Oops!...Now What Do I Do?
When I work golf tournaments as a PGA Rules official, I often see golfers drop a ball and look very confused after the ball hits the ground and rolls to a questionable resting spot. The confusion results from the player not knowing whether the proper thing to do is re-drop or if he must play the ball as it lies. An important caution is in order here: Don’t get in a hurry to pick up a ball and re-drop it! If you play tournament golf, I suggest you carefully read and fully understand what follows.
Rule 20-2 Dropping and Re-Dropping
1. What if I drop the ball in the required area after taking a penalty from a lateral water hazard and my stance is now inside the hazard line? The ball is IN PLAY. The player’s stance is not influenced by the position of the ball in this case.
2. What if the ball is touching the RED (or Yellow) hazard line after you drop it? You are required to drop it again because a ball touching the line is deemed to be inside the hazard.
3. I drop my ball away from casual water and the ball ends up on a cart path? I have the option of playing it as it lies or taking relief from the cart path. The cart path is a completely different situation from the casual water and relief is treated separately.
4. I drop my ball in a drop zone (inside the white lines) and it rolls outside the zone. The ball is IN PLAY, as long as the ball did not roll more than two club lengths from where it first struck the course.
5. In taking relief from a ball unplayable (my ball is stuck in a thorn bush) can I drop a ball inside a hazard? YES, if the hazard is located where my relief procedure will allow this. I may wish to drop within two club lengths of where the ball lies, for example, in a sand bunker to avoid playing from high rough.
As a rules official, I like to tell a player “the ball is IN PLAY” after it is dropped correctly. This is a warning that tells the player if he touches the ball again he may be penalized. Here are a few quick instances where I would not say “the ball is IN PLAY.”
- The player dropped the ball incorrectly, such as not at shoulder height.
- The player dropped the ball and it struck his foot. This is considered a non-event and must be dropped again.
- The ball first struck a part of the course outside the prescribed dropping area. These instances could be corrected before the player is further penalized.
Mark Morfey is a PGA Rules Official and Assistant PGA Professional at Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River. Mark moonlights as a successful stand-up comedian and is a contributing comedy writer for the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show that airs in our area on FM 94.7 KSHE every weekday morning.
