Hi Linda,
A friend asked about the rulings on touching the ball with the club on the fairway. Does it count a penalty if the ball doesn't move off the spot? Also is there a 2-stroke penalty for touching the ball in the tee box? I need to know if you address the ball and accidentally knock the ball off the tee and also if you swing and nip the ball and it falls off the tee.
I thought I knew these two rules but a friend says her other associate says something different.
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
A ball on the fairway is in play. If a player accidentally touches her ball in play with her club when she addresses it, and the ball does not move off the spot, then there is no penalty [Rule 18-2a(i)]. If the ball is moved, there is a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced.
A ball on the teeing ground is not in play until the player has made a stroke at it. Accordingly, when a player addresses the ball on the tee and accidentally knocks it off, there is no penalty and she may re-tee the ball. The same is true if she takes a practice swing that accidentally hits the ball, even if the ball is moved a considerable distance.
A player has made a stroke at the ball when she takes a swing with the intention of hitting it. If that stroke misses the ball entirely (a “whiff”), or if it just nips the ball and knocks it off the tee, it is a stroke and the ball is played where it lies (you may not re-tee if the ball was knocked off the tee). There is no penalty, but the swing counts as the player’s first stroke.
Linda
Copyright © 2011 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
