Ball has moved, please help with ruling

[dejf]

I played a very short shot just to pop up from the woods. I was longer than I wanted to be and the ball jumped slowly over the FW and ended in rough, not a heavy one, but quite juicy, solid rough. Somehow it did not sink into the rough, but remained on the grass at the very top, like if you tee it for a driver shot. What an awkward shot to play, I said to myself. Grab my wedge and started my routine. I was about to do my practice swings with my feet about 1 meter away in the rough, club head say 50 cm away from the ball. There was no connection between the position of the ball and the position where I was about to make my practice swings (no underlying branches or something, just clean 3 inch rough). But before I could make a practice swing, the ball fell off the teed position and sunk down to the rough and changed its position also horizontally. There was mild wind about 5 m/s blowing at the moment.

I did not see any connection between me being there and the ball moving, so I decided to play the ball "as is" - in the new position, sunk in the rough.

Was it OK or should the ball be replaced and I played from wrong place?

Thank you!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I played a very short shot just to pop up from the woods. I was longer than I wanted to be and the ball jumped slowly over the FW and ended in rough, not a heavy one, but quite juicy, solid rough. Somehow it did not sink into the rough, but remained on the grass at the very top, like if you tee it for a driver shot. What an awkward shot to play, I said to myself. Grab my wedge and started my routine. I was about to do my practice swings with my feet about 1 meter away in the rough, club head say 50 cm away from the ball. There was no connection between the position of the ball and the position where I was about to make my practice swings (no underlying branches or something, just clean 3 inch rough). But before I could make a practice swing, the ball fell off the teed position and sunk down to the rough and changed its position also horizontally. There was mild wind about 5 m/s blowing at the moment.

I did not see any connection between me being there and the ball moving, so I decided to play the ball "as is" - in the new position, sunk in the rough.

Was it OK or should the ball be replaced and I played from wrong place?

Thank you!

No issue as far as I can see - you had not addressed the ball or done anything to cause the ball to move - you play the ball from where it finally came to rest.

 

[bladeplayer]

Its only a penalty if you cause it to move ..

However ..

if the ball was at rest for some time before you got there & moved after you were in the vicinity of the ball ,ie practice swing or taking stance for your practice it could be fair to "assume" you caused it to move ..

Would be a hard penalty to call either way .. but in what you described it was sitting up, after you grabbed your wedge & started your routine it moved .. id say unless there is obvious proof otherwise your actions caused it to move & penalty ,

just my opinion tho

 

[dejf]

Thanks guys, it is hard to say, there was a wind blowing whole round today and sometimes less, sometimes more, for me it is thus difficult to say if it was me or the wind - I would say the wind, but I am biased . As I was quite far by my opinion, I thought that the influence of the wind must have been stronger than any influence by my body (would have to be some kind of wave from my feet walking around, transferred to the grass via ground, causing the grass to collapse). So my point of view was that it was more likely the wind - uphill lie, wind from the back, so a perfect fit for the wind cause, but obviously one can never be certain about that.

 

[dejf]

And maybe - let's say I was ruled to make a mistake there and caused the ball to move. How many strokes should I add? Two in total for general breach of rule 18?

 

[Spuddy]

1 stroke if you replace it to it's original spot or 2 if you play it as it lies (after causing it to move).

That being said, based on what you describe, I'd be happy that you hadn't caused the ball to move and you would be correct to play it as it lies without penalty.