The Match committee has been asked to clarify what happens if you find your ball in an area where a kangaroo has disturbed the ground. We have had reports of some members asking their playing partners to allow them relief from such areas i.e. a free drop.
Some members will no doubt remember getting relief in the past from the actions of ‘burrowing animals’. However the major R&A/USGA rules update of 2019 removed the term from the Rules of Golf to remove any distinction between burrowing animals and any other animals on the course. Instead the term now used in the rules is ‘animal holes’ and defines this as any hole dug in the ground by an animal, except for holes dug by animals that are also defined as loose impediments (such as worms or insects)”. The definition goes further and an animal hole also includes the loose material the animal dug out of the hole, a worn-down track, or trail, that leads into that hole, and any area on the ground that’s either pushed up, or altered, as a result of an animal that’s been digging a hole underground. The full details of this can be found under Rule 16.1.
So, we can understand why some members might feel they should get relief – they often encounter ground that has been pushed up or altered by kangaroos. However the key part of Rule 16.1 is that the disturbed ground must be the result of an animal digging a hole. Unfortunately a kangaroo creating a comfortable spot to lie under a tree is not digging a hole.
So under the Rules of Golf you just have to play it as it lies when you find yourself in an area of ground disturbed by one of our friendly roos…….
Ah, but wait…..
due to the preponderance of kangaroo activity on our beautiful course we do have a local rule with which most of you will be familiar – if you find yourself in a kangaroo footprint or a disturbed area where a kangaroo has been lying in a bunker, you do get free relief. The ball may be lifted, cleaned and dropped (not placed) in the bunker as near as possible to where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole, without penalty.
So, there you have it – in the general area you get no relief, in the bunker you get a free drop.
Happy golfing!
