Hi Linda–
I really enjoy reading your daily rules info.
I have a question.
When you have marked and lifted your ball on the fairway at
the request of another player, I know you are not allowed to clean your ball.
One of our ladies was accused of wrongdoing because she
did not hold the ball clearly out in front of her between the thumb and
forefinger. She said that the ball was sitting in the palm of her hand and she
definitely did not clean it.
We can find nothing in the rules to say how the ball must be
held in the circumstance, only that it must not be cleaned.
I would be grateful for your opinion.
Regards,
Lulu from Scotland
Dear Lulu,
As you mentioned, a player is not permitted to clean her
ball when she has been asked to lift it because it interferes with another
player’s shot (unless the ball lies on the green) [Rule 21c]. A player who
lifts such a ball and places it carefully in her palm is no more likely to have
cleaned the ball than the player who holds it between two fingers. This player
has incurred no penalty.
A player who closes her hand around the ball or drops it
into her pocket may have inadvertently cleaned her ball. Any doubt would be
resolved against the player.
Linda
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