Is it legal to tap the grass around the hole before putting?

The Rules of Golf Are Complicated! Thankfully, we have the teacher. our Rules Guy knows the book inside out. Have a question? He has all the answers.

This morning, one gentleman in our foursome made a habit of pressing hard around the hole with his putter (always on his putt line, of course). When he questions this “garden”, he claims that the wardens were not doing their job properly when they changed the holes. I happen to know better, being one of those guardians. What rule should I cite? -Bob Keifling, Seibring, Fla.

Of course, you you are a gentleman since you have chosen to take the high road instead of knocking around the noggin of this shame!

Next time, let the rules do it for you. Players can repair “damage” to the green, which includes the hole and the area around it, even if it improves the line of play. But (!) normal maintenance practices, natural wear and natural surface imperfections are not damage as defined by Rule 13.1c(2) and cannot be repaired.

If his stroke alters the ground and improves a condition affecting the stroke, such as the line of play, then rule 8.1a applies, and he takes the total penalty of two strokes in stroke play and forfeits the hole in match play. Now who isn’t doing their job right?

For more green tips from our teacher, read on…

I was called for lining up the ball for a putt after setting my ball and then lifting my ball marker – I can’t adjust the ball if the marker is still in place, and if I was caught doing it again I would be penalized . However, in the clarification of R&A rule 14.2c/1, the ball may be lined up in any way as long as its vertical distance from the ground remains the same, I do not see any reference to a ball marker being required when lining up a putt . . Can you clarify? – Mark O’Neill, via email

We can and will do it right away. Sad to say, you were called correctly. Spinning the ball is considered a “lift” under Rule 14.1 and you get the right to lift the ball onto the putting green after you first hit it.

So if you roll the ball when it’s not marked, you get a free kick – since it hasn’t changed position, you don’t have to worry about replacing it. Please see Rule 14.1a.

The clarification you mentioned refers to how the ball is actually replaced — you can replace the ball in almost any orientation; ball alignment isn’t your problem here – but it doesn’t address whether or not the ball was marked when it was first pitched, as that’s a separate issue.