There are things you can do to make your next shot easier as found in the Rules of Golf, but there are a lot of things you can’t do. Rule 8.1 covers actions players can’t do to because they would improve conditions affecting the stroke.
You probably know a lot of them even if you’ve never taken a peek into the rule book. For example, if some branches would impact your through-swing, you can’t break them off a tree or bush to get them out of the way. If there’s a pretty sizeable divot hole in front of you on your line and you want to chip, you can’t go find the chunk of turf and put it back in the crater to ensure you get a true bounce. You also can't move a tee marker to gain an advantage before teeing off. Hopefully, this is all common-sense stuff.
Joel Carillet
Where there can be some confusion in regard to Rule 8.1 is when dealing with immovable obstructions with moveable parts. No, that's not an oxymoron. We'll explain what that means and how to proceed when dealing with one.
Let's try to make some sense of this: Golfers are entitled to free relief from an immovable obstruction when their ball, stance or swing is interfered by it. Immovable obstructions are things such as ball washers and cement cart paths, etc. Conversely, if your ball, stance or swing is interfered with by a movable obstruction, you can move the obstruction before playing your shot—free of charge. Things such as soda cans, a small bench and even hubcaps (it happens) can be removed before you swing away.
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So what happens when an immovable obstruction has a moveable part? Rule 8.1a/10 explains that it’s OK to return the moveable part of an immovable obstruction to its “intended position” even if it clearly improves the next stroke. What's an immovable obstruction with a moveable part? Two examples would be a sprinkler head that has popped up and is not in its dormant position. That could easily deflect a ball that would likely otherwise bounce forward if it struck the flattened sprinkler head. The other might be a drain cover that has been dislodged or removed and is in the way. The cover can be replaced without penalty, even if it clears the way for a better shot.
If you’re wondering why you can’t find this in your version of the Rules of Golf, this clarification was added in July 2023.