High winds and stormy weather have brought down trees and branches, what do you do if one is interfering with your golf swing? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all.
By Sheila Waltham
Following the recent high winds, a large branch had detached and fallen from a tree. Part of it was interfering with my opponent’s swing. She couldn’t move the whole branch because it was too heavy but broke off the part that was interfering with her swing. Should she have incurred a penalty?
No, she did not incur any penalty.
The Rules restrict what a player can do to improve conditions affecting her stroke. The branch had become detached, this causes it to become a loose impediment. Rule 8.1 allows the player to take reasonable actions to remove loose impediments. The player may remove a loose impediment from anywhere on or off the course, in any way including breaking off part of it (Rule 15.1a).
About the author
Sheila Waltham has been a qualified rules official for over 15 years and joined the England Golf Tournament Panel of Referees in 2019. A keen golfer since 1995, Sheila’s interest in the Rules was born out of the realisation that a lot of the information she received as a novice golfer was incorrect. So, she took matters into her own hands!
Become a whizz on the rules and check out our previous Ask the Ref features, like this one: What happens if my golf ball ends up in a puddle?
