Rules of Golf: What If Your Ball Hits a Decoy Bird?

Some courses use fake birds on poles near tees and greens to scare off waterfowl, and the decoys occasionally end up in the line of play. Two golfers wrote in with rules questions built around exactly that kind of on-course obstacle.

What happens if my ball hits a decoy bird?

If a shot strikes one of the poles or decoys, the ball is played as it lies, the same as if it had struck a stationary cart or post, under Rule 11.1. Whether a player can move the decoy beforehand depends on how it is installed. If it can be moved with reasonable effort and without damaging the course or the decoy, a player is free to move it. If it cannot be moved that easily, it counts as an immovable obstruction and must be left alone if moving it would improve the player's situation, including line of play — see Rule 8.1, Rule 15.2 and the definition of Movable Obstruction. Courses can also designate the decoys as temporary immovable obstructions, which allows line-of-sight relief under Model Local Rule F-23, though that option does not apply if the decoys are permanently installed.

Do I get relief from a fence bordering a penalty area?

A second question involved a ball sitting in a red penalty area with an out-of-bounds fence blocking the line to the green. Under Rule 17.3, a player does not get free relief from an immovable obstruction while the ball is in a penalty area. The fence itself changes nothing here, either: since it marks out of bounds, it would not provide free relief even if the ball were outside the penalty area.

A fence marking out of bounds never earns free relief, whether or not the ball happens to be in a penalty area.