Linda,
I hit my ball; it landed on the green and came to rest at point
A. My flight mate then hit his ball from off the green. His ball struck my ball
and stopped at point B. My ball, deflected by his ball, then came to rest at
point C.
This is what we did:
1. He (my flight mate) played his ball at it lies.
2. I replaced my ball at point A and played from there.
Question/s:
1. Am I required to mark my ball at point C before lifting
and replacing it at its original position (point A), and by not doing so did I
incur a 1 stroke penalty?
2. What if I cannot determine the exact spot of point A,
what is the correct replacing procedure?
Thank you as always.
Lou from the Philippines
Dear Lou,
When a ball at rest
on a putting green is moved by another ball in motion hit from off the green,
the moved ball must be replaced and the other ball is played as it lies [Rule
18-5]. If it is not possible to determine where to replace the moved ball, you
must place it as near as possible to where it lay [Rule 20-3c]. Use your best
judgment – you will not find the exact spot, since it was not marked, and you
are not required to do so.
Your procedure was
correct, Lou. There is no requirement to mark your ball at Point C, since you
will not be replacing your ball there. If you have a good idea where your ball
lay before it was jostled, simply place it there. If you’re not sure, talk to
your fellow competitor and see if he can help you locate the original spot. Just do
your best.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
