My Ball Ended On A Set Of Steps And I Wanted To Play It. My Opponent Said I Had To Drop. Did I Have To?

Here’s the scene – You’re playing an important match and the game looks like going right to the death.

On the 15^th hole, with the tie all square, you’ve pushed your approach shot to the right of the green. It’s come to rest on a set of wooden steps, lying perfectly on a timber embedded on the ground.

Looking at the surrounding area, there is bare, sloping ground and deep rough within a club length of your nearest point of relief. Assessing the situation, you decide you’d like to play it.

But your opponent is not in agreement. They say you are required to take a drop away from the steps. It’s time to check the Rules… Do you have to take a free drop?

Well, first thing to say is that you would be entitled to a free drop away from the steps if they are not defined as an integral part of the course.

If they are listed as an integral part of the course, you would either need to play the shot or take penalty relief for an unplayable ball.

If the steps are defined as an immovable obstruction, you would be entitled to free relief under Rule 16 if they interfere with your lie, stance or swing.

You would find your nearest point of complete relief from the steps and then drop within one club-length of that reference point, no closer to the hole.

But what if you don’t like the options there and would rather just play it as it lies? Can you do that?

The answer to that is, yes, you probably can. You can almost always choose to play the ball as it lies if it sits anywhere on the golf course.

If your ball lies on a cart path and the best option available to you is to play it from there, you can do it.

The only instance when you wouldn’t be able to play the ball as it lies from the steps in question would be if they sat within an area designated as a “no play zone” by the committee.

If your ball is in a “no play zone,” or you are going to stand in one or your swing will hit something in one when making your stroke, you must take relief.

If you don’t take relief from interference by a no play zone and play your stroke, you would face the general penalty (loss of hole in match play and two strokes in stroke play.)

Unless the steps on which your ball is sitting are in a designated “no play zone” you can choose to play it as it lies.