Hi, can someone please help me.
Whilst playing in the first round of club champs, my ball landed near a staked tree, I knew I had to take a drop and did so. When I took my practise swing , to make sure I didnt hit the tree, I was clear but when I hit the ball I did clip the tree on my follow through. I was told I would have to incurr a two shot penalty for hitting the tree after I had dropped. Since then I have been told this could be wrong, but I cant find this in the rule book.
Does anyone know if the 2 shot penalty is correct? Thanks

The penalty would be for breaching a local rule.

The full answer is a bit convoluted.

Under rule 33-8 your commitee can make local rules.

I would assume in your case they made rule that required you take relief from the tree if it interferred with you stance or the are of your intended swing.

Since you hit the tree it is clear that you failed to fully take relief from the tree.

Rule 3-5 specifies that the general penalty for breaching any rule (inlcuding a local rule) is 2 strokes in stroke play.

Cheers
John

Thanks John.

Bernw -John is right in as much as when you take relief you must take full relief. ‘The ball must be redropped without penalty if, when dropping your ball it rolls to and comes to rest in a position where there is interference by the condition from which relief was taken in the first place (in this instance a local rule offering relief from staked trees).

Many people assume that a staked tree is a universal invitation to take releif but it must be included as part of local rules.

It is incorporated in Rule 20-2 c and is to my understanding two shots