Some thoughts

[quincy]

John and David

many thanks for a great job! There is not much room left for critics but allow me some thoughts after a first sighting:

I like Don Lilley's suggestion and reasoning to reduce casual water to areas where water is visible on the surface.
And it's difficult to disagree with Phil Bridges - as usual.

Immovable Obstructions

nine times out of ten relief is required and granted for roads and paths, sprinkler heads, drainage covers and the like, flat and/or covering the ground. Metal spikes having disappeared there is no need any longer for granting stance relief IMHO. Someone might come up with an elegant definition of this kind of obstructions.

Ball in a movable obstruction not found

Is this Rule really necessary ? A ball in a garbage bin or on a greenkeeper's vehicule ? It happens once in a lifetime.

Water hazard - opposite side option

On a course where a stream borders a hole this relief option for a ball which enters the hazard from the wrong side could only be replaced by additional bridges. I think a note should be added which allows a committee to introduce a Local Rule providing this option.

Power lines

Currently there are two Local Rules in the book. Is there a reason to deal with permanent and temporary Power lines in different Rules?

Some hairsplitting

as near as possible - as nearly as possible: either, or but not both (R. 23-1)

(And why not grab the opportunity to define it: index/thumb span, hand span, 6 inches or whatever ?)

Cleaning a lifted ball

I suggest to shift this from R. 5-3 to R. 19-1, added to the first sentence.
In other Rules (15-1, 22-1) "cleaning" can be skipped.

Last but not least: it will be hard to convince the world but I love the idea of dropping and re-dropping to disappear - and with it myriads of penalty strokes and numerous Decisions.

Kind regards quincy