Some golf rules are easy to remember and feel confident when making a decision. Others are complicated. Here is one that has changed throughout history and is good for washing.
The golf ball moves onto the putting green
Tim and Jim are on the 16th green. They have a match going and it’s close. Tim has scored, lifted and replaced his ball on the Green Green. Just as he is about to address it, the wind picks up and the ball rolls an inch from its spot.
Jim, who is looking for any advantage he can get at this point, informs Tim that he should take a one-stroke penalty because his ball moved.
What is the ruling?
Your turn to be the official of the rules. What is the ruling here?
A) Tim must replace the ball in the spot from which it was moved without incurring a penalty.
B) Tim must play the ball from the new spot and take a penalty kick.
C) Tim must play the ball from the new position without incurring a penalty.
The correct decision
Sorry, Jim. You’ll have to find another way to grab a shot at Tim going down the stretch.
After Tim has marked, lifted and replaced the ball on the Green, if natural forces (wind, water or when something happens for no apparent reason such as the effects of gravity) cause the ball to move, Tim must replace the ball on his Place original. No penalty.
Choice A is the correct decision.
Rule 13.1d states that there is no penalty if the player, opponent or other player in Stroke Play accidentally moves the player’s ball or ball marker on the putting green. The player must replace the ball in its original spot (which, if unknown, must be estimated) or place a ball marker to mark the original spot.
If natural forces cause the ball to move, it must be played from the new location, unless, as in Jim’s situation, the ball is marked, lifted and replaced.
If natural forces then cause the ball to move, it must be replaced.
However, if you have read the rules of golf, you know that they are never simple and there are many “what ifs”.
That is why there is a separate and comprehensive companion volume entitled The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf.
What if the ball moves during Tim’s backstroke?
As long as Tim did not cause the ball to move during his backhand stroke, there is no penalty. If the ball moves during the backstroke and you complete the stroke, the ball must be played from its new position
regardless of the cause of the move. If you stop the swing before impact, you may replace the ball without penalty, provided you do not cause movement.
What if Tim didn’t replace the ball?
Now, let’s say Tim’s ball rolls those two inches and he figures he’s just going to play it from the new location. This is a violation. Tim had marked, picked up and replaced his ball before natural forces caused the ball to move, so he must replace the ball in its original place.
If Tim instead makes a shot from the new location, he has played from the wrong location. The penalty for playing from a wrong place in breach of Rule 13.1d is a general penalty under Rule 14.7B.
What if the ball hadn’t been scored yet?
If the ball is not marked, lifted and replaced on the green and moves due to natural forces (such as wind, water or something else like gravity), the ruling is slightly different.
In this case, you must play the ball from its new place. You can see this happen if you are playing a green with a slope in front and, as you are walking up to the green, the ball starts to roll back down the hill.
This is a situation where you have to play the ball from the new place while it stands.
Where did this rule come from?
Prior to the release of the 2019 Rules of Golf, players could be penalized for a ball moving onto the putting green because the determination of whether a ball moved was based on the “more likely than not” test.
Under the current rules, the player will only be found to have caused the ball to move when it is known or virtually certain (meaning at least 95 percent) to be the case.
You may remember that Dustin Johnson was involved in a famous controversy at the US Open 2016. His ball moved onto the green. He wasn’t sure if it would make him move.
However, after discussion and review, he received a one-stroke penalty for causing his ball to move, a penalty that sparked controversy among players and fans. (He still won the open.)
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