R I T A ’ S R U L E O F T H E M O N T H

rule 17.1d relief for Ball in penalt y area

By Jamie Komancheck, pga head golf professional

Now that rita is a few months into her golf career, she expressed interest in taking her game on the road (well more so by plane than car.) S he felt her game needed to be tested by playing a course with some teeth af ter researching online, she settled on Casa de Campo, and The teeth of the Dog course. pete D ye was the architect, and the course had a little feel of McKenzie as well. W hen rita’s mother saw the daily high temperature in the mid 80’s, she quickly booked the tickets!

Q uick note for future travelers: it ’ s not the best idea to teach your 4-year-old to call their golf c lubs their weapons, as they may refer to them that way when going through customs Thankfully the agents had a good sense of humor and let us through.

The resort was absolutely magnificent, with a cr ystal blue ocean and four golf courses. af ter a couple days enjoying the resort, it was time for rita to see what all the hype was about it was a spectacular day, plent y of sun and a stiff wind blowing out towards the ocean. rita decided to play from 5700 yards which would provide plent y of teeth rita got paired up the most veteran caddie ted who had been in the Dominican since the 70’s. rita and ted fed off each other like they knew one another forever, or for at least the 4 years rita’s been around rita soaked up all the wisdom ted shared about the course, the golf swing and life in general. it was a master c lass. rita took ted ’ s advice and played flawlessly

The pair came to the famous 17th hole, a dogleg right 320 yard par 4 with the ocean guarding the right side af ter finding the fair way, rita and ted discussed how to attack the back right pin position. ted recommended a ¾ knockdown 7 iron played toward the midd le of the green. rita did not feel any wind, so for the first time all day she went against his advice and played a full 9 iron directly at the pin S he struck the ball perfectly, starting right on line with the pin. as it c limbed above the tree line, the wind met up with the ball and sent it on a hard right turn, over the greenside bunker and out into the ocean rita was stunned! ted followed the third tenet of caddying to a t; show up, keep up and shut up. No words needed. rita pitched the ball up to 6 feet from the hole ted didn’t even have to look at it, he knew it was lef t edge firm. he handed rita her putter, gave her the read and walked off to the 18th tee rita drilled it dead center in the back of the cup. Walking up 18 enjoying their last hole together, rita told ted, “ This course certainly lived up to its name, as i got bit back there on 17 ” ted smiled and told rita, “how about we finish strong and go sink our teeth into the best tacos in town!” i think they ’ re still there trading stories.

The penalt y area was red giving rita three options under rule 17.1d relief for Ball in penalt y area. all options came with one penalt y stroke option 1; “S troke and distance” relief playing your next shot as near as possible to the original shot. option 2; “lateral relief ” dropping within 2 c lub-lengths of where the ball last crossed the red line That option had her standing in the bunker with the ball outside it and above her feet. S he didn’t like that one. option 3; “Back on the line” relief dropping on a line between the flagstick and the point where the ball last crossed into the penalt y area. This option allowed rita to go behind the bunker and drop in light rough in line with the pin and where the ball entered the penalt y area. it was a straight forward 40-yard pitch so she went with that option.

S he found a spot she liked and dropped the ball from knee height. Being only 3 feet tall it was like placing it on the ground The ball hit the ground and rolled forward two feet towards the pin. rita (back to seeking ted ’ s advice) asked if she needed to redrop since the ball moved c loser to the hole. ted let her know that a new rule for “ back on the line” relief allows for the ball to roll up to one c lub length inc luding for ward. rita could play the ball as it lay. rita was impressed, not only was ted a great caddie, but he was also a rules wizard and a true gentleman. professional all the way!

RiverCrest Membership Pledge to create awareness and encourage proper course etiquette while maintaining a 4 hour pace of play.

I pledge to abide by the following policies to ensure an enjoyable experience for all Members of the Club:

R e s p e c t t h e c o u R s e

In every aspect, leave the course in better shape than you found it

R e s p e c t p a c e o f p l a y play in 4 hours and allow faster groups to play through

R e p l a c e D I v o t s please always replace your divots

R e p a I R B a l l M a R k s

Repair your ball mark and others you see on the greens

R a k e B u n k e R s

Bunkers are to be raked after each use leave rakes in the bunker

R e s p e c t c a R t R u l e s carts are never to be in the native grasses or within 30 yards of a green