Dear Linda,
I am still enjoying all your blogs and they give me hours of
enjoyment.
Question:
(a) Rule 21 states: a Ball may be Cleaned when Lifted,
except under Rules 5-3, 12-2 and 22.
I understand that a Ball may not be Cleaned if it is Lifted
by a Player to determine if he is entitled to relief, say from an Aeration Hole
(Local Rule) – is this correct and are other such occasions?
(b) If a Ball at rest moves, when removing an Obstruction or
a Loose Impediment, the Ball must be Replaced. Now, to Replace the Ball, it
will obviously have to be lifted. Can the Ball be cleaned on such an occasion?
Is the fact that the Ball is being “Replaced” rather than it
being “Lifted” an issue in such circumstances?
Is there a distinction between a Ball being “Replaced” and a
Ball being “Lifted” when it comes to Cleaning the Ball?
Yours Sincerely,
Lou from Ireland
Dear Lou,
A ball may be
cleaned when it has been lifted. There is no distinction between “lifting” and
“replacing” with regard to cleaning a ball. When a player is required to
replace his ball (as in Rules 18-2, -3, and -5; 19-5; and 24-1) he may clean it
[Decision 18-2a/13]. I consulted a USGA official to verify this answer.
Technically, a ball
may be cleaned any time it has been lifted, except when it has been
lifted to determine whether it is unfit for play (Rule 5-3), to identify it
(Rule 12-2), and when it interferes or assists with play (Rule 22).
There is another
exception that is addressed in Decision 20-1/0.7. This Decision explains that a
player may not clean his ball when he is lifting it to determine whether he is
entitled to relief under a Rule of Golf. Specifically, if you have to lift your
ball to find out if it is lying in a hole made by a burrowing animal, is
embedded, is sitting on an aeration hole, or is in any other condition where
you would be entitled to relief, the ball may not be cleaned. In these cases,
if it is determined that the ball is, indeed, lying in a condition from which a
player is entitled to relief, he may clean the ball under the applicable Rule;
if it is not lying in such a condition, it must be replaced without being
cleaned.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
