Can you take free relief from a man-made object in the rough?

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My buddy pulled his approach shot pin-high but left of the elevated green. His ball was inside of the bordering cart path in the rough about 20 yards out. He has a clear stance, but his backswing to hit a clean pitch would hit a carved granite slab with the next hole’s number and distance info. I was about to suggest he take relief from this man-made object interfering with his swing when he somehow played a great shot that ended up within inches. When I asked why he hadn’t taken relief, he said it wasn’t possible because that only applied coming up to the green, not once around it — something about “through the green”? Since it wasn’t my ball and he pulled off the shot anyway, I didn’t follow up … but this doesn’t sound right to me. —Tom Enderle, via email

Without wanting to sound at all smug — heaven forbid! — we note that this revolves around a rather amusing misunderstanding of a pre-2019 Rules term. “Through the green” is what today we call the “general area” … and in fact had nothing to do with whether you had reached the green surrounding area or not.

Your buddy was allowed to take free relief before 2019 and was still allowed to do so now with his ball laying in the general area (and not through the green). Please refer to Rule 16.1 for all the specifics.

For more free-relief guidance from our guru, read on …

A course I play planted several young trees recently but didn’t stake around them. Can I move my ball so as not to potentially damage a tree if it’s in my path to the hole? —Peter Bemis, La Crosse, Wis.

Model Local Rule E-10 treats young trees as no-play zones to protect them from damage, but it is the responsibility of the Committee to enact said rule and decide which trees are protected.

If the Committee hasn’t done so, nothing in the rules allows you to go rogue. That said, if you are unwilling to risk potential tree damage, you could always declare the ball unplayable and take penalty relief — and maybe win an award from the Sierra Club!

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