Rule 9: Ball Played as It Lies; Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved
R. 9.1b: If your ball starts to move after you begin your backswing, and you make the stroke, you must play the ball from where it comes to rest after you hit it. There is no penalty unless you caused the ball to move.
R. 9.2b(2): If it is not known or virtually certain that you, your opponent, or an outside influence caused your ball to move, you will treat the ball as if it were moved by natural forces. (“Known or virtually certain” means 95 per cent probability or above.)
R. 9.3: There is no penalty if your ball is moved by natural forces; you must play the ball from its new spot. There is an Exception for a ball on the putting green that was marked and replaced [see R. 13.1d(2)].
Int. 9.4a/1: If your ball may be lodged in a tree, you may do whatever is reasonable to identify it. You will not be penalized for moving your ball in play if it falls out of the tree, provided you had no intention to play it. If the ball is yours, you may replace it or directly use a relief Rule.
R. 9.4b: December 2018 Clarification: If you accidentally cause your ball in play and at rest to move, you get one penalty stroke (but there are Exceptions – see below) and must replace the ball. If you fail to replace the ball and play from its new location, you have played from a wrong place. In this situation, the penalty becomes the general penalty.
R. 9.4b, Exceptions: There are four exceptions. Here are two of them:
R. 9.4b, Exceptions: There are four exceptions. Here are two of them:
• There is no penalty if you accidentally move your ball during a search or while trying to identify it.
• There is no penalty if you accidentally move your ball on the putting green.
Int. 9.4b/1: You will incur a penalty stroke if you deliberately touch your ball in play, even if the ball does not move. Examples: (1) You rotate the ball on the putting green without marking it; (2) You rotate the ball anywhere on the course to identify it without marking it; (3) You deliberately touch your ball with a club in preparing to hit the ball; (4) You hold the ball steady to keep it from moving while you remove loose impediments.
R. 9.5b, Exception: There is no penalty to your opponent in match play if he marks and lifts your ball on the putting green, mistakenly thinking it is his.
Int. 9.5b/1: If you find a ball during search and state (in error) that it is yours, and your opponent (match play) subsequently finds another ball and picks it up, and that ball turns out to be yours, your opponent will not get a penalty for moving your ball in play. Since your ball was not actually found at the time you hit the wrong ball, your opponent technically moved your ball during search, for which there is no penalty. You or your opponent must replace the ball.
R. 9.6: If it is known or virtually certain that your ball was moved by an outside influence, there is no penalty and you must replace the ball (or another ball) on the original spot (which you estimate if not known).
R. 9.7a: If your ball-marker is moved in any way before you replace the ball, you must replace the ball or the ball-marker on the original spot (estimate if not known).
R. 9.7b: If you, or your opponent in match play lift your ball-marker or cause it to move, you or your opponent get a one-stroke penalty. There are exceptions – see R. 9.4b and R. 9.5b.
Rule 10: Preparing for and Making a Stroke; Advice and Help; Caddies
R. 10.1a: If your club accidentally hits the ball more than once, there is no penalty. One swing = one stroke.
Int. 10.1a/2: You may strike the ball with any part of the clubhead, including the toe, heel, and back.
R. 10.1c: Making a stroke while standing across or on the line of play, or on an extension of that line behind the ball, is not permitted. (Previously, this restriction only applied on the putting green.)
R. 10.2a:
• You may not touch another player’s equipment (e.g., bag or clubs) to find out what club he used. You may peer into the bag, but you must not lift anything covering the clubs (e.g., a towel).
• You may ask for or give advice before a round, while play is stopped (see R. 5.7a), and between rounds.
Int. 10.2a/2: If a player is receiving unsolicited advice from a spectator, there is no penalty but the player must try to put a stop to it.
R. 10.2b(2): Pointing out line of play on putting green
• The player or caddie may touch the line of play but must not improve conditions.
• The player or caddie is not permitted to place an object on or off the putting green to show the line of play, even if the object is removed before the stroke.
R. 10.2b(3): You may not set an object down on the ground to help line up your feet or body (such as a club). If you take your stance while that object is on the ground, you cannot avoid penalty by backing away and removing it.
