TUESDAY JUNE 17th INVITATION DAY - see noticeboard page for more information.
This is the 12th Hole on the Cathedral.
The whole of the pond is a Red Penalty Area, marked by red posts.
The player on the right of the photo, has put her ball in the pond just in front of her trolley.
Her playing partner has retrieved her partner's ball from the pond.
Can the player on the right take relief at the point where her playing partner retrieved her ball?
NO!
The Reference Point for measuring her relief area becomes the important factor here.
In this case the reference point is the point, where the ball entered the penalty area - just in front of the trolley on the right of the photo. Rule 17.1d
What are the player's options:
The one that is most likely to be taken is:
She may go back on a line keeping the flag and point of entry of the ball into the penalty area in a straight line(known as back on the line relief)
or she could as it is a red post penalty area:
Go back to where she played the original ball from ( what is known as stroke and distance)
or she could take Lateral Relief as it is a Red Penalty Post area:
At the estimated point where the original ball crossed the edge of the red penalty area. The relief area is two club lengths from the reference point and is not nearer the hole than the Reference Point and maybe in any area of the the course, except the same penalty area.
The above is all covered by Rule 17.1d