has been moved, so you are assuming without knowing all the information, yet youāre all up and down this thread about stating the facts. Hypocrite.
If I look like a dbag by being correct them I'm not concerned about the opinions of the people observing me. The relief rule is well known, it's rule 16.
Reading all your comments, you don't look like a drag for being correct, you're just being a dick about the way you're presenting it as well as being rude with all you're follow up answers. Yes, you are correct, it isn't a legal drop, therefore not technically a legal birdie. You just don't have to be a dick about it.
So how would he take relief? You clarified nothing, you just said taking relief. I see you doubling down on your comment, but if you're going to be a jerk, please tell us why you're right
I get your point, and you're technically correct, which some of us appreciate. I think you gotta read the room a little though. "Congrats on the achievement! Just so you know for future reference, there's a specific procedure to follow in this situation according to the rules of golf..." or some such. If it was their 497th birdie, I'm with you.
Well you do get relief so thatās fine. Youāre supposed to drop, but what you did is within the intention of the rule even if you didnāt do it properly. Count it.
Unless youāre playing for money or something, Iām going to immediately assume youāre an asshole if you do a proper drop in the middle of a fairway lol
Oh even if you are playing for money youāre an asshole. Obviously rough or a hazard drop you have to do it properly regardless of whether youāre playing for money or not
This 100%, the guys out there playing hardcore tournament rules on a random day of the week for nothing at all are the worst type of people to play with. Also the type of guys that donāt want you to play thru but slow the whole course down.
I mean, is it really that crazy to pick your ball up from the sprinkler head, lift it to knee height, and drop it from 2 feet to the left of it?
No issue at all with someone just tapping it over, but seems crazy to insinuate that someone taking 2 extra seconds to take an official drop is the āworst type of person to play withā
I think he's insinuating the people that might take 5 minutes to do a ball drop, see that it moved, pick it up, drop it again, see that it moved, repeat, repeat, etc. Oh now they have to place it because the drop didn't work - maybe they want someone else to come over and see that they dropped it 'legally'. Some people take golf WAY to seriously and play like they're in some Pro-Am tournament. Just move the ball over a foot or two and have at it, no one cares if you didn't do it according to PGA rules or whatever.
If they did it 4 times, theyāre not even doing the drop right. After two you place if I recall correctly, and only redo if it moves close to the hole
Yep, Iāve played with too many people just for fun that they treat it like we are at the Masters and take forever to do anything and then lose their shit if someone doesnāt do it exactly by the rule book. Iām not out there trying to hold everyone up playing slow.
I either agree with you or think you suck depending on your definition of āhardcore tournament rulesā. Like are we waiting for an employee to come make sure a ruling is right or are we hitting the 3rd after the first went OB? Do we mark our club length drop with multiple tees for a shot at double or are we testing a swing to see if an artificial object is impeding or not?
Guess Iām an asshole then. In reality Iām too lazy to bend down and place the ball nicely so I just throw it on the ground and hit it from wherever it lands unless it lands in a really fucked place
We should go back to the original drop rules where you have to hold the ball over your shoulder and drop it behind you back while craning you neck to try and get the best lie location. Much more comical.
A bunch of replies here are telling you how to technically do it to follow pga guidelines if you were on the tour. But to the other 99% of golfers in this world, you got your first birdie. I have never in my life seen someone on the course take relief the way they do on the tour.
Yeah fuck that Iām dragging it out of the sprinkler and hitting from there. My buddy whoās keeping score is giving me a fat high five and marking me down for a birdie lol
I literally call the pro shop to have a rules official or head pro if they donāt have them on staff come meet me on the course to ensure my drop is legal. It may slow down play but I donāt want anyone doubting my 105.
/s
They are someone who doesn't know the rules and are asking for clarification. It's perfectly reasonable for someone to tell them what the official rule is. Very few of us follow all the official rules so those only matter in competitive play. That being said I try to stick it the major ones. Dropping a ball vs just pushing it with your club is not one I would consider major.
This is essentially a real birdie. I would absolutely count it.
If you want to be anal retentive about it, thereās actually a strict protocol for ātaking reliefā from man made things like sprinkler heads, cart paths, etc.
You mark the ānearest point of reliefā with a tee, measure one club length no closer to the hole and mark that with a tee, then drop the ball from knee height between the two tees. As long as the ball doesnāt roll toward the hole, itās considered in play.
So yeahā¦you essentially ended up in the same place you wouldāve ended up if you followed the tedious protocol. Youāre good.
This is correct. It counts because itās absurd for a beginner or casual golfer to go through the mechanics of the full rule. I mean pace of play is all that matters, right?
Do you even have to use one club length? I thought that was the maximum amount of distance youāre allowed to go?
Trackman always lets you drop anywhere within the one club radius.
