Golf Rules Golf Rule 23 Loose Impediments (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 23 Loose Impediments (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So the next ruling that we're going to cover now covers loose impediments. Now loose impediments basically on the golf course is anything that's not attached, fixed or growing. So things like, so this has just some loose turf, that's just fallen off the green keeper’s mower and is directly in front of my ball as I'm trying to play to the hole. And again remember the rules, they are always talking about the rules being fair. Now if we're looking at this shot here and I am trying to hit my golf ball through that grass. That doesn't seem entirely fair. But if this is not attached, fixed or growing, I'm allowed to lift out of the way and get rid of it.

So that's a loose impediment and I'm okay to do that, as long as I'm not in a hazard. So the rules are slightly different in hazards, in bunkers, in ponds. It's going to be a little bit different if you're in a bunker, you are not allowed to remove a twig or a leaf or a patch of grass if you're in a hazard. But from the fringes of the green here or from on the green, not a problem at all. Now sand and soil when you're off the green is not a loose impediment. You have to play that ball as it lies. Sand or soil here is not a loose impediment. Sand or soil here is a loose impediment and you are allowed to move it away. So you can scrape sand off, you can move soil away with your putter. But from on the fringes and on the rest of the golf course, sand and soil is not and you have to play the ball as it lies. Another interesting one is frost or snow. Now snow can be deemed as casual water or a loose impediment, but frost cannot. So if it's been snowing and you are really gaining, you really want to go and play in three inches of snow where you’ve got snow stuck to the bottom of your golf club or something like that, you can pick that up and move that away. That can be deemed as casual water or a loose impediment, that's your choice. But actually frost cannot. So if it’s frosty on the green, you are not allowed to drag your club along the surface and get rid of it. That would be deemed as touching the surface of the putt and that would be a problem. So if you can understand loose impediments, you can sign the rules behind loose impediments, you can often give yourself a little bit of an advantage or certainly you don't have to play the ball when it's surrounded by twigs and leaves and long grass. If it is not attached, fixed or growing, you can get rid of it. 2015-07-22

So the next ruling that we're going to cover now covers loose impediments. Now loose impediments basically on the golf course is anything that's not attached, fixed or growing. So things like, so this has just some loose turf, that's just fallen off the green keeper’s mower and is directly in front of my ball as I'm trying to play to the hole. And again remember the rules, they are always talking about the rules being fair. Now if we're looking at this shot here and I am trying to hit my golf ball through that grass. That doesn't seem entirely fair. But if this is not attached, fixed or growing, I'm allowed to lift out of the way and get rid of it.

So that's a loose impediment and I'm okay to do that, as long as I'm not in a hazard. So the rules are slightly different in hazards, in bunkers, in ponds. It's going to be a little bit different if you're in a bunker, you are not allowed to remove a twig or a leaf or a patch of grass if you're in a hazard. But from the fringes of the green here or from on the green, not a problem at all. Now sand and soil when you're off the green is not a loose impediment. You have to play that ball as it lies. Sand or soil here is not a loose impediment. Sand or soil here is a loose impediment and you are allowed to move it away.

So you can scrape sand off, you can move soil away with your putter. But from on the fringes and on the rest of the golf course, sand and soil is not and you have to play the ball as it lies. Another interesting one is frost or snow. Now snow can be deemed as casual water or a loose impediment, but frost cannot. So if it's been snowing and you are really gaining, you really want to go and play in three inches of snow where you’ve got snow stuck to the bottom of your golf club or something like that, you can pick that up and move that away. That can be deemed as casual water or a loose impediment, that's your choice.

But actually frost cannot. So if it’s frosty on the green, you are not allowed to drag your club along the surface and get rid of it. That would be deemed as touching the surface of the putt and that would be a problem. So if you can understand loose impediments, you can sign the rules behind loose impediments, you can often give yourself a little bit of an advantage or certainly you don't have to play the ball when it's surrounded by twigs and leaves and long grass. If it is not attached, fixed or growing, you can get rid of it.