Are you an eager beaver? Do you find yourself first on the scene when there is a ball search? Do you get a little bit excited when you think you’ve found that precious globe?
Our latest rules query is about identifying a golf ball in match play. Let’s check out the email…
“Is your opponent allowed to identify your ball (if they find it before you) and need to move it in order to do so?
“This happened to me twice over the weekend, once in a better ball match and then again in a foursomes match.
“My ball came to rest off the fairway (in the rough) and needed to be moved to be able to see the line I had made on it.
“On both occasions, my opponent picked my ball up (without first marking it) to identify it before I had arrived (so I was unable to prevent them from doing so).
“Are there any consequences to this? The doubt I have is that because they failed to mark the ball, could I argue that they didn’t replace it in the same place – would I have a case for a free drop in this instance?”
Opponent touches ball in golf: is there a penalty?
I’m going to give you what I hope is a bit of sound advice. Don’t touch anyone else’s ball. Trust me, it’s just better this way.
Why anyone would come across a ball they think is someone else’s and then stick their mitts on it – rather than just calling the player over – is beyond me. But there it is. People do interesting things.
So, let’s get to the ruling. It’s different depending on whether it’s match play or stroke play but since our emailer has been involved in a match let’s deal with that first.
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When you’re searching for a ball you – or anyone else – will avoid a penalty if it’s accidentally moved while trying to find or identify it under Rule 7.4.
Accidentally includes when the “ball is moved by anyone taking reasonable actions to find the ball that were likely to reveal the ball’s location by moving it (such as sweeping fee through long grass or shaking a tree).”
When that happens, the ball is replaced on its original spot. If you don’t know that, you estimate where that is.
That’s not what has occurred here, though. There is nothing accidental about seeing a ball and then picking it up.
Now it’s problematic. Rule 9.5 deals with a ball that’s been lifted or moved by an opponent in match play and 9.5b, specifically, deals with the penalty for lifting, deliberately touching a ball or causing it to move.
If it is known or virtually certain to have happened, the opponent is getting a penalty stroke.
There are some exceptions, such as when the player allows it: either at their request or when conceding the next stroke, hole or match; when it’s accidental, or if it was done on the putting green by an opponent mistakenly believing it to be their ball.
It’s an expensive error, otherwise.
There is no free drop if this happens to you. Just replace the ball on the original spot and take your best guess if that spot is not known. You’ll never get penalised if you do this.
Some of the confusion with this situation arises because – as I said earlier – it’s different in stroke play.
Here, another player is an outside influence.
Rule 9.6 says if it’s “known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including another player in stroke play or another ball) lifted or moved a player’s ball at rest” there is no penalty and the ball is replaced on its original spot or estimated if that’s not known.
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There’s no penalty for the player who did the lifting either.
But my best advice for opponents in a match play situation? If you come across a ball, give the player a shout and just leave it alone.
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 make of this opponent moves ball match play rule? Let me you what you think and send me your own rules questions by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or by leaving us a comment on X.
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