At most golf courses, cath paths are part of the experience. Golfers often like to play golf while riding around the course in a cart, and most golf courses accommodate golf carts with paths specifically for them.
However, cart paths on the golf course are often in play for golfers. Golfers frequently hit their balls in the wrong direction of the target, and that means their ball can hit the golf path or come to a stop on a cart path.
When a golfer's ball lands on a cart path, they have a choice.
Are golfers allowed to hit a golf ball off the cart path?
The golfer has two options when their ball lands and stops on the cart path. A golfer is allowed to take free relief from the cart path, or they can hit the ball off the cart path.
Of course, most golfers aren't going to hit the golf ball off the cart path. Cart paths are made of gravel, asphalt or concrete. They're hard surfaces, and most golfers don't hit the ball cleanly enough to even consider hitting a golf ball off of a path without injuring themselves. However, clipping a golf ball off the cart path is sometimes the better -- if not only -- option for a golfer.
How to take relief from a golf ball on the cart path
How to take relief from a ball on the cart path is to find the nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole, and then taking a drop within a club length. If the nearest point of relief is in deep rough, mulch or another bad lie, a golfer may think it's a better option to try to hit the ball off the cart path.
The Rules of Golf are there to help golfers and provide them with the options they need to play their best golf. And sometimes that means hitting the ball off the path.
