A real-life example for you this week – one I actually had to rule on in a competition. It’s all about when you have to mark a golf ball.
A player found his ball next to a staked tree, which was classed in the club’s local rules as an abnormal course condition and, specifically, an immovable obstruction.
The player indicated he would take relief under Rule 16.1a 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…
Mark golf ball rules: Do you always have to do it?
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.
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 about these mark golf ball rules? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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