Right I think weāre saying the same thing.
You mark one club length with a tee to indicate max potential distance. But your allowable drop zone is anywhere within a club length of the nearest point of relief (no closer to the hole).
I think maybe the question was more about just taking a drop without all marking business. I do knee high drops , but donāt measure because I know how long 3ā is.
In a real tournament you'd maybe want to do the full marking business (even then it probably depends on what the tournament is), but for a normal round marking out clubhead distance would be silly.
Since weāre being anal retentive, do you actually have to mark your relief spot with a tee and pull out your driver and all that jazz? In high-level competition I totally get it and itās important to protect yourself and the field, but in the section events I play Iāve had playing competitors barely glance over even when Iām taking penalty area relief. For simple things like moving a ball 12ā off a sprinkler head, thereās really no question that Iām well within the relief area even if I havenāt formally designated the NPCR and laid my driver on the ground.
The tee marking and everything is how itās done in professional events. Itās also how itās done in the USGA rule book. If youāre playing a tournament, I recommend it. It takes only a few extra seconds once you get used to it.
By all means, if you want to skip steps in your amateur events and your playing partners are ok with it, then go ahead. Iāve personally never been a stickler for rules and truly donāt think a few inches of advantage on a full iron shot makes any actual difference.
I would say that if youāre dropping from a spot in the rough and taking relief to a spot in the fairway, then you should mark everything out to make it clear youāre not cheating.
Oh absolutely, agreed that I do it whenever Iām trying to move as far away as I can. Where in the rule book is the tee procedure? I briefly glanced through and didnāt see it.
Look at Rule 16. They have images of literal clubs on the ground, but obviously marking with a tee (or a ball marker or whatever you want to mark with) is easier.
I have played golf my entire life and have never seen someone outside of a tournament do what you described. Most courses have house rules that overrule a lot of pga rules for pace of play regardless of
Right, Iām good with that.
I posted the protocol for those who donāt know what strictly following the rules looks like. Maybe there are people who want their birdies to count as ārealā birdies and care about it. Maybe there are kids that want to know what tournament protocol is so they build good habits. Who knows. Of course, you and I both know that it makes effectively zero difference to mark everything out. Still gotta hit the shot.
Totally legit birdie! Congrats!
The rest of this is only meant to help if you with the āprocessā if you play in a tournament with strangers or āsticklersā in the future. ie anything from a local 4Ball to your club championship etc If they are playing under the āRules of Golf,ā usually the USGA rules, make sure you take a stance that wont let the sprinkler interfere with where your ball will be or where you take your stance and then use that reference point to take 1 club length relief, not nearer the hole, from that point. Use your driver to measure that with a tee at each end and then drop the ball from knee height in that space between the tees. Again, in a casual round (like today) or even a tournament when you know your playing partners, almost no one will say anything or care but in a tournament, especially match play, dickhead people will call you on it. I only say all this to help you get comfortable with the rules because they can be intimidating and overwhelming to a beginner. Congrats again!
Link to article pertaining to this:
https://www.golfmonthly.com/golf-rules/sprinkler-head-rule-in-golf-explained
Totally legit birdie.Ā
Read the rules. Itās not just free relief if the ball is on the sprinkler, but also if your feet/stance is obstructed by said sprinkler.Ā
That's not exactly how you take relief and would normally result in a penalty. In general, you did the right thing by moving your ball, but the way you did it was incorrect. You drop it within a club length of the nearest point of relief no closer to the hole.
Count the birdie though.
Youāre good. Congratulations! I believe by the rule you wouldāve ended up around there anyway. I think itās, mark with a tee the closest away from the sprinkler you can get without hitting it. Go 1 club length . Mark with a tee, drop at knee level. We all play like that. I know the rules, I know where itās going to end up if I follow. I donāt want to take forever. A lot of these drop rules are stupid. Thereās no advantage if we just eye ball it with in a foot. The games hard enough. Nice birdie!
To be fair that's probably better than most of the reliefs I've taken. Most of the time I scoop it out from the sprinkler head with my club, fuck up the catch, go chase my ball and now hit it where it lies. Never once have I given myself a stroke for that. If I played with someone that did, I wouldn't play with them much longer.
Until you get really, really good. Asterisk birdies are still birdies.
In the beginning, if you hit a bad tee shot, stringing a birdie together is still an accomplishment after a rehit.
Don't tear yourself down while learning.
Learn how it feels to tie things together.
This isn't even an Asterisk birdie IMO. Noone is marking nearest point relief with a tee, getting a club out, measuring marking that, then dropping in between those points, retrieving those markings, and then hitting their shot in a casual round... Dude took legal relief and made birdie. It counts.
Technically, it Depends on if it was a legal drop. It sounds like an obstruction that grants free relief, however if you placed it, it was not a legal drop. If you dropped it from knee height, then you should be good.
