If you play any amount of golf at all, you will encounter something known as “artificial obstructions”. Artificial obstructions are anything on the golf-course that is man-made and that gets in the way of the ball. There are essentially two types of these obstructions you’ll find–movable obstructions and immovable obstructions.

Movable Obstructions: These obstructions can be anything such as a cigarette, a soda can, shovel, food wrappers, etc. These items can simply be removed from the course so you can play your ball from where it lies. If any of these objects are actually touching the ball, then you’re allowed to mark the spot, lift up the ball, remove the item and then place the ball back in the original position.

Perhaps one of the more famous examples of this type of obstruction and its role in tournament play was the situation with Tiger Woods at the Phoenix Open in 1999. Tiger’s drive landed behind a large boulder so that he had no shot to the green. The rules regarding movable obstructions state that stones of ANY size are loose or movable impediments, as long as they are not solidly embedded. The rules also state that anybody may assist a player in removing a large movable obstruction. Twelve of Tiger’s fans pushed the boulder aside, and Tiger made a birdie 4 on the hole.

Immovable Obstructions: The other type of artificial obstruction is known as immovable obstruction. Examples of this type of obstruction are sprinkler heads, bleachers, walls, large trailers, etc. Basically, these are anything too large or heavy to be moved by the player. If your ball lands in or underneath one of these items, then you’re allowed to move the ball back into play without being penalized.

golf, Golf Tips, golf course obstructions, golf rules, tiger woods

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