Be the Referee: Abnormal Course Condition
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
October 1, 2024
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Abnormal Course Condition - Listen
We’re on the golf course today and our approach into 18 has gone from bad to worse. Or has it?
Our shot lands in a puddle, in the middle of a bunker, which certainly isn’t good. But because water in a bunker is an abnormal course condition, we’re allowed free relief.
We’re able to go to the nearest spot of relief, no closer to the hole, and drop within a club’s length of that spot while still playing from the bunker.
Or relief can be taken outside of the bunker, no closer to the hole, and within line of the shot – but a penalty stroke is added.
So you have two options if you find water inside a bunker; only one requires you to take a penalty stroke.
Of course the best course of action is to avoid the bunkers all together!
Previous 2024-25 Editions
Sept. 25: Tennis Nets - Listen
Sept. 18: Libero - Listen
Sept. 10: Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen
Performance of the Week: Traverse City St. Francis' Grace Slocum
August 30, 2024
Grace Slocum ♦ Traverse City St. Francis
Senior ♦ Golf
The Gladiators' lead golfer has been on an incredible roll to begin this season; she's a combined 4-under-par after five tournaments and won all five events. She opened with a 15-stroke victory at the Traverse City West Invitational, won the two-day Lober Classic by 14 strokes and then last week's St. Francis Invitational by 18 strokes. This week she's added a 17-stroke win at the Grayling Invitational and Thursday carded a 6-under-par 65 to win the Petoskey Invitational by 10 strokes.
Slocum finished eighth at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final as a freshman, moved to third as a sophomore and placed fourth as a junior last fall as her team climbed the standings to tie for sixth place. She's also played hockey for several years but will be focusing on golf moving forward after recently committing to sign with Wisconsin. She plans to major in biochemistry and minor in nutritional sciences in preparation for medical school.
@mhsaasports ⛳️POW: Grace Slocum #golf #TCStFrancis #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports ⛳️POW: Grace Slocum #tiktalk #questiontime #part2 #peakyblinders #qdoba #icecream #juggling #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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PHOTOS courtesy of Rick Sack/TC Rick Sports Photography.