Ball moving on the green

[JustOne]

not sure about that new rule about the ball moving on the green ruling... the one where if the wind blows your ball closer to the hole you can play it provided you didn't cause it to move? Is that right?

Can someone clarify that whole ruling please.....

 

[chris661]

My understanding of it is this, as long as you didn't cause or are virtually certain you didn't cause the ball to move then it just goes down as either hard luck or good luck depending on whether it goes closer or further away

 

[JustOne]

Ok, so you replace your ball, remove your marker..... then whilst you're lining up your putt the ball rolls a couple of inches to the right.... you now play it from there without penalty? can you replace it if you want? is it a penalty if you DO replace it? is it a penalty if you don't? I assume that you shouldn't have addressed the ball either? or grounded the club ... or what?

thanks in adv.... :thup:

 

[Colin L]

Ok, so you replace your ball, remove your marker..... then whilst you're lining up your putt the ball rolls a couple of inches to the right.... you now play it from there without penalty? can you replace it if you want? is it a penalty if you DO replace it? is it a penalty if you don't? I assume that you shouldn't have addressed the ball either? or grounded the club ... or what?

thanks in adv.... :thup:

Yes. No. Yes. No. You could have. Same thing. I hope that clears things up.

(Back shortly with a proper answer.)

 

[Colin L]

Ok. Here's an expanded version of the yes/no routine

It's best to consider two separate situations: ball moves before you address it and ball moves after you address it (remembering that you have addressed the ball when you have grounded your club immediately behind or in front of the ball).

A. Ball moves before address
You need to consider what caused it to move. If you did, there is a 1 stroke penalty and you must replace the ball. If you are sure that whatever caused it to move, it wasn't you, there is no penalty and you play the ball from wherever it came to rest.

2. Ball moves after address
In this situation, you don't have to wonder whether you caused it to move. You are deemed to have caused it to move. The change in the rules was to bring in an exception to this: if the ball was certainly moved by something other than you (a sharp gust of wind being an obvious possibility), there is no penalty and you play from where the ball ends up.

The essential difference is between considering whether you might have caused the ball to move before you addressed it and having to have a clear-cut case that something else moved it after you have addressed it.

The particular reference you need is Rule 18-2b and the Exception to it

 

[Foxholer]

James,

Here's a link to the 'new' rules info - they've been active for 15 months! You really should keep up.

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/New-Rules-2012.aspx

 

[upsidedown]

Follow up question for Colin.

You address the ball with your putter and touch the ball , ball appears to rock forward but doesn't leave it's spot. Is deemed to have moved ?

 

[Foxholer]

Pretty sure I can answer that just as well.

In order for a ball to be deemed to move, it has to 'leave its position and come to rest in another place'.

So no.

http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-of-Golf.aspx#/rules/?ruleNum=Def76306174

 

[Colin L]

No, it hasn't moved in terms of the Definition: A ball is deemed to have “moved’’ if it leaves its position and comes to rest in any other place.

See also Decision 18/2
http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-18/#18/2

 

[upsidedown]

Cheers both

 

[JustOne]

James,

Here's a link to the 'new' rules info - they've been active for 15 months! You really should keep up.

LOL.... it just crossed my mind - there was a tournament where Tiger was playing against McDowell in the final round recently and on one of the par 3's his ball moved on the green and he replaced it, then went on to make the putt for a very important par. I'm pretty sure that he hadn't addressed it so he shouldn't have replaced it. He went on to win..... trying to see if I can find it on youtube but can't

It was a par 3 where he made it over water but came up short of the green, then chipped 20ft past the hole before nailing the uphiller return putt.