Buildings as OB?

[waxwing]

I am currently updating our local course map and ground rules and have some questions about obstacles and OB. How do most courses (or course designers) treat small cabins and other structures that are in or along a fairway? We have a couple of holes where there are small log cabins that are a part of the course (obstacles). Several are about 10’ x 10’ and 8’ tall. But there is one that is 100’ x 60’ and perhaps 12’ tall.

Should discs that land on top of a building be considered OB? Or should the 2m rule be applied to buildings?

I see some slight differences:

If buildings are defined as OB, the player gets a one stroke penalty and plays from the point the disc crossed into OB (the roof) with 1 meter relief perpendicular to the OB line.

If you apply the 2 meter rule to buildings, the player still gets a one stroke penalty but I would interpret the rules to say that the player would not get 1 meter relief from the building and would mark a lie IMMEDIATELY behind the building on a line from the basket through the disc.

Also, if the roofs of buildings are considered OB, do players get 1m relief from the sides of the buildings for discs that land within 1 meter of (or lean against) a building? Is the 1 meter relief granted for all four sides of a building or only if the player is behind the building (ie. green shaded area in attached diagram).

If a disc leans against one of the walls in the yellow area, does the player have to mark a lie behind the building on the line of play (in the green shaded area)?

Thanks for your input and ideas.

[TonyAPE12]

We typically call all shelters OB if they land on top or underneath (i.e. on the concrete slab is OB). The two meter issue becomes sticky if you expect people to throw through the shelter or building, which could be dangerous. Better to call everything shelter and foundation OB in my opinion.

[bradharris]

I've only seen this once on a small shed along a fairway. The entire concrete base of the shed was called OB. So if it landed on the roof or on any hard ground, you were OB. Marking the lie for an OB throw becomes easy then as you can use the edge of the concrete as the OB line.

[jeverett]

Originally Posted by waxwing

Also, if the roofs of buildings are considered OB, do players get 1m relief from the sides of the buildings for discs that land within 1 meter of (or lean against) a building? Is the 1 meter relief granted for all four sides of a building or only if the player is behind the building (ie. green shaded area in attached diagram).

If a disc leans against one of the walls in the yellow area, does the player have to mark a lie behind the building on the line of play (in the green shaded area)?

Yes, relief from OB is up to one meter directly perpendicular to the OB line, even if that means moving closer to the basket. So if a player is in the yellow area, they might end up moving a meter closer to the basket so as to be able to take a legal stance.

[JC17393]

I wouldn't apply the 2-meter rule, since the rule states that you mark your lie directly underneath the suspended disc. So if it's on the roof, you're marking inside the building, not behind it.

Declaring them OB is much simpler. Depending on the building's location relative to the fairway, I'd consider setting up a drop zone for any shots that land on or in the building. Rather than have players taking their 1-meter relief and potentially hitting the building again, a drop zone would take them away from the building and presumably give them a fair chance to advance down the fairway after taking the one-throw OB penalty.

[araytx]

I didn't like the building being OB, but sometimes you have no choice. If it's straight OB, then the hole can become too much luck IMO. For example. if your cabin is difficult to throw around then the OB on the roof was essentially a two-stroke penalty if you went on from dead center. You're not only taking the OB stroke. but you'd essentially have no shot from "where the disc went OB," like JC says above. His DZ is a good solution. I could see myself taking optional re-throw if that happened, and there's no DZ.

In working with a course designer locally on a course with a small building on it, he designed the buildings on long holes and then had a "mid-fairway mando", because we felt it better than OB. That way if a a person went to the wrong side of the mando and ended up on the roof, they were one-stroke penalty but shooting from the mando drop zone, which is on the correct side of the mando. Now they have a shot. Of course the trade-off was that they could only go on one side of the building.

The hole I am thinking of is a lot like the OP drawing, except he moved the tee pad a little further left and the basket a little further right, making the building a mando left.

[mashnut]

You could make them BUNCRs, so that a shot landing on top of the building (or inside a marked area around the building that includes the building itself) proceeds to a drop zone with no additional penalty (i.e. shooting two if the drive lands there).

[waxwing]

Thanks guys,

I am thinking that defining the buildings as OB and creating a drop zone will be the clearest way to handle them.

My only hesitation with that approach is that the buildings are then treated differently with respect to relief than other obstacles on the course such as picnic tables, trees etc.

[JC17393]

Originally Posted by waxwing

Thanks guys,

I am thinking that defining the buildings as OB and creating a drop zone will be the clearest way to handle them.

My only hesitation with that approach is that the buildings are then treated differently with respect to relief than other obstacles on the course such as picnic tables, trees etc.

If you want the buildings to be treated the same as picnic tables and trees and the like, then all you have to do is leave them be. Don't make them OB or anything else, then all the normal rules apply to them the same as any other obstacle. The moment you make any kind of special designation for the buildings, they're going to be treated differently than other obstacles. Generally speaking, obstacles like picnic tables and trees don't afford players anything in the way of relief (or penalty).

Seems like you're already seeing the buildings as rather unique obstacles that need special treatment relative to obstacles like your picnic tables or trees. Chances are, most players are going to see the same thing and shouldn't be confused or surprised by however you choose to designate them.