R. 10.2b(4): Once you begin taking a stance for your stroke and until you hit the ball, your caddie may not stand behind the ball on an extension of your line of play. If you take a stance with your caddie lined up behind the ball, you cannot avoid penalty by backing away. (Exception: On the putting green, there is no penalty if the player backs off and waits for the caddie to move away.) See Diagram 10.2b.
Int. 10.2b(5)/2: If your ball lies next to a cactus, you may not place a towel on the cactus to protect yourself. However, you may wrap a towel around yourself. You are allowed to wear protective clothing.
R. 10.3a(1): You may not have more than one caddie at any one time. The penalty is the general penalty, and it is assessed for each hole where more than one caddie helps you.
R. 10.3b(1): On the putting green, your caddie may mark, lift, and replace your ball, remove sand and loose soil, and repair damage.
R. 10.3b(2): Your caddie must have authorization from you (each time) to restore conditions that were worsened after your ball came to rest, and to lift your ball (except on the putting green) under a Rule that requires the ball to be replaced. December 2018 Clarification: However, so long as it is reasonable to conclude that you are taking relief under a Rule, your caddie is treated as being given authorization to lift the ball and may do so without penalty.
R. 10.3b(3): Your caddie may not: replace a ball, unless he lifted or moved it; drop or place a ball in a relief area; or make the decision to take relief.
R. 10.3c: You are responsible for your caddie’s actions during a round and while a round is stopped, but not before or after a round.
Rule 11: Ball in Motion Accidentally Hits Person, Animal or Object; Deliberate Actions to Affect Ball in Motion
Rule 11.1a: There is no penalty if your ball in motion accidentally hits any person, animal, or natural or artificial object, including you, your opponent, any other player, any player’s caddie, or anyone’s equipment. Exception: In stroke play only, there is a two-stroke penalty if your putt from on the green strikes another player’s stationary ball that is in play on the green and both balls were on the putting green before your stroke.
Rule 11.1b: After the accidental hit in R. 11.1a (above), the ball must be played as it lies, with two exceptions:
(1) Ball played from off the green: If your ball comes to rest on a person, animal, or moving outside influence: (i) off the green – you drop any ball in a one-club-length relief area that is not nearer the hole than the reference point (which will be the estimated point right under where the ball came to rest) and in the same area of the course; or (ii) on the green – you place any ball on the estimated spot right under where the ball came to rest.
Note: Whenever you measure the size of a relief area, the actual relief area is the length of your longest club (except a long putter), no matter what club you use tomeasure.
(2) Ball played from on the green: December 2018 Clarification: If there is knowledge or conclusive evidence that your ball played from the putting green accidentally hits any person, animal, or movable obstruction (including a hole liner that comes out when the flagstick is removed), cancel the stroke and replay the shot. But there are two exceptions: Play the ball as it lies if it (i) hits another ball in play and at rest or a ball-marker on the green [the stroke counts, and you need to check R. 11.1a (above) to assess if a penalty applies in stroke play], or (ii) if it accidentally hits the flagstick or the person attending it (more on this when I address Rule 13).
R. 11.2:
• When a ball that has been hit from anywhere except the putting green is deliberately stopped or deflected by a player, or by equipment that was deliberately positioned to deflect or stop the ball, the player gets the general penalty. In match play, the hole is now over. In stroke play, the ball must not be played as it lies. Off the green, you will drop any ball in a one-club-length relief area that is not nearer the hole than the reference point (which will be the estimated point where the ball would have come to rest) and in the same area of the course. On the green, you will place any ball on the estimated point where the ball would have come to rest.
• When the ball is deliberately stopped or deflected after a stroke made from the putting green, the stroke is cancelled and must be replayed, using any ball.
R. 11.3: When a ball is in motion, you will get the general penalty if you deliberately move things out of the way (e.g., loose impediments, movable obstructions) or alter physical conditions (e.g., replace a divot, press the turf down). However, you may move a removed flagstick, a ball in play and at rest on the putting green, or other player equipment. Note: You will get the general penalty even if your deliberate action to affect the ball in motion does not affect where the ball comes to rest.
Copyright © 2018 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
