Thanks to Kenneth Johnston for emailing in a question I suspect has caught a few out from time to time.
“If I accidentally lift my ball on the green without putting my marker down then realise what I have done when it is my turn to play, what would the rule be, and what penalty would I incur? I have actually done it.”
As have I Kenneth and, as we’re about to see, so did a very famous player in a big tournament. So let’s reveal the answer…
Golf ball marking rules: What happens when you lift without marking first?
Yes, Jon Rahm once got caught out with this rare lapse in concentration when he picked up his ball without marking it on the 5th green at Olympia Fields in the second round of the 2020 BMW Championship.
Cue lots of headlines shouting about ‘bizarre’ rules breaches. But while it’s certainly not common at the professional level, are there any of you out there who have fallen foul?
I did in the opening week back after the first lockdown last year. Clearly being back on the fairways after so long away melted my mind.
The result was I had to add a stroke to my score.
A ball on the putting green can be lifted and cleaned but it also needs to be replaced on its original spot.
Rule 14.1a – Spot of the Ball to Be Lifted and Replaced Must Be Marked – explains that before you lift it, you’ve got to mark that spot. That’s most commonly done with a ball marker, though you can also hold a club on the ground behind or right next to the ball.
If you forget and lift the ball off the green without marking its spot, you get a penalty stroke. And if this does ever happen, make sure you put the ball back where it was before cracking on.
Advertisement
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
What do you think of this golf ball marking rule? Let me know with a comment on X.
