Marking your ball off the green

[seochris]

Are you allowed to mark your ball off the green if both balls are off the green.

I had a situation in May were I was off the green and a players ball was off the green but in my line. I asked him to mark it but was told he couldn't and so had to chip over it...thinned it over the back!

Anyway yesterday was playing in a comp and was asked to mark my ball which was off the green but in his line. I told him that it wasn't allowed so he asked the third player who said it was fine....so i marked it!

Who was right?

 

[G1BB0]

good question. Have had similar but the bloke who was in line went 1st so never needed to think about marking.

 

[North Mimms]

Are you allowed to mark your ball off the green if both balls are off the green.

I had a situation in May were I was off the green and a players ball was off the green but in my line. I asked him to mark it but was told he couldn't and so had to chip over it...thinned it over the back!

Anyway yesterday was playing in a comp and was asked to mark my ball which was off the green but in his line. I told him that it wasn't allowed so he asked the third player who said it was fine....so i marked it!

Who was right?

You can mark and lift your ball when it is not on the green if another players asks you to because it is in their way.
You must not clean the ball, so it is good practice to lift the ball and keep it clearly held in your fingers... don't put it in your pocket or palm of your hand

 

[Region3]

You can mark and lift your ball when it is not on the green if another players asks you to because it is in their way.
You must not clean the ball, so it is good practice to lift the ball and keep it clearly held in your fingers... don't put it in your pocket or palm of your hand

I have a (subconscious) habit of cleaning the ball if I'm holding it so I put it back on the grass away from the other player.

I was looking this rule up recently, and while you can't clean your ball, if it has a lump of mud on it you are allowed to replace it so the mud is away from your point of contact (although not to use the mud as a tee).

 

[bobmac]

If the ball is interfering with your playing the ball, ie the balls close together or it's on your line then you can have it lifted.
22/2

 

[Colin L]

Lifting your ball because it might assist another player or is interfering with the play of another player (Rule 22-1 and 22-2) is one of the three occasions when you are not allowed to clean your ball. The other two are:

identifying your ball (Rule 12-2)
checking your ball for damage (Rule 5-3)

By the way, it is worth noting that in each of these situations you must inform your opponent or fellow competitor that you are going to touch or lift your ball and give him/her the opportunity to observe your doing it. Now how often do you see players touching, turning and even lifting a ball to identify it without saying a word or marking it? Maybe you do that yourself in ignorance of the Rule?

PS And that was a question thrown out in general not aimed in particular at the last poster who will obviously know better

 

[chrisd]

Years back you didn't have to mark it on the green and that must have been fun! Players did have to chip over opponents balls to hole out and it was known as being "stymied". Just imagine the state of the greens!

 

[JezzE]

Now how often do you see players touching, turning and even lifting a ball to identify it without saying a word or marking it?

Almost every round I play even with golfers who've been playing for a very long time...

 

[bobmac]

Almost every round I play even with golfers who've been playing for a very long time...

Stop playing with Smiffy then

 

[MashieNiblick]

Further to Gibbo's comment just to confirm that the applicable Rule provides that

"In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball."


Another point worth noting is that off the green, if you think your ball is interfering with another ball, you can't just lift it on your own account, you have to wait to be asked by the other player.


"22-2 Ball interfering with play

Note 1: Except on the putting green, a player may not lift his ball solely because he considers that it might interfere with the play of another player. If a player lifts his ball without being asked to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke for a breach of Rule 18-2a, but there is no additional penalty under Rule 22."

 

[Imurg]

checking your ball for damage (Rule 5-3)

Not disputing this at all but how can you check a ball for damage if it's got half a ton of mud on it.....?
Obviously you can't clean it otherwise you could check for damage after every shot but if your ball is more brown than white ..........

 

[Foxholer]

Lifting your ball because it might assist another player or is interfering with the play of another player (Rule 22-1 and 22-2) is one of the three occasions when you are not allowed to clean your ball. The other two are:

identifying your ball (Rule 12-2)
checking your ball for damage (Rule 5-3)

It's the pedant in me again but an important amendment! You ARE allowed to clean 'your' ball to identify it - but only to the extent necessary to actually identify it. Rule 21.b. http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/Rules-of-Golf.aspx#/rules/?ruleNum=21

 

[Colin L]

It's the pedant in me again

Not another one! Is there room in this forum for the two of us?
I was being lazy but the problem is that if you aim to cover everything in a reply in a rules forum, you may as well just reprint the rule book. It's an important exception though.

Imurg asks about checking for damage, but although there is that dispensation that you can clean just enough to identify your ball, there is no such a one for checking if your ball is unfit for play.

 

[bobmac]

Not another one! Is there room in this forum for the two of us?

And the rest ...

the problem is that if you aim to cover everything in a reply in a rules forum, you may as well just reprint the rule book.

That's why I only try and answer the question asked at the time.......#5

 

[Imurg]

Mmmm...

Going off left-field a bit..
What if, whilst cleaning your ball sufficiently to identify it, you discover that it's damaged........?

Seems a bit harsh that you can't clean a bit to establish a damaged ball but you can to identify it....

 

[bobmac]

I think you have to suspect the ball is damaged ie you've thinned one or playing 4 somes with Fragger

 

[rosecott]

Mmmm...

Going off left-field a bit..
What if, whilst cleaning your ball sufficiently to identify it, you discover that it's damaged........?

Seems a bit harsh that you can't clean a bit to establish a damaged ball but you can to identify it....

I think that would be a rule-benders charter - sees the ball covered in mud, states I think my ball is damaged (even if nothing suggests it), cleans it up a bit, no problem now it seems to be OK.

 

[Imurg]

Not disputing this at all but how can you check a ball for damage if it's got half a ton of mud on it.....?
Obviously you can't clean it otherwise you could check for damage after every shot but if your ball is more brown than white ..........

I think that would be a rule-benders charter - sees the ball covered in mud, states I think my ball is damaged (even if nothing suggests it), cleans it up a bit, no problem now it seems to be OK.

Agreed Rosie - as above.

But, especially at the moment, a ball could virtually in 2 pieces but with the amount of mud that could be on it you can't tell....

 

[Colin L]

The situation is that if you look at your ball and can't see damage that makes it unfit for play because of mud, then it has to be deemed fit for play and you would have to replace and play it. Your hope would be that after that stroke you would be able to examine it again and see damage or better still that it broke into bits when you played which would give you a another shot with a new ball free of charge.

 

[chrisd]

I can see the situation where someone could claim thats their ball is damaged internally but with no outward signs!