Rule of the Week - 25-1b/24

25-1b/24 Ball Enters Burrowing Animal Hole in Bounds and Comes to Rest Out of Bounds

Q:A player's ball entered a rabbit hole, the mouth of which was in bounds but only about a foot from a boundary fence. The rabbit hole sloped steeply down below the fence, so that the ball came to rest beyond the boundary line. What is the ruling?

A:Whether or not a ball is out of bounds depends on where it lies in relation to the boundary of the course and this must be measured vertically upward or downward -- see Definition of "Out of Bounds."

In the case cited, the ball was lying out of bounds and Rule 27-1 applied. 

Relief could not be obtained under Rule 25-1, i.e., from a hole made by a burrowing animal.