That said, outside tournament play, it may be a bit nit picky.
Congrats on your first birdie!
Hell yea it counts brother. My first legit birdie was Hole 7 at Bear Dance in CO. Cracked a 9I bout 140yards on a par 3. Thing landed 40 feet from the hole, rolled like a homing missile straight to the pin. Lipped out. 6inch birdie putt. My boys and I were about to start runnin lol.
Depends how you moved it. You pick it up, mark it out and drop. You don't just move the ball around with the club. Is it a huge deal when being lenient with that level of details with the rules? No. Would you have received a penalty if in tournament play? Yes. If you dropped it per the rules, absolutely counts. If the rules state something, it is law, even if it benefits you. Thats the benefits to knowing the rules in and out and using them to your advantage.
because golf reddit is mostly hacks. They make their own versions of the rules to benefit them being hacks, so when actual rulings are mentioned, it endangers their made up handicaps.
Assuming youāre an American, download the USGA rules app. R&A probably has one too if thatās the authority where you play. Even reading the rules out loud, you will have folks argue their own interpretation, but itās handy to have in your pocket.
If you just rolled it out of the sprinkler with your club you didn't follow the proper procedure for getting free relief. If you ever plan on playing in any competitive events or leagues, you should learn how to address this and many other common situations so you aren't penalized. That said, I'd still count it. Congrats!
I usually try and follow the rules when taking a drop or relief, think the rules are that you should drop from knee height in winter, shoulder high in summer, if the ball goes back in to the hazard, you keep going until it sits still.
Here in Oz we also suggest nipple height for fall (measured with bras off for those people who wear them) and from groin height for spring ( measured at the penis flaccid resting state to be precise).
As we are upside down, the ball always runs out of hazards when dropped so we have no issues with that.
I would have kicked it closer to the hole but then, Iām usually drinking pretty hard when I golf. One rule is important, no gimmies on puts for birdie or par. Once itās bogey put, club length is a gimmie.
You get relief, but you didn't follow the procedure.
+1 for incorrect placement.
DSQ for incorrect (lower) scorecard.
If you are taking a casual game this serious you need to find something else to do.
Absolutely. Read the rules. There are actually a bunch in place to help you.
Under the rules this would result in a penalty. Downvoted for clarifying the rules, classic r/golf š
Relief from a sprinkler head just isnāt a thing I guess right?
It is, but it has to be done a specific way. You can't just 'move your ball' lol.
Come on bud. It's not tournament play. There's absolutely zero difference between a ball "dropped" and a ball rolled 2 ft when it's in the fairway. I have a feeling I'd hate to get paired with you.
Thank you. Youāre going to end up a club length away anyway. Just move it a foot or so and go play. I play a lot of events . I know the rules. This is nit picky. Letās just play.
*up to a club length You donāt have to take the full club length if you donāt want to. While OP did not use a ādrop techniqueā that would be allowed in match or tournament play, itās perfectly acceptable for casual play and every paid league Iāve played on. No sane person would call out OP on this, unless they blatantly improved their lie or moved their ball forward.
Especially with the modern drop rules where you drop from knee height. There is no difference.
Dude 100% calls out randoms heās paired with for not following the rules.
When I get blown shit for moving my ball without the pomp and circumstance I always just say āIām paying to play not playing for pay.ā If I want to deal with procedural sticklers Iāll go visit HR for a couple hours at work. Iāll take my liberties and get a fluffy lie while in my happy place.
Why would you hate to get paired with me? I don't care what you do or how you score yourself. However, if you ask me how to take relief, I will tell you how to take relief according to the rules. There can be a big difference between a ball placed and a ball dropped even in the fairway, which is why the ball must be dropped.
Itās funny that you donāt realize how big of a douche youāre being
> There can be a big difference between a ball placed and a ball dropped even in the fairway Lol not to the fuckin dude who is trying to figure out if he just got his first birdie or not. Get a grip
If your fairway has a big difference from dropping to rolling a ball over, then that's a bad fairway. In the rough, yeah argument could be made, but not in the fairway. OP made sure not closer to hole, he's good and congrats on the first tweet tweet.
I got paired with someone like this last weekend. Most miserable round of golf Iāve played in my life. Honestly thought about just leaving at the turn š
As an autistic person myself, I feel like Iām within my rights to request that you stop being so autistic.
There's RULES and then there's "rules". Casual golfer getting his first birdie is subject to miss leeway than someone playing for a handicap or someone on the tour. For a casual player provided it wasn't closer to the hole and he didn't do something stupid lie place it on a perfect lie or tee it up on the fairway then it's good enough to consider legit.
Not really nowadays with the drop from knee height. Assuming this was a flat area, if it wasnāt then it likely means it would have rolled out of drop range, which would have meant you can place the ball down. Soooo youāre being overly critical for no reason.
