Golf is an outdoor game and that means the elements can sometimes be a big part of the action. When it gets wet, it gets muddy. When it’s scorched, it gets dusty.
And when you’re in a bunker? Well it seems like sand is attracted to a golf ball like a bluebottle round a Venus flytrap.
When debris gets attached it can affect how far it travels and even the direction it goes in. So when that happens, we obviously want to clean the ball.
But most of us know it’s not quite as simple as that. We know we can’t just pick it up and wipe it down whenever the mood takes us, or because a bit of earth is attached to the side.
So when are you allowed to clean a golf ball, when is it forbidden, and what happens if you break the rules?
When are you allowed – and not allowed – to clean a golf ball?
The rules are pretty specific about when you can – and can’t – clean a golf ball.
You can clean the ball anytime you’re allowed to lift it. That might be when you’re taking relief under a rule, such as preferred lies, or when you are on the green. A ball lifted from the putting surface can always be cleaned.
But there are four occasions when you can’t clean a golf ball and they are listed in Rule 14.1c. They are:
- When you lift the ball to see if it is cut or cracked
- Because the ball is interfering with play
- To see if it’s in a condition where relief is allowed (though if you then take relief cleaning is fine)
- To identify it
There is a caveat to the last one, which is that you are allowed to clean the ball “only as needed to identify it”.
If you clean a ball when it is not allowed, you get a one shot penalty and you must replace the ball if it was lifted.
You also need to be a bit careful about what cleaning actually means. It’s not simply chucking a ball to a caddie, who catches it in a towel and gives it a rub down.
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A clarification to Rule 14.1c says if you put the ball in your pocket, or drop it on the ground, that could mean some grass or debris is removed from that ball, “meaning that it has been cleaned”.
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 these clean a golf ball rules? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
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