Golf Rule Clarification Please!?

Question

Recently, I was playing a course with bent grass greens and those huge fans that are mounted near the greens to blow them.....or whatever they're for, doesn't really matter.
here's the situation. I hit my 2nd shot way left and find myself right behind one of the fans. My buddy gives me relief from the 'immovable man-made object' and I drop 10 yards left, chip it nice and close and make par. I felt a little bad, and we both agreed that the trajectory of my chip would have for sure hit the fan and gone backwards. Did my buddy do the right thing by giving me that relief? What is the official rule for a fan, and outhouse, port-a-potty, etc?

Answer 1

From the info that you provided, it sounds like you (and your buddy) did the right thing. I'm not clear as to whether the fan is movable or immovable, but here are the official rulings from the USGA Rules of Golf:

24-1 Movable Obstruction
A player may take relief without penalty from a movable obstruction as follows:
(a) If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction. Otherwise, Rule 18-2a applies. (b) If the ball lies in or on the obstruction, the ball may be lifted and the obstruction removed. The ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the obstruction, but not nearer the hole. The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.
When a ball is in motion, an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball, other than an attended flagstick or equipment of the players, must not be removed.
(Exerting influence on ball — see Rule 1-2.)
Note: If a ball to be dropped or placed under this Rule is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.

24-2 Immovable Obstruction
a. Interference
Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s stance or the area of his intended swing. If the player’s ball lies on the putting green, interference also occurs if an immovable obstruction on the putting green intervenes on his line of putt. Otherwise, intervention on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.
b. Relief
Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction as follows:
(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green. (ii) In a Bunker: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either: (a) Without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above, except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker; or (b) Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point where the ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped. (iii) On the Putting Green: If the ball lies on the putting green, the player must lift the ball and place it without penalty at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief may be off the putting green. (iv) On the Teeing Ground: If the ball lies on the teeing ground, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty in accordance with Clause (i) above. The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.
(Ball rolling to a position where there is interference by the condition from which relief was taken — see Rule 20-2c(v).)
Exception: A player may not take relief under this Rule if (a) it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction or (b) interference by an immovable obstruction would occur only through use of an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing or direction of play.
Note 1: If a ball is in a water hazard (including a lateral water hazard), the player may not take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction. The player must play the ball as it lies or proceed under Rule 26-1.
Note 2: If a ball to be dropped or placed under this Rule is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.
Note 3: The Committee may make a Local Rule stating that the player must determine the nearest point of relief without crossing over, through or under the obstruction.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

The rule on immovable obstructions is that you get relief only if the obstruction interferes with your lie, swing or stance. If your club would have hit the obstruction on your swing (including your follow through), then you can get relief.

You are supposed to find the nearest point of relief, and drop within one club length of that point (not nearer the hole , of course). You must get full relief from obstruction. I wasn't there, but it seem like10 yards might be too far.

There is no such thing as "line of flight" relief. If you're far enough behind the obstruction that you can take your stance and swing, then you get no relief.

To correct a few other misconceptions, the only place you can't drop is onto the green or in a hazard. If your ball is in the rough, and the nearest relief is in the fairway, you can drop in the fairway. On the other hand, if your ball is in the fairway and the near relief is in the rough, you have to drop in the rough.

If the fans are within two club lengths of the green, then the course can make a local rule to give you relief any time you're within two club lengths of them

Answer 4

regulations fo golf have been in transition because they have been made element of the sport. the clarification for regulations and the concepts on the regulations replaced into to get all human beings who performs the sport to accomplish that in the comparable framework. it is unquestionably one of very few activities the place the honesty of the participant is uppermost and the place gamers call infractions against themselves. in the case the place the club isn't grounded and the ball moved and the participant has no longer taken his finished handle place, there is not any penalty. besides the undeniable fact that, regardless of if his club isn't grounded and he has taken the completed handle place and the ball strikes, he has been deemed to have brought about the ball to circulate and could be penalized in this difficulty.

Answer 5

Any man made objesct that obstructs your shot you get 2 club lengths anywhere except towards the green and you are not penalized a stroke

Answer 6

one thing I know is that if it's man-made anything such as a cigarette butt you can move the cigarette butt. but if it was a natural artifact such as a stick or a twig then you couldn't move those things. so if there wasn't a way to move the fan then I would have dropped it just as far away but to the left or right. correct me anyone if I am not completely correct!

Answer 7

Since it was in removable fan you should have placed your ball no closer to the hole but in the same grass you were in (rough fringe fairway etc.) no stroke should have been given to you. good call