Linda, on the tee, can any object, such as another tee, be placed anywhere behind the ball to aid as a reminder to control the path of the club during the backswing?
Also, can any object, such as a leaf, be moved in front of the teed up ball to be used in aligning your feet at address?
Lou
Dear Lou,
The answer to both questions is “no.” If the player places an object on the ground to assist him with his alignment or his line of play, or someone else does so with the player’s knowledge, the player must remove that object before he makes his stroke [Rule 8-2a; Decisions 8-2a/1, 2]. If the object is not removed, the penalty is two strokes (loss of hole in match play).
However, there is no Rule that prohibits a player from using some object that is already lying on the ground as an aid. Pebbles, blades of grass, twigs, leaves, discarded tees, and the like can serve to assist the player in lining up his shot. He has broken no rule if the object has not been placed and left to assist him.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
