What happens when an abnormal course condition messes with my stance or swing?
Yes, you get free relief when an abnormal course condition like temporary water, ground under repair, or an immovable obstruction interferes with your stance or swing. Find the nearest point of complete relief where the condition no longer affects your stroke, then drop within one club-length no closer to the hole.
What counts as interference
Interference exists when your ball touches the condition, or when it physically gets in the way of your stance or your intended swing. It also counts if the condition is on your line of play — but only when your ball is on the putting green. If your ball is in a penalty area, you don't get free relief from abnormal course conditions there; you play it as it lies or take penalty relief under Rule 17.
Finding the nearest point of complete relief
Pick the club you'd have used, picture your stance, swing, and line of play without the condition there. The reference point is the spot nearest to your ball — but not nearer the hole — where that condition no longer interferes with any of those three things. You don't have to actually set up and swing, but doing so helps you estimate it accurately. That point might be in the fairway, the rough, or even a bunker depending on where the condition ends.
Dropping and what comes next
Once you've found that reference point, your relief area is one club-length from it, no closer to the hole, in the same area of the course. Drop the ball from knee height and it must stay in that relief area. If after dropping you still have interference from the same condition, you didn't take complete relief — re-drop. If a different abnormal course condition now interferes, that's a new situation and you can take relief again from that new condition.
Exceptions that change the answer
- Your ball is in a penalty area → No free relief from abnormal course conditions — play it as it lies or take penalty relief under Rule 17.
- Interference is only on your line of play → Free relief only if your ball is on the putting green; otherwise line-of-play interference doesn't count.
- After taking relief, a second abnormal course condition interferes → Treat it as a new situation — determine a new nearest point of complete relief from the second condition and drop again.
- Two conditions interfere at the same time → You may choose which condition to take relief from first; if the other still interferes afterward, take relief from that one too.
- Your ball lies on an elevated part of an immovable obstruction (like a bridge or walkway) → The nearest point of complete relief is on the ground directly under the obstruction, not on the structure itself.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to simulate the stroke to find the relief point?
No, you don't have to actually take a stance and swing, but it's recommended because it helps you estimate the nearest point of complete relief more accurately.
Can I end up in a better spot after taking relief?
Yes — if the nearest point of complete relief happens to be in the fairway instead of the rough, that's your good fortune. The rules don't require you to keep the same conditions.
What if I drop and the ball rolls back into the condition?
Re-drop. If it happens again, place the ball where it first struck the ground on the second drop. The ball must come to rest in the relief area with no interference from the condition you took relief from.
My stance is in temporary water but my ball isn't — do I get relief?
Yes. Interference includes your stance, so if temporary water (or any abnormal course condition) affects your stance or swing, you're entitled to free relief even if the ball itself isn't touching it.
What if I take relief from one condition and immediately have interference from another?
That's a new situation. Determine a new nearest point of complete relief from the second condition and drop again — no penalty, just repeat the process.