Abnormal Course Conditions (Casual Water and GUR)
Also known as: abnormal course condition, ground under repair, GUR, animal hole, animal burrow
Abnormal course conditions are temporary water, ground under repair, animal holes and immovable obstructions such as cart paths. If one touches your ball or gets in the way of your stance or swing, Rule 16.1 gives free relief, except in a penalty area. In the general area, drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief.
The Rules group four things as abnormal course conditions: temporary water, ground under repair, animal holes and immovable obstructions. Ground under repair is any area the committee defines, usually marked with white lines. It also includes holes made by maintenance staff and piles of material set aside for removal. Aeration holes do not count. An animal hole is a hole dug by an animal, such as a burrow, plus the dug-out material and a worn trail into it. Holes made by worms or insects do not count. Temporary water and cart paths have their own entries.
In the general area, find the nearest point where the condition no longer interferes, no nearer the hole. Drop within one club-length of it in the general area. In a bunker, you may drop in the bunker for free, or outside it on a line straight back from the hole for one penalty stroke. On the putting green, place the ball at the nearest point clear of the condition. That point may be on the green or in the general area. On the green, a condition on your line of putt also counts as interference.
Taking the drop is optional, and it must clear ball, stance and swing completely. A condition that only distracts you, or lies on your line off the green, gives nothing. Neither does one in a penalty area. If you need to lift the ball to check, mark it first, and do not clean it unless you then take the drop.
Tips by skill level
If water appears around your shoes when you take your normal stance, you are entitled to free relief. Find the nearest point that gives a dry stance and drop within one club-length.
In a flooded bunker, compare free relief inside the bunker with dropping back outside it for one stroke. The penalty option can leave the better shot.
Example
After heavy rain, water rises around a golfer's shoes when he takes his stance in the fairway. He finds the nearest point of complete relief, marks it with a tee and drops within one club-length, no nearer the hole, without penalty.
Why it matters
Wet weather and course work create these conditions every week. Knowing that relief is free, and how to take it, saves you from a needless bad lie or penalty.
Common mistakes
- Taking relief because the ground is merely soft or wet
- Treating dew or frost as temporary water
- Dropping nearer the hole than the nearest point of complete relief
- Expecting free relief from a condition inside a penalty area
Frequently asked questions
What is ground under repair in golf?
An area the committee marks as under repair, usually with white lines, plus maintenance holes and material piled for removal. You get free relief from it under Rule 16.1.
Do I get relief from an animal hole?
Yes. A hole dug by an animal such as a rabbit is an abnormal course condition, and relief is free. Holes made by worms or insects do not count.
What counts as an abnormal course condition in golf?
Temporary water, ground under repair, animal holes and immovable obstructions such as cart paths. Rule 16.1 gives free relief from any of them in the general area, in a bunker or on the putting green. But not in a penalty area.
Sources
Related terms
- Free ReliefFree relief is moving the ball to a better spot without a penalty. It covers cases like an immovable obstruction, ground under repair, or an embedded ball.
- Cart Path Relief (Immovable Obstructions)An artificially surfaced cart path is an immovable obstruction, so relief from it is free. You get it when your ball is on the path or the path affects your stance or swing. Drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole. You can't choose the side of the path, and the drop must give complete relief.
- Drop ProcedureThe modern drop releases the ball from knee height, straight down, into the relief area. It is simpler than the old shoulder-height drop but often done wrong.
- Embedded Ball (Plugged Lie Relief)An embedded, or plugged, ball sits in its own pitch mark with part of it below ground. In the general area, including the fairway and rough, you get free relief under Rule 16.3, except in sand not cut to fairway height. Drop within one club-length of the spot right behind where it was embedded, no nearer the hole. There is no free relief for a plugged ball in a bunker or penalty area.
- Local RuleA local rule is a course- or competition-specific change adopted by the committee running play. It commonly covers embedded balls, temporary conditions like winter rules, or unique course features the standard Rules of Golf do not address.
- Penalty Area (Water Hazard)A penalty area, often a pond or stream, is marked by yellow or red stakes or lines. Relief costs one penalty stroke and is more forgiving than out of bounds.
- Temporary Water (Casual Water)Casual water, now called temporary water in the Rules of Golf, gives you a free drop. If a puddle outside a penalty area touches your ball or affects your stance or swing, you get relief. Drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole. Ground that is only wet, soft or muddy doesn't count; the water must be visible before or after your stance.
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