I’ve had many a battle with course boundaries over the years. Usually because my ball has landed on the wrong side of one. More than a few deep competition runs have been ended thanks to a brush with out of bounds.
But this poser is a new one even for me, and I hope you’ll find it pretty interesting…
“If your intended swing path is interfered by high grass which is not part of the course (over the out of bounds line) could you flatten that grass?”
So does it make a difference whether the grass is on or off the golf course? Can you use your 7-iron like a makeshift scythe and clear a path, or would a penalty swifty follow?
Can you flatten long grass behind the boundary fence?
We’re back to our old favourite – actions that ‘improve conditions affecting the stroke’. Many of them you already know. If they will improve the lie of the ball at rest, the line of play, any relief area where a ball will be dropped or placed, and the area of intended stance and swing, then there are limits on what you can do ahead of the next stroke you’ll make.
You know you can’t move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object. These restrictions are outlined in Rule 8.1a.
But does that apply when something is interfering that isn’t even within the boundaries of the course?
Within the wording of Rule 8.1 are six words in brackets that seem crucial to this answer. And they are that these protected conditions apply “anywhere on or off the course”.
So even though the high grass may be out of bounds, you are still restricted in the same way you would be if your ball is in the middle of the fairway if what you’re trying to do improves conditions affecting the stroke.
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Start flattening down the grass in this case and – unless you restore it as nearly as possible to its original position, “so that the improvement created by the breach is eliminated”, before hitting a shot – you’ll get the general penalty. That’s two shots in stroke play and loss of hole in match play.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
Can you flatten grass out of bounds? Do you agree with this ruling? Let me know by leaving a comment, or get in touch with us on X.
