Hi Linda,
Thank you for your daily rule queries.
I was grateful for your reply to a previous question so here
is another.
A's ball came to rest 4 inches in front of B's ball
on the fairway.
B asked A to mark and lift her ball as it was in the
way of her swing.
A held the ball in the cup of her hand in full view all of
the time and did not clean the ball.
Another player nearby said that A had breached the
rules because the lifted ball should be held between thumb and forefinger to
prove the ball is not being cleaned.
I can't find this in the rule book. Can you help
please?
Lulu from Scotland
Dear Lulu,
As we all (should) know, a player is not permitted to clean
her ball when she is asked to lift it because it interferes with another
player’s stroke [Rule 22-2]. One way of assuring that the ball has not been
cleaned is to hold it carefully between two fingers. While that is probably the
best way to guarantee the ball hasn’t been cleaned, it is not the only way. A
player who gently places the ball in the palm of her hand and holds it that way
in full view of the other players until she carefully replaces it is clearly
making an effort to abide by the Rules. I doubt very much she has cleaned her
ball.
If the Committee decides that there is the possibility that
the player cleaned the ball, she would be penalized one stroke. Personally, I
am having trouble imagining a ball getting cleaned by laying it in the palm of my
hand. If that were an effective cleaning method, my household chores would be
so much easier!
Linda
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