What happens if the ball lands and stays in a pitch mark on
the green?
What if it stays in its own pitch mark on the green?
Since the green is not "through the green," what
happens in those two cases?
Another question (and this happened) - there were goose
droppings on the green in the line of the putt - the droppings were not easily
removed (not loose impediments) - do you get
relief? What if the ball was in the goose droppings? (yech!)
Thanks in advance
Lulu from Long Island, New York
Dear Lulu,
A player is always entitled to repair any damage on the
putting green that was caused by the impact of a ball [Rule 16-1c]. Whether the
ball rolls into someone else’s pitch mark, or embeds in its on pitch mark, the
procedure is the same: mark and lift the ball, repair the pitch mark, replace
the ball on the repaired ground.
Goose droppings, sad to say, are a common occurrence on golf
courses. They are loose impediments and may be removed (I flick them away with
a club). There is no relief if they have smeared on the green and cannot be
removed.
If your ball is lying on goose droppings on the putting
green, you may mark, lift, and clean your ball. Off the putting green, if the
goose droppings adhere to your ball you are not permitted to lift and clean. This is because things that adhere
to the ball (including dung and grass) are not loose impediments [Definition of
“Loose Impediments”]. If the droppings do not adhere to your ball, you may
flick them away (except in a hazard). However, if your ball is sitting on the
droppings, regardless of whether they adhere to the ball, there is no way to
move them without moving your ball, which would result in a penalty under Rule
18-2a.
Linda
Copyright © 2014 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.