You may not move anything in a hazard even if the object is interfering with your shot. In the photo, you’ll notice that even though the ball is clearly within the hazard markings, it is very playable. The only problem is the reed (a loose impediment) lying on top of the ball. Unfortunately, you may not move the reed. You have to play the ball as it lies – without grounding your club. That makes the shot a little more challenging but not impossible. By the way, this rule applies to the bunker as well.

Let’s go back to the original question. What can you move? You may move any movable obstruction (man-made objects), such as a candy wrapper or cigarette butt – even in a hazard. Movable obstructions are defined as anything that “may be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without causing damage.” (Rule 24)  You might want to be proactive in marking your ball before you try to move a movable obstruction. If your ball moves, you must replace it without penalty.

You may only move loose impediments (natural objects) – things such as twigs, rocks, and leaves outside of hazards. One thing to remember is that if, in the act of moving a loose impediment,  your ball moves, you must take a penalty stroke and replace your ball.

By the way, I was playing golf today when out of the blue, one of my companions said, “I just love playing golf!” So do I! Enjoy this beautiful season of golf.

I consulted with the Rules Director for the tournament I referenced in my last post, (see “Use the Rules”) and she added some very interesting additional information. She said that what I wrote about was actually Part 2 of the scenario.

“Part 1: (The player’s) ball was next to a coffee cup lid (movable obstruction). So first I had her mark her ball (in case it moved), and remove the obstruction.

“Then there was part 3: When dropping while taking relief, a cart path was within the area she would drop in. If she dropped to avoid the cart path, she would have been back in the ‘jungle.’  So she took a chance and dropped on the path. The ball rolled not more than two club lengths and rolled to the edge where there was a bit of dirt that had washed onto the path. She could’ve taken relief from the cart path at that point, but she had a pretty good lie and a a good line to the green, so she elected NOT to take that relief.”

Note: if the ball had rolled further than two club lengths, she would’ve had to drop again, and if that, too, rolled further, she would’ve placed it.

Pretty interesting stuff!

For example, a woman competing in a tournament found her ball in the woods in an unfavorable lie. When she determined the stance she would take in order to hit the ball, she noticed that she would be standing on a drain pipe. She was given free relief and ended up having an open shot to the green.

Now maybe I should tell you that the drainpipe stance wasn’t the only stance she could have taken in order to hit her ball. In this case, she noticed the drainpipe first and used it to her advantage. After the incident was over, she was complimented by the rules official for knowing the rules.

Marking your ball

What should you do when you can’t tell if a ball is yours? Sometimes the ball is in heavy grass and  the logo is not visible; other times it may be partially covered with mud or sand.

Lately I’ve been aware of golfers picking a ball up to peek at the logo or just giving it a twist until the identification becomes possible. This is not legal according to “The Rules of Golf” (Rule 12-2) and could cost you a two-stroke penalty.

The correct way to proceed is this: 1) announce to your fellow-competitors that you can’t identify the ball; 2) give them a chance to observe your next actions; 3) mark the ball and pick it up just enough to be sure of the identification; 4) replace the ball exactly as you found it.

During this procedure, you may not palm the ball, clean it or rotate it. If the ball has a lot of mud or grass on it,  you may clean it off only to the extent to where you can see its markings.

Being proactive about marking your ball with a personalized mark or symbol will avoid most of these situations. So stick a permanent marker in your bag and get creative with your own personalization.

Barb Hanson

In The Rules of Golf, Rule 10 is “Order of Play.”

It states that on the tee, the person who scored lowest on the previous hole, or in the case of match play, the player who won the previous hole, goes first.

In the fairway or on the green, we probably all know that the ball farthest from the hole is played first. But what are the consequences if you play out of turn whether it be on the tee, in the fairway or on the green?

In match play there is no penalty for playing out of order, but your opponent may immediately require you to cancel the stroke you just made and make another stroke in the correct order.

Likewise, in stroke play there is no penalty unless two players have agreed to play out of turn in order to give one of them an advantage.

However, in the interest of pace of play (especially in a stroke play situation), it’s often a good idea to play out of turn just to keep the game moving. As long as there is no intentional advantage or safety issue, go ahead and play the shot.

Barb Hanson

When finishing up a short putt, can you stand on one side of the hole and reach across the hole to tap it in?

YES. As long as you “fairly strike” the ball, not scrape, push or spoon it. (The Rules of Golf - Rule 14-1) The rule also states that the “ball must be fairly struck with the head of the club.”

I was asked if it was a rule that you must address the ball when putting.

NO.  “A player has ‘addressed the ball’ when she has taken her stance and has also grounded her club.” However, a player is not forced to address the ball before striking it. In fact, in very windy situations on a putting green, it is wise NOT to address the ball, i.e. ground your club, because if the ball moves, you do not incur a penalty.

One more question: Is it okay to hold the flagstick with one hand while putting with the other?

YES. Rule 17-1/5

Barb Hanson

The flagstick seems like such a little thing in the greater picture of golf. However, “The Flagstick” is one whole rule in “The Rules of Golf” – one out of 28!

Here are a few things you may not have realized about the flagstick and its “do’s” and “don’ts.”

17-1: “Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.” Remember when Phil Mickelson had his caddy attend the flag for a shot from over 100 yards?

“If the flagstick is not attended, removed or held up before the player makes a stroke, it must not be attended, removed or held up during the stroke or while the player’s ball is in motion if doing so might influence the movement of the ball.” So when you see someone’s putt headed for an unattended flagstick, don’t run over and pull it out if the player has not authorized you to do so. However, (and this is a fairly recent change) if the flagstick has been removed and placed on the ground, and someone’s ball is headed toward it, you may pick up the flagstick and move it. (Rule 24-1)

17-4: “When a player’s ball rests against the flagstick in the hole and the ball is not holed, the player or another person authorized by him may move or remove the flagstick, and if the ball falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke; otherwise, the ball, if moved, must be placed on the lip of the hole, without penalty.” Note: “A ball is ‘holed’ when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.”

“My wife’s ball was plugged in the face of a bunker. She took a mighty cut, the ball popped out lazily and almost straight up in the air. Her club followed through and hit the ball once again at shoulder level, knocking it down the hill behind her. It was quite the double hit.

“Just two strokes or a penalty?”

Rule 14-4: Striking the Ball More than Once

“If a player’s club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player must count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.”

Barb Hanson

A friend of mine was getting ready to putt and in making her practice stroke she accidentally touched and moved her ball. What is the ruling?

Unfortunately, she incurred a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a for moving the ball in play, and she had to put the ball back in its original position.

Decision 22/6 says that the request was not proper and Ann certainly did not have to comply. In fact, if Ann and Bev were found to be aiding each other in this way, they could both be disqualified.