Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

Golfer Abandons Tee Shot Near 1 Bull Elk as 'Nice Rack' Distraction Sends Ball Wide

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

Golfer Abandons Tee Shot Near 1 Bull Elk as 'Nice Rack' Distraction Sends Ball Wide

Q: When a territorial elk guards your golf ball, what are the official rules for taking a drop without risking your life?

If a live elk is guarding your ball and poses a real danger, the Rules of Golf allow free relief under Rule 16.2, the “dangerous animal condition” rule. You do not have to walk into a risky situation to identify or play the ball. The key standard is that the animal must make playing the ball dangerous. A territorial bull elk during the rut would fit that if it is close enough to threaten your stance, swing, or access to the ball. In that case, if your ball is in the general area or on the putting green, you take free relief by finding the nearest point of complete relief that is no nearer the hole, then dropping within one club-length of that point in the same area of the course. On the putting green, you place the ball at the nearest point of complete relief. If the ball is in a bunker, you still get free relief, but it must stay in the bunker unless you choose to take penalty relief outside it. If the ball is in a penalty area, there is no free relief from a dangerous animal condition under Rule 16.2; your options are to play it as it lies if safe, or take normal penalty-area relief with a one-stroke penalty. If you cannot safely recover or identify the original ball because of the elk, the rule also allows you to use another ball when taking relief, as long as it is known or virtually certain the original ball is in that spot. In practice, stop play, keep your distance, and ask a rules official or the course staff to confirm the relief procedure.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

A golfer in Estes Park, Colorado ditched her first drive after shanking it toward a bull elk known as Smash and played a second ball instead.
The woman later said she was distracted by the elk's "nice rack"—a reference to its antlers—after the shot landed right next to the animal.
Good Bull Outdoors said the follow-up drive looked much better, while noting Smash has become a recurring hazard on the course.
Smash has been known to chase trucks and golf carts, making golfers more likely to take a penalty than approach a ball near the bull.

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Fox News1h ago

Golfer Shanks Shot Towards Bull Elk in Estes Park, Cites 'Nice Rack' Distraction

Why do wild elk face off with golfers in town while hunters hike miles of rugged terrain just to find one?

When a territorial elk guards your golf ball, what are the official rules for taking a drop without risking your life?

How did dry weather turn a country star's confident elk hunt into a grueling, last-minute test of endurance?

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1 total

Fox News1h ago

Golfer Shanks Shot Towards Bull Elk in Estes Park, Cites 'Nice Rack' Distraction

Golfer Abandons Tee Shot Near 1 Bull Elk as 'Nice Rack' Distraction Sends Ball Wide

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