Dear Linda,
There is some disagreement among the women I golf with regarding who gets the penalty when you putt a ball and it hits someone else’s ball. Can you clear this up for us?
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
The answer to this question depends on whether the competition is match play or stroke play.
In match play, there is no penalty if your ball is on the green, you putt it, and it strikes another ball lying on the green (Rule 19-5a). You will play your ball as it lies; the ball that moved when you hit it must be replaced (Rule 18-5).
The rule is different for stroke play. If your ball is on the green, you putt it, and your ball hits another ball lying on the green, you incur a two-stroke penalty (19-5a). The ball that you hit must be replaced (Rule18-5); you will play your ball as it lies.
It is customary and advisable in stroke play to mark and lift your ball when you are on the green. If another player has not lifted her ball, you are within your rights to ask her to do so. It’s just plain silly to risk a two-stroke penalty for an act that is so easy to avoid.
However, in match play, there may be some strategy involved in not asking a player to mark and lift her ball on the green. Suppose, for example, that you have a downhill putt, and your opponent’s ball is lying behind the hole where it could serve as a backstop for your ball if you putt it too hard. The rules state that you may lift your ball if you think it might assist another player (Rule 22-1). Note that there is a world of difference between “may” and “must.” If your opponent is showing no inclination to mark and lift her ball, take advantage of the situation and go ahead and putt.
The flip side of this advice, of course, is that if your ball may be in a position to help your opponent, you should mark and lift it. You always have the right to mark and lift a ball that you think might assist another player; another player may not require you to leave such a ball in place.
Best advice: In stroke play, always mark and lift your ball on the green. In match play, always lift your ball if it might assist your opponent, but don’t ask your opponent to lift her ball if it might assist you!
Linda
P.S. This is one of many examples where the rules differ for match play and stroke play, and should help you to understand why you are not permitted to compete in both forms of play during the same round (Rule 33-1).
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
