A TIO in golf is a temporary immovable object.
Tio’s generally only come into play during tournaments because that is usually the only time “temporary structures” are added to a golf course.
Rarely will the average amateur player ever get to take TIO relief.
Model Local Rule F-23 defines a TIO as such:
“A temporary immovable obstruction (TIO) is a structure that is temporarily added on or next to the course, usually for a particular competition, and is fixed or not readily movable.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/committee-procedures/rule-8.html
Examples of TIOs:
- Vendor/spectator tents
- Scoreboards
- Grandstands and other structures placed for viewing purposes
- TV towers
- Porta potties and other temporary toilets
- Supporting guy wires connected to temporary objects
TIO Relief In Golf
A player always gets free relief from a TIO.
Relief is allowed anytime a player has interference from a TIO.
This could be:
- Physical interference
- Ball is in a TIO
- Ball in on a TIO
- Ball touches a TIO
- TIO interferes with player’s stance or swing
- Line of sight interference
- TIO is located in the player’s line of sight to the hole
- Ball is one club length from the TIO being in the player’s line of sight
How To Take Free Relief
To take free relief from a temporary immovable obstruction, a player must first move to the nearest point of complete relief.
A player is then allowed to drop one club length from this point not nearer to the hole
This PDF from the USGA has everything you could possibly want to know about TIOs.
Recent TIO Incident On The PGA Tour
Jon Rahm At The 2023 Genesis Invitational
On Saturday at Riviera, Rahm pulled his tee shot about a mile left of the fairway into what was referred to as a “staging area” for equipment and thus deemed a TIO for the duration of the tournament. Since Rahm’s ball was not found but was “known or virtually certain to have come to rest in a TIO,” Rhahm was allowed to take a drop, made his par, and went on to win by two shots over Max Homa.
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