Preferred Lies
Rules for when Placing is "on"
If and when the blackboard says that placing is on, the following is the rule (in line with rule E-3):
When a player's ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less (fairways and green fringes), the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball and playing it from this relief area:
• Reference Point: Spot of the original ball.
• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point - one scorecard width (5.4 inches) from the reference point, but with these limits:
o Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
o Must be in the general area.
Further info:
• The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this rule (as per rule 14.1c)
• This rule DOES NOT apply to a ball on the green
• The ball must be placed in the general area- i.e. cannot be moved from the fringe to the green.
• Placing is only allowed once- one release it cannot be placed a second time
• If embedded the player may choose if to take relief under embedded ball rule 16.3 or preferred lies first.
(This advice is consistent with the poster on the noticeboard and supersedes the slightly different form of words emailed out to members on 7 October 2024, even though the meaning of both was the same)
When a player's ball lies in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less (fairways and green fringes), the player may take free relief once by placing the original ball or another ball and playing it from this relief area:
• Reference Point: Spot of the original ball.
• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point - one scorecard width (5.4 inches) from the reference point, but with these limits:
o Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
o Must be in the general area.
Further info:
• The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this rule (as per rule 14.1c)
• This rule DOES NOT apply to a ball on the green
• The ball must be placed in the general area- i.e. cannot be moved from the fringe to the green.
• Placing is only allowed once- one release it cannot be placed a second time
• If embedded the player may choose if to take relief under embedded ball rule 16.3 or preferred lies first.
(This advice is consistent with the poster on the noticeboard and supersedes the slightly different form of words emailed out to members on 7 October 2024, even though the meaning of both was the same)