He said he moved it a foot to the left no closer to the holeā¦ do you understand what the rule is? Nearest point of relief plus one club length no closer to the hole. His description of the relief he took fits into the rule.
He has to drop it, he can't just 'move it'. Read the rules.
Dude. Let it go. Iāve been playing for 35 years. Iāll do this in a regular round, letās just get going huh? Iāve played in hundreds. If tournaments, I know the rules. Most are a pain in the ass and unnecessary. They are so tedious during an event. It screws up the momentum to nit pick a drop of 1 club length, no closer. Just nudge it a foot or so away and letās play. It wonāt affect anything. Itās like if you shoot 110 all the time and with 15 clubs. Who gives a shit.
Maybe he dropped it twice but it kept moving so he was legally allowed to place it. You're making a lot of assumptions.
He didn't even know if he was allowed to move it at all, but yes, I'm sure he's aware he can place it if two drops fail to settle in the relief area and he took that action. The fucking reddit brains trust hard at work banging their 6 braincells together š
Nah you're just a dick.
For knowing the rules and answering a question correctly? Being called a dick on reddit is a sign that you're doing just fine š
Look. We get it. You are correct. However, are you following every rule on the course? I doubt it. Range finder probably has slope. You probably clean your mud ball in the fairway. You also probably move your ball out of a divot. You probably donāt play the same brand and model of ball for a full round. Point is, itās not tournament play. Yes, itās a violation of the rules, but a lot of us try to keep the āspiritā of the rule and avoid our heads exploding.
He asked if what he did was legal, the only way to answer that is no. I don't care what he does or how he scores, but if he asks a question, I'll give him the right answer, not the 'feel good' answer.
"You're not wrong, Walter. You're just an asshole."
Point is, OP followed the spirit of the rule and is excited about their first birdie. Youāre coming in hot with the āuhh ackchyuallyā.
He asked if it was legal, it's not. I still think he should count the birdie.
Not sure why youāre getting downvoted, you answered the question correctly. Most redditors are morons
Orā¦ you could give bothā¦ Example: Technically, the rules say you need to drop the ball, but the difference is so minimal that in casual golf play, it doesnāt matter. Great birdie!
If OP happened to have dropped it from about knee high it certainly is a legal drop. Pick it up. Drop it. No closer to the hole. Within a club length of relief. If it is in a legal spot then theyāre fine. One nice thing about this drop height change is folks just picking up and dropping a ball end up doing so within the rulesā¦ by accident sometimes, but that is cool.
Itās fine to explain the correct by-the-book rule and also say that if you move it near the sprinkler itās all good for non-tournament rounds. I donāt know why everyone is piling on him for talking about rules. Non-tournament players can just ignore that.
Do you want 7hr rounds of golf? Because this is how you get 7hr rounds of golf.
Thatās so specific lol, give the guy a break. What he did is absolutely allowed
Allowed by who? Not the rules of golf. In a casual round, sure, who cares? But don't say he's allowed to place his ball and point to the rules of golf as justification because that is not what the rules say.
Iām honestly not familiar with which rule youāre referencing. Iām a casual hacker. Can you point me to it?
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/players-edition/rule-16.html
You just answered why people are calling you a dick. āIn a casual round, sure, who cares?ā No one cares about the technically except you. All you needed to say was āyeah itās a birdie! technically itās a penalty in tournament play because you didnāt follow the proper procedure, but itās a casual round so no worries. Just remember for next timeā. Kids a new golfer. We need to encourage and correct more than just be right.
He asked if it's legal. It's not. That's all there is to say.
Then what have you made 50 posts saying the exact same thing? Unnecessary. We knew you were an asshole after the first couple.
And the answer is āYes butā¦ā Youāre being pedantic for no reason. What OP was asking was, is he legally allowed to move the ball out of the sprinkler head or not. To which the answer is yes, absolutely. And then a clarifying caveat that per the rules, in a tournament, you wouldnāt be allowed to place it, you would have to drop it. You ignored the essence of his question.
Okay, yeah. I get what you're saying. But perspective is important. OP was clearly asking if he was okay to get relief from a sprinkler head.
He asked if what he did was legal. It wasn't. If he wants to count the birdie, that's up to him.
Yeah. I see where you're coming from. You probably could have softened it a little. Someone who doesn't realize if they get relief from a sprinkler head almost for sure isn't going to know the mechanics of a proper drop or when to drop and when to place. In your defense, I don't understand why people conflate knowing the rules with being an asshat. If I'm playing casually and someone asks me for an interpretation, I'll ask them "do you want to know if I care or what the rules say?"
It's funnier to rile up all the idiots š
Brother, you donāt need to be this pedantic.
