Have you noticed the rise of the machines on golf courses? Perhaps I’ve been watching The Terminator too much but, as we fret about the impact of AI, you might also have noticed the small grass cutting warriors increasingly scurrying around your fairways.
Robot mowers (or autonomous mowers to give them their Sunday title) are becoming more popular. They did most of the hard yards at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl last year and they can free up greenkeepers to do all sorts of other tasks on the course.
But machines can’t spot you taking aim from 250 yards away and that can raise some unusual rules situations, as this emailer reveals…
“Whilst playing last week, in a qualifier, my playing partner hit an unusually straight drive that bounded down the fairway and on its third bounce pinged off ‘Robbie the robot’ (we need to change its name) into the undergrowth – a full 90-degree change to the anticipated final resting point.
“None of us were sure what the ruling was so he choose to play where it ended up and basically cost a shot to get back on the fairway – what should we have played?
“In another incident, a member’s ball came to rest on the fairway where ‘Robbie’ was active – ‘Robbie’ mowed over the ball which had come to rest in a slight dip.
“On inspection there appeared no damage to the ball and likely no change to the actual ball position – the member played it as he found it. However, if ‘Robbie’ had moved it or damaged it what would the ruling be?”
That’s a lot of questions but, thankfully, I think they’ve got quite straightforward answers. So if you do get tangled with a next-generation greenkeeper, here’s what you need to remember…
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Ball hits a robot mower? Play it as it lies!
The robot mower is an outside influence and Rule 11.1b (1) says when a ball in motion accidentally hits an outside influence it is normally played as it lies. If the ball comes to rest on the mower, you take relief.
There is no penalty for hitting the mower, but I’m afraid our player is off into the deep stuff to play their ball.
What if the mower moves your ball at rest?
The robot mower might be a new angle, but a ball being shifted by a set of blades isn’t that unusual an occurrence.
Again, the mower is an outside influence but this time Rule 9.6 – Ball Lifted or Moved by Outside Influence – is where we turn.
If an outside influence has lifted or moved a player’s ball, there’s no penalty and the ball must be replaced on its original spot (or estimated if that’s not known).
This happens whether the ball has been found or not, so if the mower has taken your ball as its careered a path across the course then don’t worry.
But you need to know, or be virtually certain, that the ball was lifted or moved by the outside influence. If you don’t, and the ball is lost, stroke-and-distance is the only option.
What if the robot mower has chewed up your ball?
Are your dreams of a great round now in pieces along with the remnants of your ball? Of course not. If a ball becomes cut or cracked when playing a hole then you’re able to substitute it.
Rule 4.2c (2) says that’s allowed only if it “can be clearly seen that the original ball is cut or cracked and this damage happened during the hole being played”.
Don’t get carried away, though. An encounter with a mower might leave your ball scratched or scraped but that is not enough for the rules to let you change the ball.
The same applies if the “paint is only damaged or discoloured”.
It’s got to be cut or cracked. If it is, then you can replace another ball (or the original if you really want) on the original spot. And don’t forget to mark the spot of the ball first, if you’re going to pick it up to see if it’s damaged.
Main Image: A fleet of autonomous mowers on a golf course | Source: Adobe Stock
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.
What do you think of these robot mower rules? Have you had a close encounter with an autonomous mower on your course golf? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
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