Round 3 – Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved – The Back Nine

10) In stroke play, your ball comes to rest above and near a steep slope on the putting green. Without your authorization or knowledge, your caddie marks the spot of and lifts your ball, cleans it, and replaces it on its original spot. A gust of wind causes your ball at rest to move down the slope and it comes to rest on a different part of the putting green. Without marking the ball’s spot in the new location, you lift it and try to replace it on its original spot but it won’t come to rest. You try to replace it a second time, without success. Rather than moving away from the original spot to find the nearest spot where your ball will come to rest, you try to replace it on the original spot for a third time and, this time, the ball stays at rest. You then make a stroke from that spot, the original spot where it first came to rest on the putting green. How many penalty strokes do you get, if any?

11) Which one of the following is true regarding the replacement of your ball under the Rules?

12) Your ball comes to rest in a position where you have interference from ground under repair and are allowed relief under Rule 16.1b. You mark the spot of your ball and lift it to take relief, and then realize the relief area is under a bush. Which one of the following actions would result in you not getting one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4?

13) Your approach shot comes to rest on the putting green ten feet from the hole. As you are approaching your ball to mark its spot, a gust of wind moves your ball and it comes to rest down a slope and away from the hole where you are now faced with a more difficult putt. You ask your caddie to throw you a towel so you can clean your ball, but it comes up short and the wind blows your towel into your ball, causing it to move a few inches farther from the hole. Knowing that wind is a natural force, you play the ball from its new location. What is the ruling?

14) Your tee shot comes to rest in a muddy portion of a red penalty area. While walking toward your ball, you see the turtle move your ball and it rolls down into the water. Although it would be both easy and quick to get your ball, you replace a different ball on the spot it was moved from to avoid getting your shoes dirty. While setting up to make your stroke, you have second thoughts about playing from the mud. Instead you decide to take penalty area relief. After taking relief, you play the ball onto the putting green and then complete the hole in two more strokes. What is your score for the hole?

15) True or False: Your ball comes to rest in the fairway and you carefully set your bag down near your ball. While determining the yardage for your next shot, your bag falls over and moves your ball. You get no penalty for your ball being moved and are required to replace it on its original spot.

16) Your tee shot comes to rest in the general area next to a pine cone and near a sprinkler control box. You have a reasonable but risky shot over a penalty area in playing toward the green. While simulating your swing to see if you have interference from the sprinkler control box, your club accidentally hits the pine cone and causes your ball to move. You replace the ball on the spot it was moved from without replacing the pine cone next to it. The wind changes direction, so you decide to chip out into the fairway instead of playing toward the green. You hit your next shot onto the green and complete the hole in two more strokes. What is your score for the hole?

17) In which one of the following do you get the general penalty for not replacing your ball, when information concerning the ball’s movement only becomes known to you or your caddie after the ball has been played?

18) In which one of the following do you get one penalty stroke for lifting or moving your ball or ball-marker?