Practice swing improving lie

[MikeD]

I heard that when playing your shot you have to continue if your backswing hits branches.

Today I was under a tree. I was practicing some swings. These are only of use if I am checking whether my backswing hits the trees. If it does am I improving the lie? I know I can't knock down the branches with my practice swing but is it OK to touch them.

 

[John_Findlay]

It's ok to touch them.

Here's the rule (copied form the R & A website)

A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

the position or lie of his ball,
the area of his intended stance or swing,
his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or
the area in which he is to drop or place a ball,

by any of the following actions:
moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),
creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,
removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or
removing dew, frost or water.

However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs:
in fairly taking his stance,
in making a stroke or the backward movement of his club for a stroke and the stroke is made,
on the teeing ground in creating or eliminating irregularities of surface (Rule 11-1), or
on the putting green in removing sand and loose soil or in repairing damage (Rule 16-1).

The club may be grounded only lightly and must not be pressed on the ground.

 

[MikeD]

This sounds that practising a swing, touching but not breaking the branches is OK.

It sounds that you can't move anything growing near your ball or push into trees/bushes to make your stance. Have I incurred a penalty by pushing under branches to play my ball?

 

[brendy]

Id say as long as you arnt distorting them to the point an impossible shot is then deemed to be very playable shot, you should be ok. The amount of times ive seen older players pushing their arses into the trees/bushes and hitting their ball and getting a favourable result, it really pains me as ive learned how to hit a sandwedge left handed (im a left hander that plays right handed golf) using the face upside down. Why cant everyone that plays at least be slightly aware of the main rules and etiquette.

 

[John_Findlay]

Mike, the answer lies within the decisions to rule 13-2. Again I've copied from the R & A website.


Without “fairly”, the exception would permit improvement of position or lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play by anything that could be said to be taking a stance.
The use of “fairly” is intended to limit the player to what is reasonably necessary to take a stance for the selected stroke without unduly improving the position of the ball, his lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play. Thus, in taking his stance for the selected stroke, the player should
select the least intrusive course of action which results in the minimum improvement in the position or lie of the ball, area of intended stance or swing or line of play. The player is not entitled to a normal stance or swing. He must accommodate the situation in which the ball is found and take a stance as normal as the circumstances permit. What is fair must be determined in the light of all the circumstances.
Examples of actions which do constitute fairly taking a stance are:
• backing into a branch or young sapling if that is the only way to take a stance for the selected stroke, even if this causes the branch to move out of the way or the sapling to bend or break.
• bending a branch of a tree with the hands in order to get under the tree to play a ball. Examples of actions which do not constitute fairly taking a stance are:
• deliberately moving, bending or breaking branches with the hands, a leg or the body to get them out of the way of the backswing or stroke.
• standing on a branch to prevent it interfering with the backswing or stroke.
• hooking one branch on another or braiding two weeds for the same purpose.
• bending with a hand a branch obscuring the ball after the stance has been taken.
• bending an interfering branch with the hands, a leg or the body in taking a stance when the stance could have been taken without bending the branch. (Revised)