Definition: Ground Under Repair
Any part of the course the Committee defines to be ground under repair (whether by marking it or otherwise). Any defined ground under repair includes both:- All ground inside the edge of the defined area, and
- Any grass, bush, tree or other growing or attached natural object rooted in the defined area, including any part of those objects that extends up above the ground outside the edge of the defined area (but not when such object is attached to or below the ground outside the edge of the defined area, such as a tree root that is part of a tree rooted inside the edge).
- Any hole made by the Committee or the maintenance staff in:
- Setting up the course (such as a hole where a stake has been removed or the hole on a double green being used for the play of another hole), or
- Maintaining the course (such as a hole made in removing turf or a tree stump or laying pipelines, but not including aeration holes).
- Grass cuttings, leaves and any other material piled for later removal. But:
- Any natural materials that are piled for removal are also loose impediments, and
- Any materials left on the course that are not intended to be removed are not ground under repair unless the Committee has defined them as such.
- Any animal habitat (such as a bird's nest) that is so near a player's ball that the player's stroke or stance might damage it, except when the habitat has been made by animals that are defined as loose impediments (such as worms or insects).
- Stakes: When defined by stakes, the edge of the ground under repair is defined by the line between the outside points of the stakes at ground level, and the stakes are inside the ground under repair.
- Lines: When defined by a painted line on the ground, the edge of the ground under repair is the outside edge of the line, and the line itself is in the ground under repair.
- Physical Features: When defined by physical features (such as a flower bed or a turf nursery), the Committee should say how the edge of the ground under repair is defined.
When stakes are used to define or show the edge of ground under repair, they are obstructions.
[+] Ground Under Repair/2 - Ball in Tree Rooted in Ground Under Repair Is in Ground Under Repair
[+] Ground Under Repair/3 - Fallen Tree or Tree Stump Is Not Always Ground Under Repair