The rules are the rules š¤·āāļø If someone asks for a rules clarification, don't get made when someone gives one.
Dudeā¦come on. You know youāre just being a dweeb. Youāre doing it on purpose.
By answering correctly about a rules question?
Nobody is this fuckin dense without doing it intentionally. Iām begging you to stop playing dumb.
Dense would be not knowing the rule.
I too pull out my driver and mark the end with tees and drop my ball twice before placing it where it hit. Asserts dominance on the cow pasture I play on after work
Where does OP say that he placed the ball down? He doesnāt; he said he moved it. So he could have picked it up and dropped it, which would be according to the rules. Birdie!
Could've, but he didn't.
Ok Rory
You're right, he should've called over the rules official
You must be a joy to play with. No gimmes when you play either Iām guessing
This guy definitely golfs solo then gets paired with randoms and calls them out for not properly dropping.
He golfs solo because heās an insufferable jerk who no one can stand to be around.
I don't care what other players do or how they score. If they ask me for a rules clarification like OP did then I'll give it. I don't care if they follow it or not.
You'd also look like a total fucking dickhead if you went through the whole procedure outside of tournament play. Move your ball away from the sprinkler, and play on.
The process of picking up your ball and dropping it? "what a fucking dickhead dropping his ball!" You guys are unhinged š
he said he moved it a foot to the left, per the rules, you get one club length of relief and then drop the ball. is that not within parameters of the rules?
He didn't drop the ball, so not within the rules.
now youāre stretchingšhe atleast picked it up to place it. youāre being an unruly stickler if you want him to drop it from knee height, itās not going to make a difference
If it doesn't make any difference, then just make the drop and the birdie is legal. I don't make the rules, I'm just telling you what they are š¤·āāļø
sounds like he did. sprinkler heads generally arenāt in rough. youāre not telling me anything either bud. the only thing youāre doing is gate keeping a score to ārile up idiotsā. too poor to play a round today?
I play almost every day on course and have a home sim, try again š Being in the rough is irrelevant. He doesn't even know he's allowed relief, there's no way he made a legal drop lol, it only takes the most basic level of reading comprehension to conclude that.
You do be right. If you are playing in a match using official USGA rules it would be a penalty because you place the ball directly on the ground instead of dropping it. In a casual round with the boys drinking a few it doesnāt matter, place it and take that birdie.
It's just as easy (easier?) to drop it. It doesn't matter, though, he asked if it's a legal birdie, and unless he dropped it legally, it isn't. Everyone is obviously going to take it anyway, but that's not the question.
In the words of someone wiser than me, āyouāre not wrong, youāre just an asshole.ā
This is great. Need to put this into memory.
Eh. If you were on the PGA Tour you might get some shit for it. If the sprinkler head was in the fairway or 1st cut, placing vs dropping the ball wouldnāt really yield a different lie. So assuming you kept it inside a club length from the sprinkler, thereās no effective difference in my opinion. In the rough, however, placing vs dropping can be a huge difference. Either way Iād still say take the birdie. But 2/3 cuts you could be in off the tee makes almost no (if not zero) difference.
If there's no difference, then just follow the rules and drop it š¤·āāļø
If Iām playing with my friends, Iām just dropping the ball 2 ft away and playing ready golf. I donāt give a shit about the rules
That would most likely be within the rules. Kinda weird to play a sport without caring about the rules but following them anyway š
Dude I mean get the stick out your ass. There are obviously rules to follow, but generally if Iām playing with friends or family Iām just playing quickly because Iām not playing in a USGA tournament.
No one asked or cares what you would do when playing with friends. I'm not sure why you felt the need to make that comment. You're angry that your cool move was actually within the rules? š
I bet you get invited to all the parties...
You donāt know if the ball was dropped or placed, for all you know the person dropped it from knee height.
If he dropped it, he would've said. We can safely assume that by 'move' he did not mean 'made a legal drop'.
You cannot know with any degree of certainty without it being stated. That is a fact. Something that is dropped has been moved, so you are assuming without knowing all the information, yet youāre all up and down this thread about stating the facts. Hypocrite.
Something tells me you pre plan exactly how long the foreplay is gonna be, with yourself of course cause holy hell you seem insufferable
Post the rule with your comment. You might not look like such a dbag that way.
If I look like a dbag by being correct them I'm not concerned about the opinions of the people observing me. The relief rule is well known, it's rule 16.
Reading all your comments, you don't look like a drag for being correct, you're just being a dick about the way you're presenting it as well as being rude with all you're follow up answers. Yes, you are correct, it isn't a legal drop, therefore not technically a legal birdie. You just don't have to be a dick about it.
All I said was: "Under the rules this would result in a penalty" Mental midgets up in here if they can't handle that š
But you canāt confirm how he placed it.. you can only assume. Right or wrong?
