Marking a ball off the green

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Agreed. It's whether it can be replaced in such a way that the line on the ball helps with the chip or putt. I know it can't when marked under the OPs situation and wondered about under winter rules when I played yesterday.

Edit - or at least I think I know!

Somewhere earlier in the thread I asked if I could replace the ball so that I didn't have to hit a dollop of earth that, without marking and lifting, I'd have to. Answer was that I could.

 

[AmandaJR]

Somewhere earlier in the thread I asked if I could replace the ball so that I didn't have to hit a dollop of earth that, without marking and lifting, I'd have to. Answer was that I could.

Interesting. Asked the question of one of our referees and supposed rules gurus some time back when we were playing and he said not.

 

[Kellfire]

Wouldn't changing the ball's position to allow a clean strike on the surface of the ball be materially changing the ball's lie thus a breach? The rule itself may not state it, but isn't that stated elsewhere?

 

[MashieNiblick]

Sort of on topic but...winter rules and ball on fringe just off green. Can I put it back down as I would on the green - using the aligment marker to aid me?

Somewhere earlier in the thread I asked if I could replace the ball so that I didn't have to hit a dollop of earth that, without marking and lifting, I'd have to. Answer was that I could.

Interesting. Asked the question of one of our referees and supposed rules gurus some time back when we were playing and he said not.

On the basis that Decision 20-3a/2 - Using Line on Ball for Alignment, says

Q. May a player draw a line on his ball and, when replacing his ball, position the ball so that the line or the trademark on the ball is aimed to indicate the line of play?

A. Yes.

And doesn't make any distinction about whether the ball is on the green or not, I'd say it's perfectly legal.

 

[Colin L]

Somewhere earlier in the thread I asked if I could replace the ball so that I didn't have to hit a dollop of earth that, without marking and lifting, I'd have to. Answer was that I could.

Yes, you can. See my third point in post #14. The reference is Decision 21/5

http://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-decisions.html#!decision-21,d21-5

I’ll add to what I said earlier:

You may replace the ball in such a way that your club will not hit the lump of mud;
you may not rotate it so that it is teed up on the mud;
you can put it back on the lump of mud if it had been sitting up on the lump of mud in the first place.