Written by: Darin Green, Senior Director of Rules & Competitions
There are several times during a round of golf when a player’s golf ball must be replaced (put back in the same location), or placed (placed in a new location). The Rules of Golf tell us how a golf ball must be replaced or placed.
First off, let’s take a look at some examples when a ball must be replaced or placed:
Examples of when a ball at rest is moved and must be replaced:
- A ball has been marked and lifted from a putting green
- A ball has been accidentally moved by a person on the putting green (no penalty and replace)
- A ball has been marked and lifted because another asked for it to be lifted because it was interfering with their play
- A ball was moved by an outside agency (animal, another person, etc.)
- A ball on the putting green was marked and lifted, replaced, and then natural forces (wind, water, or gravity) caused the ball to move
- A ball was moved by the player, partner or caddie other than during searching (one stroke penalty if it wasn’t on the putting green and replace the ball)
- A ball was accidentally moved during reasonable search efforts (no penalty and replace)
Examples of when a ball must be placed (new location):
- A ball is on the putting green and the player has interference for stance, lie of ball, area of intended swing, for an abnormal course condition (temporary water, immovable obstruction, animal hole or ground under repair)
- A player drops a ball in the relief area twice and it will not come to rest in the relief area (place ball on the spot where the second drop first struck the green)
- When playing Model Local Rule E-3 - Preferred Lies and a player places a ball in the relief area
There are more instances when a player must replace or place their ball; however, the ones listed above are the more common situations.
Ok, so now we’ve reached the part of how the ball must be placed or replaced. Rule 14.2b(2) states that “the ball must be replaced (or placed) by setting it down by hand on the required spot and letting it go so that it stays on that spot. If the player plays a ball that was replaced in a wrong way but on the required spot, they get one penalty stroke.”
At a junior tournament recently, when placing her ball on the putting green, a player would toss her ball on the putting green and roll it into place with her putter and then drag her ball marker away with her putter head. She then proceeded to make the stroke. Once the Committee was aware of this process, they informed her that each time she did that she must add one penalty stroke.
So if you are playing lift, clean and place, you must place the ball by hand. If you simply rolled the ball into position with your club, you placed the ball in a wrong way and would receive a one stroke penalty if you do not fix it before making the stroke.
