Sometimes in golf, it matters what you say or don’t say. For example, if you aren’t sure your tee shot is safe and you want to play a provisional ball, you must actually tell someone in your group what you’re about to do. The declaration can’t be retroactive. If you didn’t declare a provisional before hitting a second tee shot, that second ball is now in play (and you just took a stroke-and-distance penalty).
RELATED: I took an unplayable but my drop ended up in an even worse spot. What happens now?
This mandatory verbal declaration doesn’t apply, however, when conceding a stroke in matchplay. A simple thumbs-up or similar gesture can get the job done without actually saying “that putt’s good” or “pick it up”.
But what about when you make a declaration, then decide you’re going to proceed in another manner? For instance, what do the Rules of Golf say about the scenario in this headline? Well, let’s find out.
Say your ball is caked in mud but not embedded. You think there’s no way to play your next shot from that spot without getting your white golf pants (why did you choose white, anyway?) blasted with filth. You decide the way to go is to take unplayable-lie relief under Rule 19. That relief comes with a stroke penalty, but it gets you out of the mud. Knowing that, you yell across the fairway to your opponent and let them know what you’re up to.
However, after you pick up your ball, you look down at the ground and realise you just made a mistake. Your ball was sitting in temporary water, as well as being muddy. Temporary water is one of four abnormal course conditions that come with free relief (the others are ground under repair, immovable obstructions and animal holes).
Not only did you declare to an opponent you were “taking an unplayable”, but you also picked the ball up. Can you now get the free relief you were entitled to?
Fingers crossed? What’s the ruling?
The answer is yes under Rule 19.2/4. As long as you haven’t put a ball in play, you’re still allowed to take free relief as outlined in Rule 16.1. It wouldn’t have mattered if the ball was in the temporary water if your stance or intended swing was interfered with by it. The same rule would apply.
Since we’re role-playing here, another scenario you might wonder about is what happens if your ball was in such a terrible lie that you conceded the hole to your opponent rather than play on. Only after the concession do you realise you were entitled to free relief. Do you still get it?
Fingers crossed again. What’s the ruling?
Unfortunately for you, this time the answer is no. A concession cannot be withdrawn.
The lesson is to carefully review your lie before deciding what to do next. You might be in a better situation than you think.
