Dear Linda,
I replaced my ball in front of my marker on the putting green. I stepped back to survey my putt one last time, and the wind blew my ball to another spot. Should I replace the ball at the marker (I hadn’t lifted it yet), or should I play the ball from its new spot?
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Your ball is in play as soon as you replace it (Rule 20-4). If the wind then moves your ball to a new position, you must play your ball from that new position. The fact that your marker is still on the green has no relevance. Pick up your marker and putt from the new spot.
You must never put back a ball that is moved by wind; if you do so, you will incur a one-stroke penalty under Rule 18-2a. If you put the ball back and then hit it, your total penalty is now two strokes (the penalty for a breach of Rule 18). So if you mistakenly replace a ball that has been blown by the wind, make sure you put it back before you play your next shot. This is true anywhere on the golf course.
It might help you to think of it like this: When Mother Nature moves your ball, play it as it lies. Take to heart the advertised warning that many of us grew up with: Don’t mess with Mother Nature!
Note that once you address your ball, if it moves thereafter you are deemed responsible for the movement, even if it seems likely that the wind probably caused it to move. Assess yourself a one-stroke penalty and replace the ball. (For a more detailed discussion, see Ask Linda #64 posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008.)
Note also that there are situations when you are required to replace a ball, such as when it is moved by yourself, your partner, your equipment, your opponent, or another ball (please read Rule 18, Ball at Rest Moved).
Linda
Copyright © 2009 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
