Linda,
Do you have an easy way to explain the difference between a wrong ball and playing from a wrong place (i.e., a ball played from where it was set aside, which is a wrong ball, and a ball played at a place your marker was moved to)?
Rules can get technical and you have a way with words and can maybe explain the difference well. Even though the penalty is the same, one needs to be corrected and the other one not.
Curious Lulu in Puerto Rico
Dear Lulu,
The answer to this question involves an understanding of the definition of “wrong ball” and “wrong place,” an explanation of the penalty for each infraction, and finally some examples that I hope will help to clarify the difference.
I. Wrong ball
A ball is a “wrong ball” if it is another player’s ball, an abandoned ball, or even your own ball if you have taken it temporarily out of play by marking and lifting it. In this last instance (and here’s where it gets a little tricky), the ball is not in play until you replace it where it was marked; if you place it elsewhere and play it, it is a still a wrong ball, and not a ball played from the wrong place. It remains a wrong ball until it is properly put back into play. The following balls can never be “wrong:” your ball that is in play, your provisional ball or a second ball that you play under Rule 3-3 when you are in doubt as to the proper procedure.
The penalty for playing a wrong ball is loss of hole in match play. In stroke play, you are penalized two strokes, and you must abandon the wrong ball and play the correct ball from the correct spot. Do not count the strokes you took playing the wrong ball.
II. Wrong place
You have played from the wrong place if you (1) hit a ball from a place not permitted under the rules; (2) if you were required to re-drop a ball and did not do so (e.g., your dropped ball rolls into a hazard, or rolls more than two club-lengths – for a complete list, see Rule 20-2c); or (3) if you move a ball and fail to replace it (Rule 20-7a).
The penalty for playing from a wrong place is loss of hole in match play. In stroke play, there is a two stroke penalty and you must continue playing the hole with the ball you played from the wrong place. However, if you suspect you may have gained a significant advantage by playing from the wrong place, then you must play a second ball from the correct place, report the facts to the Committee, and await its decision as to which ball will count. Under these circumstances, if you do not play a second ball, and the Committee rules that you gained a significant advantage, you will be disqualified for committing what is known as a “serious breach” of the rules (Rule 20-7c).
The difference between a wrong ball and a wrong place is the same everywhere on the golf course. Lulu, since you made references in your question to a “moved marker” and to “setting the ball aside,” actions that most typically occur on a putting green, I will use examples of infractions that might occur on the green to try to help to clarify the differences for you.
Let’s begin with a wrong ball. I trust that everyone understands that someone else’s ball or an abandoned ball are both “wrong” balls. The penalty and procedure are straightforward, and are explained above (see I, penalty for wrong ball). However, the concept that your original ball no longer in play is a “wrong” ball is not intuitive, and may be better explained using a concrete example:
Suppose someone else in your group marks your ball on the green and sets it aside. If you proceed to putt from that spot where it was set aside, you have played a wrong ball. This is because once a ball has been lifted, it is out of play. Even though you are playing your original ball, it is defined as a “wrong ball” because it has not officially been put back in play (this might be a good time to review the definitions of Wrong Ball and Ball in Play in Section II at the beginning of your rule book). The penalty in match play is loss of hole. The penalty for putting this wrong ball is a little tricky in stroke play. If you knew it had been set aside, then your penalty is two strokes, and you must now place the ball on the correct spot and hole out (don’t count the strokes made with the wrong ball). If you did not know it had been set aside, there is no penalty, and your procedure is as follows: If you discover the error before teeing off on the next hole, you would have to return to the putting green, place your ball on the correct spot (estimate as best you can), and putt out; if you become aware of the error after teeing off, the score with the wrong ball would stand (Decision 15-3b/3).
Let’s take a look now at playing from a wrong place. The most common example on the putting green occurs when you have been asked to mark your ball one putter-head length to the side and you forget to replace it before putting. You have played a ball from a “wrong place.” The penalty in match play is loss of hole. In stroke play, you must complete the hole with this ball, the score stands, and your penalty is two strokes.
Another example of playing from a wrong place on a putting green would be if you mistakenly place your ball in front of another player’s marker and putt it. In match play, you would lose the hole. In stroke play, the penalty is two strokes, and you would have to continue with that ball until you hole out [Rule 20-7c]. If you think you may have committed what the rule book calls a “serious breach,” then you would have to play a second ball from the correct spot under Rule 3-3 (Doubt as to Procedure), report the facts to the Committee, and await its ruling. In this case, the Committee would probably rule that you had committed a serious breach if you gained a distinct advantage by putting from the wrong place (perhaps the wrong place was 20 feet closer to the hole!). You would be told to count the second ball, disregard the strokes played with the ball from the wrong place, and add a two-stroke penalty to your score. (If you did not play a second ball and the Committee ruled you had committed a serious breach, you would be disqualified.)
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; this old adage is as applicable to golf as it is to life. None of the above golf “disasters” would happen if you would heed these simple suggestions:
1. Always draw distinctive marks on all your golf balls so that you can easily identify them.
2. If you mark someone else’s ball and set it aside, tell him so as soon as he is within earshot.
3. Store several ball markers in your golf bag. Use the one that is noticeably different from those of the other players in your group.
And here’s a trick that will help you to remember when you have marked your ball a putter-head length to the side at another player’s request: Whenever you are asked to move your marker, place it upside-down on the green. When it’s your turn to putt, noticing your upside-down marker will remind you that you moved it and will need to replace it before putting.
Linda
Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
