An itchy predicament: golfers are not entitled to free relief from poison ivy

Golf Digest, Nov, 2003 by Pete McDaniel

Bee stings are one thing and sleeping alligators are another, but Champions Tour veteran Rocky Thompson found out that the threat of a painful rash isn't enough to get a free drop, according to the Rules of Golf.

Thompson's tee shot at the 17th hole during the second round of the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am in Kansas City, Mo., bounced into a patch of poison ivy. He is extremely allergic to the weed, so Thompson sought relief on the grounds that it created a "dangerous situation" for him. Rules official Chuck Bassler explained that, according to Decision 1-4/11 in the Rules of Golf, plants such as poison ivy, cactus and stinging nettles are common on a golf course and, as unpleasant as they are, don't constitute a dangerous situation. Decision 1-4/10 states that if a ball comes to rest in a situation dangerous to a player, such as near a rattlesnake or a nest of bees, he or she would be entitled to relief without penalty.

In Thompson's case, if he didn't want to play the ball out of the poison ivy, he could have proceeded under Rule 28 (unplayable lies). He would have had to accept a stroke penalty and proceed with one of three drop options: 1. As nearly as possible to the spot from which the original ball was last played; 2. Within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but no nearer the hole; 3. Anywhere behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball was dropped.

Thompson chose to play the ball from the poison ivy, punch it back to the fairway and avoid the penalty stroke. Luckily, he also escaped without the physical penalty of a rash but still bogeyed the hole, shot 74 and tied for 62nd behind winner Jay Sigel.

Although the decision specifically mentions only bees and live rattlesnakes, they aren't the only dangerous animals, says Donna Anderson, the coordinator of rules for the U.S. Golf Association.

"Golfers often call in to check with us," Anderson says. "For instance, an alligator would be covered under the rule, but a skunk would not."

Fire-ant hills, common on courses in the South, are a dangerous situation unless declared as ground under repair (Decision 33-8/22). When agitated, fire ants can deliver a stinging bite.

If you're not sure, Anderson suggests playing a second ball without free relief, then note both scores for the hole and check with the course's rules committee after the round.