Did this rule change?

[EnigmaSquad]

While reading my new rule book that came in the mail I noticed this regarding missing a mandatory.

"If no Drop Zone has been designated, the player shall play from the previous lie."

Has this always been the case? I seem to remember in the past that if no drop zone was designated then you created a drop zone next to the mandatory object (correct side of course) and played from there. Did this rule change? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

[Scott]

While reading my new rule book that came in the mail I noticed this regarding missing a mandatory.

"If no Drop Zone has been designated, the player shall play from the previous lie."

Has this always been the case? I seem to remember in the past that if no drop zone was designated then you created a drop zone next to the mandatory object (correct side of course) and played from there. Did this rule change? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

As far as I know, this rule has been in place for some time. People tend to assume the spot next to the mando is the drop zone, but that is not necessarily the case.

[EnigmaSquad]

Lol Actually I should have just kept reading. In the back of the book there is a summary of Changes section and it specifically mentions that there is no longer a default drop zone.:slapface:

[Yardbird]

Sounds like the Event Director will need to ensure the Mando drop zone gets marked.

I'm curious to why the rule changed. The old "If no drop zone" rule seemed to be pretty straight forward and fair to establish a player's lie.

[Chuck Kennedy]

It was changed to get some consistency in how a mando gets played if it does not have a marked drop zone. I think the RC felt it was a little sloppy pacing off a spot from the mando that is if players read where the default drop zone was approximately located under the previous rules.

The more important rule change is that you haven't passed the mando until your lie is past the good side of the mando line. In the old rules, you had officially passed it in flight in the event you hit a tree on the other side of the line and bounced back.

[Toby Puttzinski]

So, if you miss the mando but ricochet back to being short of the mando, you have to play it where it lies, or do you have the option of calling it a missed mando (in the event it's buried)?
What is the ruling if you fly past the mando (good side), hit a tree beyond the mando and roll backward and around the mando? Do you have to make the mando a second time?

One other thing-- if you fly over the top of a mando pole, does the entire disc need to be on the good side, or just any part?

[Chuck Kennedy]

Play it where it lies. You can always call an Optional Rethrow if you can't play from the lie which would essentially be the same as missing the mando if the tee was the drop zone.

Yes.

Poor mando object if you can fly over it. But I would say the group needs to agree the full disc diameter completely passed on the good side of the mando to have passed it.

Note: I've updated the Rules School article on Mandos based on 2013 revisions. It should be posted sometime later this week on PDGA.com.

[Chuck Kennedy]

Here's the Rules School update for the 2013 version of the Mando rules. There are some interesting changes in a few interpretations: http://www.pdga.com/rules-school-mandatory-update-80402

[TreeLove]

Great article. Horrendous situations. Fantastic analysis. Tragic necessity. Here's to the Rules Committee! :bowing:

[PDX_Stu]

I wish I had read this before Blue Lakes - Was there a drop zone on Hole 2? ooops. Apparently, no one in my group realized this either. I guess I was slightly passed the perpendicular line.

[Sausage Fingers]

I wish I had read this before Blue Lakes - Was there a drop zone on Hole 2? ooops. Apparently, no one in my group realized this either. I guess I was slightly passed the perpendicular line.

and the drop zone was marked with a flag, what course did you play?

:pirate: