ball moving at address

[goldenbear]

Hi all,

When the ball settles (usually in the rough) and you ground your club behind it and then lift it up again often it oscillates - still moves about but stays on the same spot of grass. As far as I am aware there is no penalty for this. However, should someone ground their club causing the ball to stay on the same spot but still move about, and then begins their backswing only for the ball to move (still staying on the same spot) back to the original spot on the same bit of grass, is there a penalty for this?

Thanks

 

[Foxholer]

Here's the RofG definition of 'move or moved'.

A ball is deemed to have "moved" if it leaves its position and comes to rest in any other place.

Doesn't seem to have done so from your description.

 

[duncan mackie]

"......causing the ball to stay on the same spot but still move about, and then begins their backswing only for the ball to move (still staying on the same spot) back to the original spot........"

this bit doesn't make sense

however, you need to start with whether the ball has moved, which as Foxholer has pointed out is defined, before moving on to any applicable rule.

 

[Colin L]

I couldn't make much sense of your second sentence either, goldenbear. If by any chance you mean that your action in grounding your club caused the ball to move a bit only for it to return to the same place when you started your backswing, you would in my view be penalised for the first movement which resulted from your grounding the club, an action separate from the later one of starting your backswing. But that's maybe not what you meant.

 

[CliveW]

Here's the RofG definition of 'move or moved'.

A ball is deemed to have "moved" if it leaves its position and comes to rest in any other place.

Doesn't seem to have done so from your description.

This rule also applies if the ball moves vertically, so if the ball is sitting up on long grass or similar, and you ground the club behind the ball and it falls down, you are deemed to have moved the ball and therefore incur a penalty.