[PHOTO: Corbis/VCG]
When searching for your golf ball, you’re on the clock for three minutes the moment you begin the search. It used to be five, but now it’s three – and that might leave you with a sense of urgency, prompting you or your opponents to take drastic actions in an effort to find the ball.
If those drastic actions include accidentally breaking branches or grass blades or sifting through bushes and flower beds without leaving those natural objects as pristine as you found them, you might wonder if you’re doing something that runs afoul with the Rules of Golf.
The short answer: maybe, maybe not.
Rules Review: Are you smart enough to ace this basic rules quiz?
To clarify, you can’t jump on a ride-on mower and take out the fescue on the right side of the second hole in an effort to find your ball. But if you happen to accidentally rip some grass out as you reach down into the rough and scratch around for your ball, there is no penalty according to Rule 7.1. The damage has to be the result of “other reasonable actions taken to find or identify the ball”, the rule says.
Now here’s something that might surprise you: say you were searching in the high grass trying to find your ball, and your actions ripped up some grass in a way that when you found your ball, it greatly improved the conditions for your next stroke. You might think that’s a penalty. Rule 8.1a, after all, says you can’t bend, move or break any natural object that is attached if it improves conditions affecting a stroke. But keep in mind, you’re searching for your ball and not setting up to hit your next shot. Because of that, Rule 7 takes precedence and there is no penalty.
One catch: there is NO penalty only if the search was “fair”.
It’s a matter of interpretation, for sure, so if you see an opponent ‘whipper-snippering’ in an effort to find his or her ball, you could make a strong case that those actions weren’t “fair”. If the committee (or your club pro) agree, it’s a two-stroke penalty or loss of hole in matchplay.
But if your opponent accidentally broke some branches on the way into the trees to find his or her ball, and there was no intent to provide an opening to get the ball back onto the fairway, nothing happened in violation of the rules.
By the way, it’s perfectly legal to sift through sand in a bunker or a waste area to try to find your ball. You also can splash away water from a puddle to search and move loose impediments and moveable obstructions without risk of penalty.
And what happens if the ball accidentally moves as a result of the search? Just put it back where you found it – no penalty (Rule 7.4).
MORE GOLF DIGEST RULES REVIEWS
My ball is in bounds but an OB stake is interfering with my shot. Can I move the stake?
Can I be penalised for delaying play if I stop to get a hotdog or a drink?
When am I allowed to substitute a golf ball on the course?
I stopped my swing before hitting the ball. Does that count as a stroke?
I hit myself with my own ball. Embarrassment aside, is that a penalty?
What happens in a match when no one knows how to apply a rule?
My opponent stopped my ball from rolling on purpose. Is that a penalty?
While waiting to play a shot, my opponent is killing time by chipping a ball. Is this allowed?
My ball is in a penalty area, so what are my options for taking a drop?
Can I be penalised if someone else improves my lie?
Can you repair divot holes or pitch marks in your line before hitting a shot?
I just played the wrong ball. What do I do now?
What do I do if my ball just hit another ball on the green?
What do you do when the tee markers aren’t lined up or are missing?
Somebody just picked up my golf ball! Now what?
Crazy things that only happen in matchplay
Can you hit a provisional ball after hitting a shot into a penalty area?
Your club breaks, what are your options?
My opponent took a generous drop after hitting into a penalty area. Can he be DQ’d for that?
Can I use a long putter when measuring my relief area?
Our practice putting green sucks. Can I hit a few putts on the course before my round?
I had an extra club in my bag and I just teed off. Now what?
Can I move a stone if it improves my lie?
Are you smart enough to ace this basic rules quiz?
Do I get relief from aeration holes?
What does ‘known or virtually certain’ really mean?
Do you have to use a putter on the green?
You’re playing a Srixon. Two holes later it’s a Callaway. Is switching golf balls mid-round allowed?
I hit a horrible shot. I’m waaaaaay better off if I don’t find the ball. Can I just declare it lost?
I’m on the green, my opponent is not. Who’s away?
Is sneaking a peek in another player’s bag considered getting advice?
What do I do if my golf ball is stuck in a tree?
I conceded a putt. My opponent putted anyway and missed. Is that a penalty?
What is casual water and how do I play around it?
I thought my ball was lost and put another in play then found my first ball… which ball counts?
What happens if I can’t tell my provisional ball from my original?
What exactly is an embedded ball?
How do I find my ‘nearest point of relief’?
