It's bad enough you missed the fairway by 50 yards, but now your ball is up against one of the course's boundaries. You might know that, under Rule 8.1a, you cannot move a boundary object such as an out-of-bounds stake (white) if it interferes with your next shot in some way. If you do, it's a two-shot penalty in stroke play or a loss of hole in match play.
You also might know that for your ball to be considered out of bounds, the entirety of it must be outside the course boundary. Keep in mind that if OB is marked by stakes or lines, the edge of those stakes/lines that are on the course side are the actual border. That means if your ball is resting on top of the line or between the stakes and the entirety of the ball is outside the course-side line, then your ball is considered out of bounds.
One of the worst lies in golf is when your ball is resting close to or even touching a course boundary. It happens often when the boundary is a fence or stone wall. You might recall famous incidents of players having to deal with the boundary wall at the Old Course at St. Andrews' infamous 17th, the apply nicknamed Road Hole.
When a ball is near that wall, players often tap into their right brain and get creative with how to advance it. You'll even see them hit a bank shot off the wall back toward the green. Here's Mark Green doing it in 2002 during the Dunhill Links Championship. (Such a good photo.)
David Cannon
Knowing that you're only other choice is to take an unplayable lie, which comes with a stroke penalty whichever option you choose (dropping or replaying the previous shot), you are probably super tempted to also figure out a way to advance the ball clear of a boundary object. Just like that guy was doing in this story's headline.
With just a sliver of daylight between the wall and his ball, he slid his 5-iron down carefully between the two. There was zero room for a backswing, so he just made a forward swing and the ball advanced back into the fairway. Is that legal?
More Rules Reviews from Golf Digest
Rule 10.1 handles what it means to make a stroke in golf. The definition of a stroke in the Rules of Golf is the forward movement of the club with the intent of striking the ball. You might think this guy's action from the wall would qualify as a stroke. He moved the club forward and his intent was to strike the ball.
But read the definition more carefully. The word "strike" is key here. Did he really strike the ball or did he just push it forward? Rule 10.1a says, "the player must fairly strike at the ball with any part of the head of the club such that there is only momentary contact between the club and the ball and must not push, scrape or scoop the ball."
If there is no room for a backswing, then there is logically no room for a downswing. Therefore, contact cannot be "momentary" in a scenario such as the one in the headline. Had he been able to take the club back even an inch, and then swing forward, there would be a much better case for calling his action a stroke.
To clarify what it means to push, scrape or scoop the ball, the USGA and R&A added some examples:
• A player holes a short putt by striking the ball with the bottom of the clubhead, using a motion similar to that used in making a shot in billiards or shuffleboard. Moving the ball like this is a push.
Robert Lachman
• A player moves the club along the surface of the ground pulling it toward them. Moving the ball like this is a scrape.
• A player slides a club beneath and very close to the ball. The player then lifts and moves the ball by use of a forward and upward motion. Moving the ball like this is a scoop.
If you see someone about to do this, you might want to say something. Or maybe not.