Those pesky sprinkler heads

By Neville Idour

How often have we played golf with mates or even in a club event or tournament and one of the group finds his ball sitting inches or more behind a sprinkler head that is just off the green and is directly between his ball and the hole?

How often does that player assume he can take relief by moving the ball to one side of the sprinkler head creating a clear path to the hole?

Over the years I have encountered that on several occasions and in most cases the player has assumed he can move the ball as in the case of a movable obstruction. However, that is not the case.

Sprinkler heads are an immovable obstruction covered by Rule 16 in the rules of golf. You are only entitled to relief from an immovable obstruction if your ball touches or is on the immoveable obstruction, in this case the sprinkler head. You can also get relief if the sprinkler head interferes with your intended stance or swing, such as if your foot is on it or the follow through of your putt would clip the sprinkler head.

You would get a free drop so you would establish the nearest point of relief no closer to the hole where there is no interference. You then have one club length from that point to create a relief area in which to drop the ball no nearer the hole.

However, if your ball is lying in the general area off the putting surface as aforementioned and the sprinkler head is on your line of play, but not affecting lie, stance or swing you are not entitled to free relief under rule 16.1a.

The only option is to play it as it lies and decide will I chip over it, putt through it or go round it.

The only time you would get relief from a sprinkler head in your line of play is if your ball is on the putting green and because of the unusual shape your line to the hole necessitates you putting over the fringe where a sprinkler head is located. No doubt we all have encountered greens where we need to putt off the green to take the slope to the hole.

There is an option for clubs to implement a model local rule (MLR)(F-5.1) which allows a player to drop away from an immoveable obstruction on the line of play that is within two club lengths of the putting green and within two club lengths of the ball. However no local rule, no relief.

Those pesky sprinkler heads! Happy golfing.