I had a situation come up yesterday while playing a round of golf with my normal playing partner. My ball on my second shot on a par 5 hit a small tree, and ended up INSIDE a small wire cage that was placed around the bottem 3 feet of the tree trunk. I told my partner it was a FREE drop from the cage, as the cage was placed around the tree so you wouldn't play the shot and damage the tree. He didn't agree at all, saying it was a penality for moving the ball out of the wire cage. I stood my ground on my thinkng and took my free drop inside one clubs length of the tree, and played my third shot into the green. what do you guys and gals think about this situaion?

not marked as OOB, I agree that the wire cage could me interpreted similar to ground under repair. I would have done the same thing you did (not that I'm the arbiter of rules...)

Agreed. USually those things are noted on the score cards as local rules giving you free drops but when they're so intermittent like that, yeah I'd play it as you did. Now if I'm in a tournament, I'd play it but not sign a scorecard till I had a ruling from the officials. Usually though you get free drops from man-made obstructions. From what I see of the rules:

"In most cases where there is interference from a man-made object, you can take relief with no penalty. What if your ball lands in a trash can that is a permanent fixture and you can’t retrieve it? If your playing partners agree that it is in the obstruction, you may determine the spot where it last entered the trash can and take relief from this spot. Find the nearest point of relief, then drop a substituted ball within one club length from that spot, no nearer the hole. "


In situation where it's not certain you get a drop AND can hit the ball, they tell you to play 2 balls, the original as it lie and another one dropped. But in your case you could not have hit the original so dropping and playing out and then clarifying with the clubhouse should have been fine.

It's rule 24-2 - immovable obstruction.
You get a free drop within one club length from the nearest point of relief.

Even if it seems movable, you may not treat the cage as movabe obstruction 24-1, because it is not made to be moved but to protect a tree.

Srushing is right, that you will find a local rule on the back of your score card on most golf courses, because they do not want you, to damage a young tree with your club.

If you are uncertain, you may play two balls under rule 3-3.
You would drop the ball in the cage at the nearest point of relief and another one under rule 28 (unplayable ball) with one penalty stroke.
Do not forget to announce in advance, which ball should count, if relief is possible under both rules. (Otherwise, you might pick the better score after holing out with both balls).

McFade

Thanks guys. That's pretty much what I told my partner, but he didn't believe me. Now I know for sure that I was correct, so I'm happy with how I played the shot after finding the wire cage. I might have to print out rule 24-2 and show it to him next time we play 18.