Thorns

[Dsplayname]

i am immune to both, but that may not be true for everyone.

I am immune to both as well. I sometimes play barefoot in the summers, and don't think twice about going into the poison ivy and oak patches. I'm pretty good about not getting too many ticks or scratches too, even when barefoot. I've had to take some relief due to bee hives and wasp nests though. I'm not allergic, but they do still hurt like hell.
Had to leave the course after only two holes the other day, because my girlfriend was intolerant of all the gnats in the breeze.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

so if you're anemic and a thorn could possibly end your life you couldn't call it an unplayable lie and back your disc up until it's out of the thorns?

that's bs, basically DG kills anemic people. is that what you want?

You sure you mean anemics? Perhap you really meant people with hemophelia (i.e. blood doesn't clot well, and simple cuts can bleed profusely)? I'm just guessing that certain courses may not be well suited to certain segments of the population.

So no relief for shots that lands in a bush.... OK.
What if it lands in a rattlesnake pit? I'm just playin' things out here...

Don't have to worry about gator infested ponds, because it's already OB, so there's your stroke.
How you get the disc back is a whole other thread...

 

[atvan]

Does eating the blackberries count as moving obstacles out of the way?

 

[Cgkdisc]

You do get free relief from harmful animals and insects. The primary reason as I understand it from the Rules Committee is that animals/insects are mobile and can come after to you beyond the point where your disc landed (although the range of fire ants is pretty limited). Poisonous plants and prickers are in a fixed location where you threw the shot so the issue was created by your (poor) throw.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

You do get free relief from harmful animals and insects. The primary reason as I understand it from the Rules Committee is that animals/insects are mobile and can come after to you beyond the point where your disc landed (although the range of fire ants is pretty limited). Poisonous plants and prickers are in a fixed location where you threw the shot so the issue was created by your (poor) throw.

Actually, that makes a lot of sense, and is good to know.

So, wordsmithy dweeb that I am, the trick here is to play with the definition of "harmful..."
"Look at those teeth on Little Bunny Foo-Foo over there!"

 

[ohtobediscing]

^^^Oh, he's a bloody fierce rabbit, with big fangs and claws! He'll bite your head off!

On a different tack, I've seen courses where the fairway WAS blackberries. Asian. With big fangs, and claws...

 

[DavidSauls]

At Stoney Hill we have a ground rule, even in tournaments, that players can damage briars anywhere they're encountered---your lie, your follow-through, just randomly walking through the woods......or philosophy is they're not an intended part of the couse, we just haven't managed to remove them all yet, and players stomping them down are doing us a favor.

I've advocated for relief from harmful plants, but encountered rebuttals with some merit.

 

[RnROutlaw]

I'm a casual player that's only played in one tourney (nonsanctioned) and the info on this thread is good to know. That being said, I'll be damned if I'm going into a huge jagger bush for my throw during a casual round. I know it's my fault for throwing it, but I mostly play for stress relief and because I love the game, but I'm not sticking my leg into a jagger bush during casual play to throw. Tourney situation is totally different, I'll do what I have to, even though it sucks

 

[New013]

what if the thorns are rabid?

 

[Brick Forcepush]

My disc actually landed by some at a tourney I was playing and I didn't notice and I had to prick about 15 thorns out of my hand.

 

[Bacon]

I would love to get free relief from Poison Ivy. That is way more serious than thorns. Again though, if I stay on the fairway then Poison Ivy isn't an issue.

I do recall one year we had a heavy growth season (rain, sun, rain, sun, etc) and the PI was growing right out on the fairway. We allowed relief in that case and we were all carrying around little things of liquid soap for washing off discs.

Thorns and PI can grow on the fairway. For me thorns are more serious since i am immune to ivy ^.^ But hey if you start giving relief for one thing everything starts begging for it.

 

[notroman]

Someone mention thorns?

 

[Cory326]

Dont you have to go in the brambles to get the disc anyway?

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Dont you have to go in the brambles to get the disc anyway?

Yes, but if relief was granted, you wouldn't have to throw from the brambles, but on a line (determined by your lie and the basket) behind the brambles, perhaps with an unencumbered pull back and/or follow through.
...much more likley to result in a decent upshot.

 

[mashnut]

Someone mention thorns?

Is that in Iowa? Saw a ton of those nasty trees this weekend out near Iowa City.

 

[RnROutlaw]

Someone mention thorns?

Got one of those suckers on 18 at Schenley in Pittsburgh, luckily it's next to the tee pad and doesn't come into play at all...unless I guess if you roll down the path from the chains on 17, never seen it happen though.

 

[DSmith]

I think its about time to add "hazardous" plants to the free relief list. This discussion comes up every spring.

 

[notroman]

Is that in Iowa? Saw a ton of those nasty trees this weekend out near Iowa City.

Yeah, this was at Walnut Ridge by Des Moines.

 

[DavidSauls]

I think its about time to add "hazardous" plants to the free relief list. This discussion comes up every spring.

Yes.

Issues to overcome:

What about sometimes-hazardous plants like Poison Ivy? Do allergic people get relief---possibily advantageous relief---when others do not? Do they have to prove their allergy? A doctor's note?

What about other plants with rarer allergies? Want to challenge someone's claim to allergy to Trumpet Creeper? (I once knew someone allergic to grass. Imagine.)

Frequently patches of thorns or poison ivy are expansive enough that 5 meter relief isn't sufficient.

Thorns are easy to identify....how proficient are people at distinguishing poison ivy from similar, or even dissimilar, plants? Seems to me that many city folks can't.

I still agree and advocate for relief from hazardous plants. Disc golf shouldn't involve bloodletting or benodryl. But these are some of the hurdles such a rule must address.

 

[John Rock]

You sure you mean anemics? Perhap you really meant people with hemophelia (i.e. blood doesn't clot well, and simple cuts can bleed profusely)? I'm just guessing that certain courses may not be well suited to certain segments of the population.

So no relief for shots that lands in a bush.... OK.
What if it lands in a rattlesnake pit? I'm just playin' things out here...

Don't have to worry about gator infested ponds, because it's already OB, so there's your stroke.
How you get the disc back is a whole other thread...

'94 Worlds in Port Arthur there was a hole on 1 of the courses that threw over a small pond to the basket. On a different side of the pond (but clearly visible from the tee) there was an alligator watching the action. Sure made me VERY cautious when looking through the rough later on.