You might think a golf ball is a fairly sturdy piece of kit. But leave it exposed to the elements and the weather can still wreak havoc.
When a ball is on a green during a windy day, it doesn’t take much for Mother Nature to start interfering in our rounds in a big way.
Check out this weather-related email that popped into my inbox:
“I had marked my ball, put the ball down and took away my marker. Lined up my putt. I then made a stroke at the ball, but as I did so the wind blew my ball so that it moved just before I hit it. (I missed the putt) What is the ruling?”
I’m going to add this one to my growing collection of ‘odd things that can happen on a golf course’. But, fortunately, I think it will be a breeze to get to the bottom of this particular problem of when a ball moves during a stroke…
Ball moves during a stroke: What’s the ruling?
If you’ve lifted and replaced your ball on the green, many of you will know that if it’s then moved by natural forces – which include wind and gravity – you must replace the ball on the spot it moved from. It’s written in Rule 13.1d (2) and many of you will be familiar with it.
But does it make a difference that you were in the process of a shot as the ball shifted position? You might be surprised to learn that it does.
You need to check out Rule 9.1b, which covers what to do when a ball moves during a backswing or stroke.
It says if a ball at rest starts moving, “after the player has begun the stroke or the backswing for a stroke and the player goes on to make the stroke”, the ball must not be replaced – “no matter what caused it to move”.
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The rule also says you must play the ball from where it comes to rest after the stroke. This rule caters for both backswing and stroke but, just in case you weren’t clear on what the latter meant, it’s the forward movement of the club “made to strike the ball”.
If you get your rules mixed up and put it back in this case, you’ll get the general penalty (two strokes or loss of hole in match play) for playing from the wrong place.
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.
Ball moves during a stroke: What do you think of this rule? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
NOW READ: I’m not sure if my ball moved – do I get a penalty?
NOW READ: What happens when a ball moves on the putting green?
