At the US Open qualifier at Collindale Golf Club this week a player found his ball in a rut in the rough. Getting a club on the ball would have been difficult. Not knowing if he was eligible for relief, he requested assistance from a rules official who determined that the rut was a runway made by a burrowing animal. This time of year we often see abnormal damage to golf courses as they begin to green up after the winter months.
A common occurrence are these vole runways that small mice like creatures create in the rough, often under the snow. Golf balls hit into these areas often find there way to the bottom of these ruts and are very difficult to play from. These runways are abnormal ground conditions created by burrowing animals. The rules of golf allow you to determine the nearest point of relief and take a free drop within one club-length no nearer the hole. The player did so and made a nice shot onto the green. These runways usually fill in by the middle of June but can be a problem in April and May.
