A column on what to do if you accidentally moved your ball on the green quickly set off on another tangent in my inbox. Kudos to those of you who got in touch to ask the following: “Is it OK to putt your ball without moving your ball-marker?”
If I had to guess, the motivation for a number of these exhortations come from the rather elaborate pre-shot putting routines we now see on tour every week.
Depending on whom you’re watching, a ball-marker seems to spend an inordinate time in place as players go through the rigmarole of getting ready to putt.
What if they forgot to remove it?
Golf ball-marker rules: Putting with a golf ball-marker still in place?
It’s a simple enough question and, thankfully, it’s got a simple answer too. Rule 14.1a – Spot of Ball to be Lifted and Replaced Must be Marked – goes through the procedure of what to do when lifting a ball under a Rule which requires the ball to be replaced on its original spot.
It says if the spot is marked with a ball-marker then, once the ball has been replaced, a player has to remove the marker before making a stroke.
If they fail to do this, it’s a one shot 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 golf ball-marker rules? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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