There is probably one particular aspect in the Rules of Golf that causes more confusion than any other and concerns an important area that every golfer must get right if they are to play the game properly. It is of course, Nearest Point of Relief. The reason it is so important is that you cannot play many rounds of golf without coming across one of these four circumstances that require dropping at the nearest point of relief.

• Interference to your stance, or area of swing by an immovable obstruction. Examples of immovable obstructions are artificial paths, fences, bridges, or fixed course furniture, like ball washers, benches or direction posts.

• Interference from an abnormal ground condition. Under the Rules there are three types of abnormal ground condition; areas of casual water, ground under repair as designated by a Committee, or a hole, cast or runway made by a burrowing animal, reptile or bird.

• When your ball lies on a wrong putting green, which is any putting green other than the one on the hole being played, including the practice putting green.

• When there is a Local Rule protecting young (staked) trees.

All of the above are in evidence at Rochford Hundred and in the first two situations the player may take relief, without penalty, by dropping a ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief; relief from a wrong putting green is mandatory; and Local Rules affording relief from protected trees that are in the intended area of stance or swing are also mandatory.

The mistake that many players make is believing they can drop the ball in a place that affords them relief from anything that makes their next shot difficult and so drop the ball in a place that gives them "the most convenient point of relief" and not "the nearest point of relief". It is also worth pointing out that relief has to be "complete relief" from the situation and not partial relief. For some reason all too many players think that in taking relief from one situation they can drop their ball in a place that gives him, or her an unimpeded stroke at the ball as well as a clear view of their target. This is certainly not the case and the player should think out their options very carefully before lifting their ball, as once the ball is lifted the player is committed to the option of taking nearest point of relief. 

The relevant decisions from Decisions on the Rules of Golf are:

24-2b/1, 24-2b/2, 24-2b/3, 24-2b/3.5 and 24--2b/3.7

To help players have a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages around The nearest point of Relief you may find this embedded video clip from Barry Rhodes useful. I should point out that in the second (left handed) example the nearest point of relief from where Barry has marked the ball would in fact be behind the GUR, but the learning point I would like to get across is that when relief is optional sometimes it might be best to simply play the ball as it lies.