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The rules of golf are tough! Fortunately, we have a guru. Our Rules The man knows the book from front to back. Got the question? He has all the answers.
My fellow contestant tagged his ball and caught it. Then he substitutes his ball and throws it without being caught by his observer. I told him his ball was not in play because he had left his marker in place and had therefore hit the wrong ball – he needed to substitute the ball for a penalty kick. He said I was full of nonsense. Is the ball in play if you don’t catch your observer? — Robert Tarbox, via email
Really, Robert, grammar men can’t stand bullshit, and unfortunately you guys are full of it.
Marking or removing a ball has nothing to do with whether the ball is in or out of play. Popkiss.
In fact, it is the lifting or substitution of the ball that would change its position. However, Rule 14.1 prohibits playing the ball without first removing the ball marker, an infringement for which a fellow opponent deserves one penalty (not two), even though it was not a foul ball.
He needs to change his ways, and you need to eat a little crow.
For more ball marker tips from our expert, read on…
I know you can use a golf tee as a ball marker. Are you also allowed to use it as an aid in puttingt alignment – ie aligning it with a line on a golf ball? Obviously, the tee was removed before the hit. Tony Nguyen, via email
The answer is yes…with a caveat.
You will be in the clear as long as the tee does not also include features specifically designed to be used for golf ball alignment since – depending on the dimensions – it can turn a tee into an alignment device, and using it to align a golf ball in this way would be a breach of Rule 4.3a.
However, a tee stylized as a tee used in the manner you describe does not violate any rules. You are innovative.
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