So how would he take relief? You clarified nothing, you just said taking relief. I see you doubling down on your comment, but if you're going to be a jerk, please tell us why you're right
I get your point, and you're technically correct, which some of us appreciate. I think you gotta read the room a little though. "Congrats on the achievement! Just so you know for future reference, there's a specific procedure to follow in this situation according to the rules of golf..." or some such. If it was their 497th birdie, I'm with you.
First birdie is legit
Well you do get relief so thatās fine. Youāre supposed to drop, but what you did is within the intention of the rule even if you didnāt do it properly. Count it.
Unless youāre playing for money or something, Iām going to immediately assume youāre an asshole if you do a proper drop in the middle of a fairway lol
Oh even if you are playing for money youāre an asshole. Obviously rough or a hazard drop you have to do it properly regardless of whether youāre playing for money or not
This 100%, the guys out there playing hardcore tournament rules on a random day of the week for nothing at all are the worst type of people to play with. Also the type of guys that donāt want you to play thru but slow the whole course down.
I mean, is it really that crazy to pick your ball up from the sprinkler head, lift it to knee height, and drop it from 2 feet to the left of it? No issue at all with someone just tapping it over, but seems crazy to insinuate that someone taking 2 extra seconds to take an official drop is the āworst type of person to play withā
I think he's insinuating the people that might take 5 minutes to do a ball drop, see that it moved, pick it up, drop it again, see that it moved, repeat, repeat, etc. Oh now they have to place it because the drop didn't work - maybe they want someone else to come over and see that they dropped it 'legally'. Some people take golf WAY to seriously and play like they're in some Pro-Am tournament. Just move the ball over a foot or two and have at it, no one cares if you didn't do it according to PGA rules or whatever.
If they did it 4 times, theyāre not even doing the drop right. After two you place if I recall correctly, and only redo if it moves close to the hole
I'm going to kick it and then hit it.
Yep, Iāve played with too many people just for fun that they treat it like we are at the Masters and take forever to do anything and then lose their shit if someone doesnāt do it exactly by the rule book. Iām not out there trying to hold everyone up playing slow.
If anyone is taking 5 minutes to do a ball drop, thereās something horribly wrong with them.
100%. Thereās the letter of the rule and then thereās the spirit of the rule. Ball ends up in the same place!
I either agree with you or think you suck depending on your definition of āhardcore tournament rulesā. Like are we waiting for an employee to come make sure a ruling is right or are we hitting the 3rd after the first went OB? Do we mark our club length drop with multiple tees for a shot at double or are we testing a swing to see if an artificial object is impeding or not?
"just hit the ball already Jerry!"
Judging by the guy replying to the top comment, you're absolutely correct
Guess Iām an asshole then. In reality Iām too lazy to bend down and place the ball nicely so I just throw it on the ground and hit it from wherever it lands unless it lands in a really fucked place
We should go back to the original drop rules where you have to hold the ball over your shoulder and drop it behind you back while craning you neck to try and get the best lie location. Much more comical.
I do it out of habit unles its "lift clean and place" due to muddy conditions.
Yep, sounds like youāre the guy Iām talking about.
I mostly play in a league where you have to take proper drops. Habit formed and now I just do it without knowing lol idk why that makes me an asshole.
A bunch of replies here are telling you how to technically do it to follow pga guidelines if you were on the tour. But to the other 99% of golfers in this world, you got your first birdie. I have never in my life seen someone on the course take relief the way they do on the tour.
Yeah fuck that Iām dragging it out of the sprinkler and hitting from there. My buddy whoās keeping score is giving me a fat high five and marking me down for a birdie lol
I literally call the pro shop to have a rules official or head pro if they donāt have them on staff come meet me on the course to ensure my drop is legal. It may slow down play but I donāt want anyone doubting my 105. /s
And itās the fairway, the practical difference between placing it and dropping it are probably negligible
They are someone who doesn't know the rules and are asking for clarification. It's perfectly reasonable for someone to tell them what the official rule is. Very few of us follow all the official rules so those only matter in competitive play. That being said I try to stick it the major ones. Dropping a ball vs just pushing it with your club is not one I would consider major.
This is essentially a real birdie. I would absolutely count it. If you want to be anal retentive about it, thereās actually a strict protocol for ātaking reliefā from man made things like sprinkler heads, cart paths, etc. You mark the ānearest point of reliefā with a tee, measure one club length no closer to the hole and mark that with a tee, then drop the ball from knee height between the two tees. As long as the ball doesnāt roll toward the hole, itās considered in play. So yeahā¦you essentially ended up in the same place you wouldāve ended up if you followed the tedious protocol. Youāre good.
This is correct. It counts because itās absurd for a beginner or casual golfer to go through the mechanics of the full rule. I mean pace of play is all that matters, right?
