The other day I watched someone switch golf balls on the putting green. This person was playing most of each hole with one ball and putting with a different ball. This is not allowed under “The Rules of Golf.”
From the Rules of Golf - 15-1: “A player must hole out with the ball played from the teeing ground unless the ball is lost or out of bounds.”
The Rules of Golf also say that a player may substitute a ball if the current ball is “unfit for play.” (Rule 5-3) “A ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked or out of shape. A ball is not unit for play solely because mud or other materials adhere to it, its surface is scratched or scraped or its paint is damaged or discolored.”