Using a tee to mark your ball

[Jake O'Reilly]

I read a Q&A with Ryder Cupper Brian Barnes today, who mentioned that in his first ever pro tournament he was pulled up by Bernard Hunt for marking his ball on the green with a tee as he could be deemed to be testing ground conditions and penalised two strokes.

I see FCs doing this all the time, and probably have myself on a few occasions when my ball marker has eluded me. Has anybody else been pulled up on this one, or can confirm the rule is as black and white as Brian says?

 

[Spuddy]

Decision 20-1/16. A flat marker is best practice but you can use anything really, including a tee.

 

[duncan mackie]

I read a Q&A with Ryder Cupper Brian Barnes today, who mentioned that in his first ever pro tournament he was pulled up by Bernard Hunt for marking his ball on the green with a tee as he could be deemed to be testing ground conditions and penalised two strokes.

I see FCs doing this all the time, and probably have myself on a few occasions when my ball marker has eluded me. Has anybody else been pulled up on this one, or can confirm the rule is as black and white as Brian says?

the rule is black and white - and Brian's wrong (or Bernard...)

there's nothing wrong with sticking things into the green to test it; for example repairing your pitchmark!

the rules do not permit testing the surface by rolling a ball or roughening or scraping the surface - so you need to be both testing the surface and doing it this way to fall foul of them.

 

[CMAC]

I read a Q&A with Ryder Cupper Brian Barnes today, who mentioned that in his first ever pro tournament he was pulled up by Bernard Hunt for marking his ball on the green with a tee as he could be deemed to be testing ground conditions and penalised two strokes.

I see FCs doing this all the time, and probably have myself on a few occasions when my ball marker has eluded me. Has anybody else been pulled up on this one, or can confirm the rule is as black and white as Brian says?

what a silly Hunt

 

[Jake O'Reilly]

Thanks chaps, I thought it seemed an odd one which is why I had to ask.

 

[williamalex1]

Brian Barnes was the very man who used a can of lager to marked his ball on the green at the Scottish open at Dalmahoy GC. in middle 80s I think ?? .

 

[rulefan]

He marked his ball on the green at Dalmahoy with a can of Dryburghs bitter. Allegedly, he got away with no penalty because it was the sponsors brew but the Euro Tour imposed a big fine.

 

[stevie_r]

Brian Barnes was the very man who used a can of lager to marked his ball on the green at the Scottish open at Dalmahoy GC. in middle 80s I think ?? .

Classy

Brian Barnes played at the opening of my course apparently, back in the early 70s

 

[Waitforme]

what a silly Hunt

:rofl:

 

[williamalex1]

Classy

Brian Barnes played at the opening of my course apparently, back in the early 70s

He also opened Dougalston Esporta GC , and proceeded to lose 5 balls so the story goes, must be about 10 balls by now :rofl:

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

He also opened Dougalston Esporta GC , and proceeded to lose 5 balls so the story goes, must be about 10 balls by now :rofl:

Dougalston Esporta GC

Some folks naming golf and sports clubs really need to get pulled up for being the pretentious eedjits they are.

 

[williamalex1]

Dougalston Esporta GC

Some folks naming golf and sports clubs really need to get pulled up for being the pretentious eedjits they are.

Me ?.

 

[stevie_r]

Dougalston Esporta GC

Some folks naming golf and sports clubs really need to get pulled up for being the pretentious eedjits they are.

Nothing pretentious about it, Esporta are (were?) the leisure/ fitness company that ran the course as part of their facilities there which included a gym etc, hence the name.

 

[delc]

I was pulled up by 25 handicapper for marking my ball on a green with a tee peg last year. Then the other member of the playing group, also a high handicapper, backed him up, alleging that I was "testing the green". I asked them how you could repair a pitch mark without sticking a pitch fork into the green, but then were adamant that I had broken the rules. This went to the committee after the round, and of course they sided with me, as I hadn't broken any rule. You can mark a ball with a small metal or plastic disk, a coin, a tee peg, or almost anything as long as you mark before lifting the ball. There almost seems to be an urban myth that you can't mark a ball with a tee peg, but it's not true!

 

[Ethan]

David Feherty marked his ball with a hotel key once in a PGA Tour event.

 

[SaintHacker]

Surely its better to mark it with something that sticks in the grass anyway, less chance of it being accidentally moved!

 

[CMAC]

I was pulled up by 25 handicapper for marking my ball on a green with a tee peg last year. Then the other member of the playing group, also a high handicapper, backed him up, alleging that I was "testing the green". I asked them how you could repair a pitch mark without sticking a pitch fork into the green, but then were adamant that I had broken the rules. This went to the committee after the round, and of course they sided with me, as I hadn't broken any rule. You can mark a ball with a small metal or plastic disk, a coin, a tee peg, or almost anything as long as you mark before lifting the ball. There almost seems to be an urban myth that you can't mark a ball with a tee peg, but it's not true!

as with all these 'knowledgable' players its best to ask politely if they can show you the rule you have broken in the rules book you are handing them (always, always have a rules book in the bag, GM even gave them away in the mag last year and will probably do so again no doubt)