guys, i am not too familiar with this rule- if a tree is less than two club lengths high you get a drop without penalty away from it if it impedes you swing?

please forgive the ignorance…

You need to read the Local Rules of the course you are playing. Not every club has the “two clubs height” rule … some have a “staked” rule.

Where a local rule permits, you must take relief from stance and swing such that neither is impeded by the young tree. The purpose of the rule is to protect young growing trees from being smashed to bits by ignorant golfers.

thanks publish-

thanks publish-

And ours has “STAKED and UNDER CL’s”

And don’t forget that even with no Local Rule, you can always get relief from the actual stake if there is one and it’s firmly in place.

Assuming its ONLY the stake causing interference

The tree can cause interference also – relief would only be denied if no sort of shot was possible in the absence of the stake – a very dense shrub that gave no chance of getting a club onto the ball, for example.

But I should have said ‘usually’ in the post above.

I was under the impression that most Golf Associations were recommending that the “under two Club length” Local Rule should be done away with and replaced with the “staked or tagged tree Rule”.
The 2CL rule is too ambiguous and tenuous in its interpretation. A player could quite easily receive or be denied relief from the same tree at different times depending on how hard the wind is blowing and is bending the tree. Additionally, a player with a long putter can get relief from a tree where a player with normal length clubs would be denied such relief. Where the tree is staked or tagged there can be no doubt.

The only problem with staked trees is lax removal by ground staff when the tree no longer needs protection. Players hunt around in a thick bush that’s been well established for a decade, and find a stake that’s been left there by omission, or they find a 10 metre high gum tree with a trunk like a strainer post and claim relief because of a stake poking out at the bottom, half grown over by the trunk.

“Caddy, hand me a No. 5 stake!”

Agree there inspector. It can be very penalising if not allowed the drop, so a more objective criteria is required.

It’s just an plain oversight of the rules IMO to allow putters for relief measurement when the maximum length is not restricted. Thank god readily-adjustable putters are disallowed, otherwise people would carry a 20ft telescopic putter just for relief measurement, with ball scoop attachment.

I have had the following ruling from the R&A

The Local Rule allowing relief from trees is only to be used if the tree is both (a) young and (b) in need of protection.
As indicated in the preamble to the specimen Local Rule (Appx B).

The two metre height may be an indication of age but otherwise is irelevant unless all trees under 2m are actually in need of protection.

The Local Rule must specify how the tree(s) can be identified.