Linda:
I am very grateful, daily, for the good info you offer to
the golfing world. I quote you often and suggest that my fellow golfers get
wiser about the rules by tuning in to you.
I often prepare to hit on the practice range and find that
my ball sits sometimes in a precarious spot, which can be steadied by merely
tapping, slightly, the ball on the top. It is not “moved” by definition.
May the same action be allowed in play in the fairway? How
hard a tap? May the ball be touched at all without it being moved? What
constitutes improvement of one’s lie? Seems to be a gray area for me.
Thanks.
Lou from Surprise, Arizona
Dear Lou,
Let’s see if I can change this gray area to a black and
white one for you. The Rules are very clear on this matter. A player is not
permitted to purposely touch a ball
in play [Rule 18-2 (i)]. The penalty is one stroke. If the ball it moved, it
must be replaced.
Linda
Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
