Rules of Golf Review: My opponent says I can't take relief from a hole dug by the club's working dog. True?
If you ever get the privilege of playing at Sunningdale Golf Club outside of London, one thing you'll notice is that there are water bowls for dogs all over the property. The message is that like many courses in the U.K., Sunningdale thinks man's best friend is a value-add. We agree, and wish more American courses would embrace the dog-friendly attitude.
While you might not be able to take your pooch to your home course (that's mine, Bella, above), many clubs have working dogs who are tasked with chasing birds off of the premises. And, as you might guess, dogs love to dig. So what happens when your tee shot ends up in a hole dug by a dog? Or perhaps it comes to rest in the dirt pile that was created by the paw-driven frenzy. What then?
Prior to 2019, there used to be a rule in the Rules of Golf that said you could take free relief from a hole dug by an animal, but only if the animal was considered "burrowing." It was Rule 25-1, and it allowed a ball to be moved if the ball, a player's stance or intended swing was interfered with by holes or damage done by creating the hole. But again, the hole had to be created by something like a gopher, mouse, etc. Dogs weren't treated the same way.
Fast forward seven years, and the definition has been changed to "animal holes," and the free-relief rule (Rule 16) applies to any hole dug by an animal except for insects/worms, which are treated as loose impediments.
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The current definition of an animal hole, which is considered an abnormal course condition, is this: The loose material the animal dug out of the hole, any worn-down track or trail leading into the hole, and any area on the ground pushed up or altered as a result of the animal digging the hole underground.
Furthermore, it says "an animal hole does not include animal footprints that are not part of a worn-down track or trail leading into an animal hole."
In summary, if your course dog gets bored chasing Canada geese and starts digging, you don't have to hit a shot out of that damage.