Ask Linda #51-leaf on ball in hazard

Dear Linda,
Last week my ball was in a water hazard and there was a leaf on top. I picked the leaf off the ball (the ball didn’t move) and played the ball. No one said anything, but I’m wondering if what I did was OK.
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
I’m afraid not, dear. When your ball is lying in a hazard, you are not permitted to touch or move a loose impediment that is also in the hazard. (Loose impediments are natural objects, such as leaves, stones, pine cones, insects, dead birds, and branches that have fallen off a tree.) If you touch or move a loose impediment in a hazard, the penalty is two strokes (stroke play) or loss of hole (match play).

Golf rules can often be confusing because they change as you move from one part of the golf course to another. Golf courses basically have four distinct areas: the teeing ground, the putting green, hazards, and what is known as “through the green.” (“Through the green” refers to all areas of the course EXCEPT the teeing ground and the putting green of the hole being played, and except ALL hazards on the course.)

Certain acts are permitted in some areas and penalized in others. Let’s take a look at a few examples:
1. If you picked that leaf off your ball that was lying anywhere except in a hazard, there would be no penalty, provided you did not move your ball in the process.
2. On the teeing ground you are permitted to pull out weeds or tamp down dirt around your ball. Try that anywhere else and you are assessed two strokes (loss of hole) for improving your lie or the area of your intended stance or swing.
3. You may ground your club lightly everywhere but in a hazard (hazards include both water hazards and bunkers, commonly known as sand traps). Ground your club in a hazard and it will cost you two strokes (loss of hole).
4. You may remove sand and loose soil from the putting green, but not elsewhere (two strokes/loss of hole).
5. The only place you are allowed to remove dew, frost, or water is from the teeing ground. Do it anywhere else and (you must have guessed it by now) the penalty is two strokes/loss of hole.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Since golf has so many persnickety rules, here’s something to keep in mine: If you are not certain of your rights, then play the ball as it lies. If you haven’t touched or moved anything, then it is highly unlikely you will have broken any of the rules of golf.

Linda

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