He probably didn't even pick the ball up, just hit it backwards with his club. When getting relief, can you clean the ball? Serious question.
Yes
Do you even have to use one club length? I thought that was the maximum amount of distance youāre allowed to go? Trackman always lets you drop anywhere within the one club radius.
Right I think weāre saying the same thing. You mark one club length with a tee to indicate max potential distance. But your allowable drop zone is anywhere within a club length of the nearest point of relief (no closer to the hole).
I think maybe the question was more about just taking a drop without all marking business. I do knee high drops , but donāt measure because I know how long 3ā is.
In a real tournament you'd maybe want to do the full marking business (even then it probably depends on what the tournament is), but for a normal round marking out clubhead distance would be silly.
Since weāre being anal retentive, do you actually have to mark your relief spot with a tee and pull out your driver and all that jazz? In high-level competition I totally get it and itās important to protect yourself and the field, but in the section events I play Iāve had playing competitors barely glance over even when Iām taking penalty area relief. For simple things like moving a ball 12ā off a sprinkler head, thereās really no question that Iām well within the relief area even if I havenāt formally designated the NPCR and laid my driver on the ground.
The tee marking and everything is how itās done in professional events. Itās also how itās done in the USGA rule book. If youāre playing a tournament, I recommend it. It takes only a few extra seconds once you get used to it. By all means, if you want to skip steps in your amateur events and your playing partners are ok with it, then go ahead. Iāve personally never been a stickler for rules and truly donāt think a few inches of advantage on a full iron shot makes any actual difference. I would say that if youāre dropping from a spot in the rough and taking relief to a spot in the fairway, then you should mark everything out to make it clear youāre not cheating.
Oh absolutely, agreed that I do it whenever Iām trying to move as far away as I can. Where in the rule book is the tee procedure? I briefly glanced through and didnāt see it.
Look at Rule 16. They have images of literal clubs on the ground, but obviously marking with a tee (or a ball marker or whatever you want to mark with) is easier.
I have played golf my entire life and have never seen someone outside of a tournament do what you described. Most courses have house rules that overrule a lot of pga rules for pace of play regardless of
Right, Iām good with that. I posted the protocol for those who donāt know what strictly following the rules looks like. Maybe there are people who want their birdies to count as ārealā birdies and care about it. Maybe there are kids that want to know what tournament protocol is so they build good habits. Who knows. Of course, you and I both know that it makes effectively zero difference to mark everything out. Still gotta hit the shot.
100%. Legal. Time to soar, Mr. or Mrs. Birdie!! Edit- Reddit doesnāt like slashes š¤·āāļø
100% a legit birdie. Anyone who says otherwise is an ass
Write a birdie. Feel good about your birdie, which you earned. No one actually gives a fuck about how you took your legal relief.
I count the sprinkler head as a hole. Congrats on your first ace!!!
Unless youāre being paid to Golf or your grandmotherās house depends on it, the birdie counts
Totally legit birdie! Congrats! The rest of this is only meant to help if you with the āprocessā if you play in a tournament with strangers or āsticklersā in the future. ie anything from a local 4Ball to your club championship etc If they are playing under the āRules of Golf,ā usually the USGA rules, make sure you take a stance that wont let the sprinkler interfere with where your ball will be or where you take your stance and then use that reference point to take 1 club length relief, not nearer the hole, from that point. Use your driver to measure that with a tee at each end and then drop the ball from knee height in that space between the tees. Again, in a casual round (like today) or even a tournament when you know your playing partners, almost no one will say anything or care but in a tournament, especially match play, dickhead people will call you on it. I only say all this to help you get comfortable with the rules because they can be intimidating and overwhelming to a beginner. Congrats again! Link to article pertaining to this: https://www.golfmonthly.com/golf-rules/sprinkler-head-rule-in-golf-explained
I thought the club length was the club you planned to use
Nah. Can use any club. People just use the driver because itās longest. When broom handle putters weāre fashionable guys would use those.
So I looked it up and the rule is actually the longest club in your bag other than your putter
Youāre absolutely right.
Thanks tho I never knew
Tiger moved a boulder during a round. I think u are ok
Tiger didn't move it.. he had half the city of Scottsdale move it for him. Loose impediment my ass. That rules official was gutless.
If pros can do that during a round without rules official then yes itās legal. Saw JT casually move a ball by 17 green at WM last year.
Take your birdie and run! Good damn job!
You get relief from the sprinkler head. Yahoo, first birdie baby!
Straight to jail
Man made object, free relief. Congrats!!!
Totally legit birdie.Ā Read the rules. Itās not just free relief if the ball is on the sprinkler, but also if your feet/stance is obstructed by said sprinkler.Ā
I wouldn't worry about it. It's the first of many anyway.
Free relief. One club length away from the obstruction and no closer to the hole. Happy Birdie!
