Can you take a free drop from a divot?

As you suspect, an attached divot isn't a loose impediment, so there's no free relief on offer for this rather comical calamity. Your pal must either play the ball as it lies — near impossible, apparently — or, if the ball is in the general area, take unplayable ball relief under Rule 19 for one penalty stroke.
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What are the rules for taking a drop?

When taking relief, whether with penalty or without, you must drop a ball. The ball must be dropped straight down from knee height, must be dropped by you (or your partner), must first strike the ground within your relief area, and must remain within that relief area.
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When can you get a free drop in golf?

(2) When Ball Is in Penalty Area. The player may take free relief or penalty relief: Free Relief: Playing from Inside Penalty Area. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b, except that the nearest point of complete relief.
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Can you always take a drop in golf?

In most cases, you need to play the ball from the lie you found it, but there are exceptions to the rule. You're allotted a drop if your ball is on the cart path, near a man-made object or it's a marked area like “ground under repair.”
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Do you get relief from a rabbit hole?

When your ball is in a rabbit hole, you get a free drop under Rule 16... but you must have a reasonable stroke into the back of the ball in order to get that free relief. However, in the instance in our video, without a reasonable stroke to the back of the ball you cannot get free relief from a rabbit hole.
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Rules of Golf Explained: Why can't you get a free drop out of a divot?



Do you get free relief from a tree in golf?

Is there any free relief, or is it just play it as it lies? Answer: The Rules of Golf stipulate that this is play it as it lies, similar to a ball being up a tree, or on top of a rock. If you don't wish to play it as it lies, then you can take an unplayable, which will cost you a one stroke penalty. .
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Can you take relief from a fence in golf?

Fairways and Rough (General Area)

You do not get free relief from objects that define or mark the course boundary. You may not move objects marking course boundaries or take free relief from them like you would from other artificial objects, like a cart path, a building, or a stake marking a penalty area.
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Can you take a drop if you lose a ball?

Instead of the player returning to the spot of the previous shot in the event of a lost ball or a ball out of bounds, the player can take a drop in the nearest spot of the fairway (within two club-lengths of the edge of the fairway), no nearer the hole than where the ball crossed the OB line, with a two-stroke penalty.
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Can you take relief from a tree?

When a player's ball lies above the ground (such as in a bush or a tree), the player may take lateral relief by using the point on the ground directly below the spot of the ball as his or her reference point: The relief area.
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What are the 4 penalties in golf?

Golf Penalty Outcomes
  • One Stroke Penalty.
  • Two Stroke Penalty.
  • Provisional.
  • Disqualification (DQ)
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Are you allowed to move the ball on the fairway?

The ball must not be replaced, no matter what caused it to move. Instead, you must play the ball from where it comes to rest after the stroke. If you caused the ball to move, see Rule 9.4b to find out if there is a penalty.
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Do pro golfers fix divots?

The players know this fact so they don't replace their divots when playing on Bermudagrasses but they do when they play on the northern grasses. The holes left by the players are filled with sand by the maintenance staff after each round.
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How many drops are you allowed in golf?

A player currently needs to know the nine re-dropping scenarios; these are difficult to understand and apply and this is a widely misunderstood Rule. Under the new Rule, the player will only need to know that the ball must be re-dropped if it comes to rest outside the relief area.
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How many times can you drop in golf?

The player must drop a ball again in the right way, and there is no limit to the number of times the player must do so. A ball dropped in the wrong way does not count as one of the two drops required before a ball must be placed under Rule 14.3c(2).
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What is the new OB rule in golf?

“When a player's ball has not been found or is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds, the player may proceed as follows rather than proceeding under stroke and distance. For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):
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What happens if you find your golf ball after 3 minutes?

If the original ball is found within three minutes of starting the search, it remains the ball in play. Continued) and the player must abandon the provisional ball. Continued). If the three-minute search time expires before the original ball is found, the provisional ball.
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Can you declare a golf ball lost without looking for it?

For the sake of clarity, this is what it states: “A player may not make a ball lost by declaration. A ball is only lost when it has not been found within three minutes after the player or his or her caddie or partner begins to search for it.”
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Do you get relief from a man made object in golf?

Your ball lies next to a sprinkler head, an electric box, a 150-yard post or another man-made object typically found on a golf course. What do you do? These objects are considered obstructions (Rule 24), and you're entitled to relief without penalty if your ball, stance or swing is interfered with by an obstruction.
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What is the immovable object rule in golf?

Immovable obstructions are artificial objects that are on the course for a good reason but aren't meant to interfere with the playing of our game. If an immovable obstruction interferes with your lie, stance and/or swing then you're eligible for free relief.
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Can you take a drop in a penalty area?

Lateral relief allows you to drop a ball into a relief area measured from where your ball last crossed the edge of red penalty area. From that reference point, you are allowed to drop outside the penalty area and anywhere within two club-lengths of that spot, no nearer to the hole (see Rule 17.1d(3)).
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Can I move my golf ball from a divot?

Answer: No, you cannot move a golf ball out of a divot hole even when that divot is in the fairway - at least, not without penalty. (You can declare the ball unplayable, assess yourself a 1-stroke penalty, and drop.) This is probably one of the more disliked rules in the game by golfers of all skill levels.
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Can you move a ball behind a tree in golf?

Unfortunately, your options are limited. You have to play the shot just like you normally would. The best a golfer can probably do at this stage is hit the ball forwards onto the fairway to line up for the next shot or play the ball backwards onto the fairway or rough to improve green visibility.
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Can you break tree branches in golf?

Although Rule 13-2 allows a player to eliminate irregularities on the teeing ground, it does not allow him to break a branch interfering with his swing. THE PENALTY WOULD APPLY EVEN IF THE PLAYER, BEFORE PLAYING HIS STROKE, RETEED ON THE TEEING GROUND."
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