When playing with my Saturday morning "friends," we were on the green when I placed my plastic ball marker to mark my ball position. i picked up my ball and tapped down my marker with my putter. because the green and my club were wet, the marker adhered to the club and was thus removed from the playing surface. my playing opponents then declared a two stroke penalty for removing the ball and the marker. was this a correct interpretation of the rules?
Where did you find these friends, Bill? The rules can be severe, but they are not unforgiving--and certainly more compassionate than your buddies. The Decisions accompanying the Rules of Golf address your specific situation. They allow you to replace the marker with no penalty. You can find the Decision at the USGA web site.
Bill Cross, Orlando, FL
20-1/6 Ball-Marker Moved Accidentally by Player in Process of Marking Position of Ball
Q. A player marked the position of his ball with a coin, lifted the ball and pressed down the coin with the sole of his putter. He walked to the edge of the green and then noticed that the coin had stuck to the sole of the putter. What is the ruling?
A. In this case, the movement of the ball-marker was directly attributable to the specific act of marking the position of the ball.
Accordingly, no penalty is incurred and the ball or the ball-marker must be replaced. If the spot where the ball or ball-marker lay is not known, it must be placed as near as possible to where it lay but not nearer the hole (Rule20-3c).
Bob Carney
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