Rules of Golf explained: Do I need to mark my ball when taking relief?
A real-life example for you this week – one I actually had to rule on in a recent competition.
A player found his ball next to a staked tree, which is classed in my club’s local rules as an abnormal course condition and, specifically, an immovable obstruction.
The player indicated he would take relief under Rule 16 and picked up his ball before establishing the nearest point of complete relief and dropping it in a relief area.
His partner believed he should have marked the position of his ball first and I was asked to adjudicate.
What do you think? Should he have popped in a tee peg – or your marker of choice – before lifting it, or was he perfectly entitled to just pick it up and take relief accordingly? Let’s get stuck in…
Rules of Golf explained: Our expert says…
Prepare to be amazed. Rule 14.1a says that ‘when a ball is lifted to take relief under a Rule, the player is not required to mark the spot before lifting the ball’.
Don’t go all cavalier, though, and start lifting your ball willy-nilly in all circumstances. Remember if you’re lifting under a rule that requires your ball to be replaced on its original spot then you’ve got to mark that spot before picking it up otherwise you’re going to get a one-stroke penalty.
Have a question for our Rules of Golf expert?
Despite the simplification of the Rules of Golf at the beginning of 2019, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. And as I’ve passed the R&A’s level 2 rules exam with distinction, I am more than happy to help.
If you’ve sent me an email and are yet to hear back from me, I will try to answer your query. I have been inundated with requests in recent weeks and am working hard to try and get through them but it might take a little time!
In recent weeks, I’ve received a number of emails from players hoping I can intervene in a club rules dispute. For fairly obvious reasons, I can’t do that and would direct those players either to their county or to the rules department at the R&A for a definitive judgement.
Click here for the full Rules of Golf explained archive and details of how to submit a question to our expert.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