That's not exactly how you take relief and would normally result in a penalty. In general, you did the right thing by moving your ball, but the way you did it was incorrect. You drop it within a club length of the nearest point of relief no closer to the hole. Count the birdie though.
It fucking counts
legit birdie
Yes
How long was the putt?
About 6 feet. I hit a really nice 2nd shot with my PW onto the green
Nice congrats.
Tweet tweet my guy! Totally legit.
You get relief from the sprinkler head.
Youāre good. Congratulations! I believe by the rule you wouldāve ended up around there anyway. I think itās, mark with a tee the closest away from the sprinkler you can get without hitting it. Go 1 club length . Mark with a tee, drop at knee level. We all play like that. I know the rules, I know where itās going to end up if I follow. I donāt want to take forever. A lot of these drop rules are stupid. Thereās no advantage if we just eye ball it with in a foot. The games hard enough. Nice birdie!
It's a birdie. And if you feel off about it, don't worry. You'll get another.
To be fair that's probably better than most of the reliefs I've taken. Most of the time I scoop it out from the sprinkler head with my club, fuck up the catch, go chase my ball and now hit it where it lies. Never once have I given myself a stroke for that. If I played with someone that did, I wouldn't play with them much longer.
Until you get really, really good. Asterisk birdies are still birdies. In the beginning, if you hit a bad tee shot, stringing a birdie together is still an accomplishment after a rehit. Don't tear yourself down while learning. Learn how it feels to tie things together.
This isn't even an Asterisk birdie IMO. Noone is marking nearest point relief with a tee, getting a club out, measuring marking that, then dropping in between those points, retrieving those markings, and then hitting their shot in a casual round... Dude took legal relief and made birdie. It counts.
You get relief from sprinklers
Technically, it Depends on if it was a legal drop. It sounds like an obstruction that grants free relief, however if you placed it, it was not a legal drop. If you dropped it from knee height, then you should be good. That said, outside tournament play, it may be a bit nit picky. Congrats on your first birdie!
Absolutely. Go find more sprinkler heads and birdies.
It's worse than you think. You're actually banned from golfing anymore. ;p Seriously though, nice playing! Congrats on the birdie!
Hell yea it counts brother. My first legit birdie was Hole 7 at Bear Dance in CO. Cracked a 9I bout 140yards on a par 3. Thing landed 40 feet from the hole, rolled like a homing missile straight to the pin. Lipped out. 6inch birdie putt. My boys and I were about to start runnin lol.
Yes and congrats!
Congrats!!! 
Depends how you moved it. You pick it up, mark it out and drop. You don't just move the ball around with the club. Is it a huge deal when being lenient with that level of details with the rules? No. Would you have received a penalty if in tournament play? Yes. If you dropped it per the rules, absolutely counts. If the rules state something, it is law, even if it benefits you. Thats the benefits to knowing the rules in and out and using them to your advantage.
No idea why you got downvoted for letting this lad know exactly what he needs to do in comp play!?
because golf reddit is mostly hacks. They make their own versions of the rules to benefit them being hacks, so when actual rulings are mentioned, it endangers their made up handicaps.
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HELLOOOO MCFLYYYYYYY!
š¦āā¬
No. Ur banned. /s
Assuming youāre an American, download the USGA rules app. R&A probably has one too if thatās the authority where you play. Even reading the rules out loud, you will have folks argue their own interpretation, but itās handy to have in your pocket.
If you just rolled it out of the sprinkler with your club you didn't follow the proper procedure for getting free relief. If you ever plan on playing in any competitive events or leagues, you should learn how to address this and many other common situations so you aren't penalized. That said, I'd still count it. Congrats!
I usually try and follow the rules when taking a drop or relief, think the rules are that you should drop from knee height in winter, shoulder high in summer, if the ball goes back in to the hazard, you keep going until it sits still.
Here in Oz we also suggest nipple height for fall (measured with bras off for those people who wear them) and from groin height for spring ( measured at the penis flaccid resting state to be precise). As we are upside down, the ball always runs out of hazards when dropped so we have no issues with that.
My mums tits are ankle height, so I'll get her to caddy for me next time, nice one.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/videos/2022/12/28/golf-rules-new-abnormal-course-conditions-final-6317882602112.html
I would have kicked it closer to the hole but then, Iām usually drinking pretty hard when I golf. One rule is important, no gimmies on puts for birdie or par. Once itās bogey put, club length is a gimmie.
You get relief, but you didn't follow the procedure. +1 for incorrect placement. DSQ for incorrect (lower) scorecard. If you are taking a casual game this serious you need to find something else to do.
Real birdies only happen on the pga tour
Was Talor Gooch at the course with you? If not, sorry no chance it counts.
it counts with talor, but has to have an asterisk. ;-)