Some thoughts

[quincy]

John

I love the atmosphere here, old friends wherever I look !

Ball lost in a movable obstruction.

Have there really been enough incidents of this kind ? I recall a single one on one of the professional tours, must be twenty years ago, where a player was searching in a rubbish bin for five minutes.

Flat IOs

Vertical obstructions such as staked trees, buildings or telephone poles are on one hand rarely in the vicinity of where a properly struck ball comes to rest and on the other hand, if his swing is not impeded and the player has only stance interference he has still a shot. The longer I think about it the more I see a point in denying stance relief for IOs altogether. But this is probably for another day.

Power Lines

There are probably more power lines interfering with the game in Switzerland than anywhere in the world.

On my home course there are 16 cables crossing rectangularly the fairways #1 and 2 at 140 yards from the back tees, struck at least twice per hour, and the LR as in D. 33-8/13 is the only chapter in the book every single member has understood and applies properly. We would have a hard time to explain to them that from now on they have to play their ball as it lies.

One point I have forgotten in my first post. The fundamental Rules of the game, play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies, would merit a proper location in the current or a future Rule book: In Rule one or even in a preamble.

quincy