Candy bar wrapper versus banana peel
If you are reading this, it may be that you just couldn't believe that the title had anything to do with golf but after your finish reading, I hope you will be glad your curiosity got the best of you.
I was playing along with a Woodmont Cup match the other day and the group asked about the rule regarding a small tree branch that was lying in a bunker just in front of a player's ball. The question was "Can I move the branch". The answer according to Rule 13 - 4, is that the player may not touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard. Notice the highlight on loose impediment.
Loose impediments include sticks, twigs and branches. Well what about a banana peel? To answer the question, you need to know how to classify loose objects that are NOT loose impediments. For that, you need to understand Obstructions and more particularly, Movable Obstructions.
To keep things simple, just think of a movable obstruction as anything artificial, including the artificial surfaces and sides of roads and paths and manufactured ice that is movable (versus a fixed part of the golf course). So, since a banana peel is not artificial, it is a loose impediment and a candy bar wrapper is a movable obstruction.
A word of caution with respect to Movable Obstructions (whether in a hazard or not). Things like "No Cart" signs, red and yellow hazard stakes and ropes and stakes used to prevent entry to an area of the course ARE movable obstructions. OUT OF BOUNDS markers ARE NOT movable obstructions. (but obstructions that are out of bounds ARE movable obstructions)
You may want to look more closely some at the definitions below, especially the definition of loose impediments. Notice that Sand and Loose Soil off the putting green ARE NOT loose impediments except on the putting surface. "Dew" and "frost" are not loose impediments even on the green (see the decision on rule 16-1a/3 below) even though snow and natural ice are loose impediments! How many times have you seen people using their hand or a towel to brush sand, dirt or dew away from the area of their ball before they hit an approach shot to the green? Not allowed!!!!! BTW - a loose clump of earth (like a dirt clod) or a plug from an aerating machine are both loose impediments.
So if you are thoroughly confused, you're welcome!! As always, you don't have to believe me. Read the rules yourself. I'm just trying to get the conversation started!!
Cheers
RULES AND DEFINITIONS for Reference:
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Loose Impediments
"Loose impediments" are natural objects, including:
stones, leaves, twigs, branches and the like,
dung, and
worms, insects and the like, and the casts and heaps made by them,
provided they are not:
fixed or growing,
solidly embedded, or
adhering to the ball.
Sand and loose soil are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere.
Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player.
Dew and frost are not loose impediments.
Obstructions
An "obstruction" is anything artificial, including the artificial surfaces and sides of roads and paths and manufactured ice.
If you look at rule 24-1 below, you see that "movable obstructions" provide a relief situation for a player even if the movable obstruction is in a hazard. Movable obstructions are obstruction that are movable as opposed to fixed. (CAUTION: red and yellow stakes are movable obstructions but out of bounds markers are NOT, but I digress!)
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16-1a/3 - Removing Dew or Frost from Line of Putt
Q.May a player brush dew or frost from his line of putt?
A.No. Rule 16-1a prohibits touching the line of putt except in removal of loose impediments, repair of ball marks, etc. Dew or frost are not loose impediments - see Definition of "Loose Impediments." Accordingly, such action would be a breach of Rule 16-1a.
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24-1. Movable Obstruction
A player may take relief, without penalty, from a movable obstruction as follows:
a. If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction. Otherwise, Rule 18-2 applies.
b. If the ball lies in or on the obstruction, the ball may be lifted and the obstruction removed. The ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on the putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the obstruction, but not nearer the hole.
The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.
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