You have to have some luck to land your ball on a basking alligator – but that’s exactly the fate that befell this golfer.
Honestly, we wouldn’t suggest trying to play this one as it lies.
Don’t go hunting for the ball either – it’s probably just best to write that ball off.
Maybe just pretend you hit it in the water to satisfy yourself.
How to handle animals interfering with your ball?
In the event that an animal pushes your ball during a round, what precisely should you do?
The good news is that neither the athlete nor the animal will face any penalties because the regulations around this issue are rather straightforward. There are a few quirks, though.
When an animal decides to tamper with your ball when it is stationary in the fairway, you follow Rule 9.6 and put the ball back where it belonged (moving the ball yourself will result in a penalty).
If your ball is moving when it encounters an animal, the regulations are a bit different. You just play the ball as it lies in this situation, following Rule 11.1 instructions.
Another, if considerably less common, possibility is that your ball may land on or collide with an animal and come to rest against it.
In the event that this occurs and your ball finds itself resting on a mongoose’s tail or within a Florida gator’s jaws, Rule 11.1.b provides you with free relief. Either drop the original ball (or a replacement) one club-length further from the original position, but no closer to the hole, or place the original ball (or a replacement) in the approximate spot where it came to rest on the animal.
If an animal is nearby and your ball isn’t lying on it, and the animal has large jaws or poisonous fangs, you are still entitled to free relief under the rule.
You ought to have all the knowledge necessary to deal with animals on the golf course at this point.
But keep in mind that these guidelines do not protect you personally; they simply safeguard your score.
As a result, pay attention to the animals on the courses you play, and resist the temptation to touch a gator or a mongoose.
WATCH: Golf ball miraculously comes to rest on alligator on the course Golf365.
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