There isn’t a golfer reading this who hasn’t done it. You get to a green, you’re ready to putt, but your playing partner’s ball is in the way.
Maybe they’re lagging behind – perhaps they were raking a bunker – and you don’t want to hang around. So you step in and mark their ball for them, chucking it over as they arrive on the putting surface.
Sound familiar? But have you ever stopped to think whether you could, or should, have done it? Do you need to ask your playing partner first, and what if you don’t? Should you have been picking up a penalty all this time?
Let’s look at what the Rules say about who can, and can’t, lift and mark a golf ball…
Can you mark someone’s ball without asking them first?
Who is allowed to lift a ball? The player can, of course, and Rule 14.1b also says “anyone the player authorises”. That last word is important, because it means permission needs to be granted to do it.
That’s not just a one-time thing, either. “Such authorisation must be given each time before the ball is lifted rather than given generally for the round”.
So what if you’ve just steamed in there and picked up your playing partner’s ball? Whether you’re going to get a penalty or not depends on the format you are playing.
If it’s stroke play, you will avoid a sanction. You are an outside influence and Rule 9.6 says there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced on its original spot.
Given that you’ve marked it, Rule 14.2b says that can either be done by the player, or “any person who lifted the ball or caused it to move”.
If you’re playing match play, though, you’ve got a problem. If you lift or deliberately touch a player’s ball at rest, you get a penalty stroke under Rule 9.5b.
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There are a couple of ways you can escape this sanction. If your opponent asked you to lift it, or if you’re conceding the next stroke, or a hole, or the match then the penalty isn’t forthcoming.
If you marked and lifted by mistake, thinking it was your ball, you would also not have breached the rule. And, of course, no one is getting into trouble for accidentally moving a ball on a green.
So the next time you’re inclined to pick up a fellow player’s ball, you might just be wise to give them a shout first. It might save you a daft 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 of this marking-a-golf-ball rule? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
NOW READ: Can I rotate my ball on the green without marking it?
