Hi Linda,
Someone is on the fairway of the 9th hole and his ball is
sitting up nicely. He grounds his wedge behind the ball and the ball rolls onto
the clubface of the wedge. The player walks away and goes through his pre-shot
routine again, leaving the ball in its new position. He then proceeds to play
to the green, holes out and carries on his round.
What are the penalties incurred and is there any major
damage done through not rectifying the error before he teed off on the 10th?
Thanks,
Lou from the Sunshine Coast Australia
Dear Lou,
The penalty for moving your ball in play is one stroke. If
the ball is not replaced, the penalty increases to two strokes. There is no
additional penalty and no need to rectify the error before teeing off on the
next hole [Rule 18-2 and the Penalty Statement].
In match play, the player loses the hole if he makes a
stroke at the ball he failed to replace after causing it to move. It would
be a one-stroke penalty if he replaced the ball before he hit it, and he would
have to advise his opponent of the penalty if his opponent did not observe it. Failure
to inform his opponent as soon as practicable that he has incurred a penalty
would result in loss of hole [Rule 9-2b].
Linda
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