This came up in a tournament over the weekend. A disc landed in a bike path that was designated OB. The disc was completly on the path but a blade of grass (live) was bent over and lying under the disc. The disc was ruled in bounds and no penalty since the blade of grass was touching in bounds. Is this a correct ruling?

If the disc was completely on the path, it should have been declared OB. It does not matter if the disc is touching something that is connected to a non-OB are.

See rule 803.09 - it makes no reference to relief granted if the disc is touching an object connected to OB.

There may have been such a granting in a previous version of the Rules of Play, but not in the current version.

This came up in a tournament over the weekend. A disc landed in a bike path that was designated OB. The disc was completly on the path but a blade of grass (live) was bent over and lying under the disc. The disc was ruled in bounds and no penalty since the blade of grass was touching in bounds. Is this a correct ruling?

Probably not. The OB line, which I'm assuming was the concrete bike path, is OB. If the disc is inside of that it is OB regardless of weather a single blade of grass is touching the disc.

This points out why you should, where reasonable, have a line and not rely on the grass/concrete OB line since someone always throws their disc into the exact situation you've described.

If the disc is completly surrounded by OB it is out. The line is ob also, you may be on the line and touching something in bounds( a blade if grass) but it is still out if the said disc is completely on the line.

The single blade of grass rule is intended to give the thrower the benefit of the doubt in any place where the edge of the pavement is ambiguous. Hopefully you got a ruling from the TD, after playing a provisional if he wasn't available at the time.

The single blade of grass rule is A figment of your imagination.

The single blade of grass rule is intended to give the thrower the benefit of the doubt in any place where the edge of the pavement is ambiguous. Hopefully you got a ruling from the TD, after playing a provisional if he wasn't available at the time.

There is no "single blade of grass" rule.

This came up in a tournament over the weekend. A disc landed in a bike path that was designated OB. The disc was completly on the path but a blade of grass (live) was bent over and lying under the disc. The disc was ruled in bounds and no penalty since the blade of grass was touching in bounds. Is this a correct ruling?

This is a good ruling. Its nice to finally see the player getting the benefit of the doubt that they deserve, the punishment mentality in this sport is getting out of hand

This is a good ruling. Its nice to finally see the player getting the benefit of the doubt that they deserve, the punishment mentality in this sport is getting out of hand

HUH? If you don't want to get stroked don't throw your disc out of bounds. I am unsure of you speak of when you say, "punishment mentality". Golf is a game of self regulation and players are should enforce the rules on themselves not look to be punished by others rulings.

HUH? If you don't want to get stroked don't throw your disc out of bounds. I am unsure of you speak of when you say, "punishment mentality". Golf is a game of self regulation and players are should enforce the rules on themselves not look to be punished by others rulings.

I agree!

it appears some folks misinterpret striving for a uniform, fair and consistent enforcement of the rules with a "punishment mentality". that's a good one.

Sweet! Next time I'm OB, but relatively close to IB, I'm gonna drop trou & squeeze out a big ole Cleveland Steamer running from my disc to the IB grass. Thank you so much, o imaginary "single blade of grass" rule; mark it 2, Smokey!

There is no such thing as the "blade of grass" rule. This is a myth that has been around disc golf for a very long time!

If a disc is completely on the path (which doesn't seem to have been in question), then it is OB. (No "punishment mentality" there, just a fact.)

As Bill mentioned, its always best to have a clear line delineating in from out, and that's a good reason to paint or use string to mark OB in cases where there's something like a dirt path with an uneven grassy border. But "completely on the path" is out, no matter what kind of vegetation extends into the OB area and happens to be under the disc.

The only confusion occurs when there's a crack in the asphalt or cement and there are weeds or grass growing thru it. Still OB in the same way a dry rock surrounded by OB water is OB.

The blade of grass thing came from TDs saying that on (as in surrounded by) cement or over was OB. If you were touching grass on the inbounds side you were OK. It was a lazy way of defining OB that led to people stretching it to if they were 'touching a blade of grass', they were in. Of course grass can extend over the pavement edge quite a bit at times, especially if dirt has eroded over part of the cement. A poorly defined OB line results, and golfers of lesser honor would rather bend a rule than take the stroke.

So there isn't a policy, but the application of such resulted from practice and repetition.

The single blade of grass rule...
Bravo, Bruce. You made quite a haul with that surprisingly weak bait. :D

I got suckered. My TMJ is killing me. Unfortunately it is a local myth.

It came into play in Milw. OB was declared as 'on the road or over'. Surrounded by asphalt or over. Touching grass on the road edge was in based on how the TD defined OB.