10/29/2025 - Miramar

There's enough paint on the fairways at Miramar right now to paint one of the hangars where they store the F-18s.  Which is probably a good thing, since you're usually trying to guess what qualifies as Ground Under Repair.  And I wanted to re-read the rule because I thought I remembered something weird about the nearest point of relief for GUR.

Ground Under Repair is covered by Rule #16.1.  Rule #16.1b covers relief in the general area, which includes the fairway.  This section indicates that the Reference Point for relief is the nearest point of complete relief.  It does not specify that it can't be closer to the hole.  My thinking was that if you are in a big area marked as GUR, the nearest point of complete relief could be in front of the GUR.  But alas, if you look at the definition of the nearest point of complete relief, it is specified there that it can't be closer to the hole.  So you have to go sideways.

This makes sense, but I remembered reading the rule and noticing that the rule didn't mention not nearer the hole explicitly.  But it's there in the definition of nearest point of complete relief.

I also hit my ball into a pile of branches left of the fairway on #10.  Natural materials piled for removal are considered ground under repair.  But these were piled right next to stumps that would not be considered GUR.  I could have removed the loose branches (as loose impediments), but my ball still would have been very difficult to play.  So I took an unplayable lie (2 club lengths, one stroke penalty).

 

10/26/2025 - Admiral Baker South

Had a couple of issues out on the course today.  On the first hole, one member of the foursome hit their approach very near the second tee box.  His stance was impeded by the tee marker, but it is basically just a big rock with numbers painted on it.  Is that an impediment?

We decided that even though it was a rock, it qualifies as an artificial object in the same way that a wooden bench would qualify.  It's a natural material, but has been processed to become an artificial object.  Later in the round, we noticed a tee marker that was broken, and the rock is mounted on a metal frame, so definitely artificial.  Free relief per Rule #16.1, Abnormal Course Conditions.  Note that it was interfering with his stance, not his line of play.

Then, on the last hole, a guy wire was in my line of play to the green after my drive.  The scorecard says "relief may be taken from an immovable obstruction that intervenes with the intended line of play or is within two club lengths of the greens edge."  This is not Rule #16.1.  This is a local rule that the Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) decided should be played.  If we hadn't looked at the scorecard, and we were playing strictly by the USGA Rules of Golf, I would not have gotten relief in this situation.

In looking more closely at the scorecard, I notice that they recommend the local rule that allows for two strokes on out-of-bounds, rather than stroke and distance.  I highly endorse this pace-of-play measure that our club plays.

 

10/10/2025 - Encinitas Ranch

We arrived at the 15th tee, and the tee markers were all in a pile just off of the tee box.  The maintenance staff was nearby.  What to do?

This scenario is covered by Rule #6.2b-4.  If the tee markers are missing, then you should contact the committee.  If the committee is unavailable, then the player should use their "reasonable judgement" to estimate the location of the teeing area.

Interestingly, Rule #1.3b-2 covers "reasonable judgement."  If you think that it's reasonable, then you can't be penalized for it, even if it's shown to be incorrect later.  If it's shown to be incorrect before you take the stroke, then you have to adapt.  I guess this would cover a scenario where you teed off from where you thought the tees should be, and then you found that the markers were moved to a forward tee box.  If you found this out after your tee shot, then the shot stands.  If you found out before your shot, then you would have to move up to the newly found markers.

I just teed up next to the USGA marker in the ground indicating 373 yards, the scorecard yardage for the hole from the tees that I was playing.

 

10/9/2025 - Admiral Baker Practice Hole

I love the practice hole at Admiral Baker.  For $20 per hour, it is so much better than a driving range.  You're hitting off of real grass, and you can see how your ball reacts on a real green, and get a real lie in the practice bunker.

Unfortunately, it's situated between the fifth and six holes on the south course, and it's a right miss off of the tee for either one.  I was interrupted a couple of times by folks playing those holes.

So what happens if your tee shot (or any shot) ends up on the practice hole?

If it's on the practice green, then it's considered a wrong green, and you must take free relief.  This is explicitly included in the definition of wrong green.  Per Rule #13.1f, you must take relief off of the green.  Usually playing the ball as it lies is an option, but not in this case.

As far as I can tell, the rest of the practice hole is fair game to play your ball as it lies.  This would include the practice bunker, which I have done off of the #5 tee.  It's not where you want to be.

A lot of courses mark the driving range as OB, and I can imagine a course doing that with a practice hole or practice area.  The short game practice area at Mt. Woodson is very much in play off of the #7 tee.

Do any other courses have a practice hole?