Dear Linda,
I play golf with a lady who does the following on the green:
After replacing her ball on the green and removing her ball marker, she places her right foot directly behind the ball, being very careful not to touch or move the ball. She then places her foot on the ground behind the ball, moving her weight from her heel to her toe. She then takes her normal putting stance and strikes her putt.
Is this procedure of placing one’s foot behind the ball and stepping down allowed on the green? I questioned this and was told by our golf pro that he could not find anything that would disallow this. I feel it is a breach of Rule 13-2.
I would appreciate your thoughts on this issue.
Thank you,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
The question that must be answered is whether anything was pressed down that would improve the player’s area of intended swing. If so, then the player has breached Rule 13-2 and will incur a two-stroke (loss of hole) penalty. If not, there is no penalty.
This player’s routine is unnecessarily reckless, in that she is risking a significant penalty. I would recommend that she change it. You can help this player out by explaining the risk she is taking. If she is reluctant to change, then check the green behind her ball for irregularities in the surface before she places her foot there. If she presses anything down, inform her that she has incurred a penalty. There is no stronger motivation to change a bad golf habit than to lose two strokes or a hole (match play).
Linda
Thank you, Linda. I appreciate your explanation. I have one more question. If she uses her footprint or maybe spike mark from her shoe to line up her putts, is that allowed? When I questioned her on this practice, she stated she does it to help line up her putts.
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
This is an entirely different matter, Lulu. A player is not permitted to place a mark anywhere on the green to indicate a line for putting. This is a breach of Rule 8-2b. The penalty is two strokes (loss of hole in match play).
Linda
Copyright © 2011 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
