Rule of the Month - Ball Search, Finding and Identifying Ball

Rule 7 - Ball Search Finding & Identifying Ball 

7.3 - Lifting Ball to Identify It 

If a ball might be a player's ball but cannot be identified as it lies: 

• The player may lift the ball to identify it but the spot of the ball must first be marked and he ball must not be cleaned more than needed to identify it, except on the putting green. 

If the lifted ball is the player's ball or another player's ball, it must be replaced on it original spot. If the player lifts their ball under this Rule when not necessary to identify it, fails to mark the spot of the ball before lifting it or cleans it when not allowed, the player gets one penalty stroke. 

Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Rule 7.3: General Penalty 

7.4 - Ball Accidentally Moved in Trying to Find or Identify It 

There is no penalty if the player's ball is accidentally moved by the player, opponent or anyone else while trying to find or identify it. But if the player causes the ball to move before they start to search for the ball, the player gets one penalty stroke. 

Under this Rule, "accidentally" includes when the ball is moved by anyone taking reasonable actions to find the ball that were likely to reveal the ball's location by moving it (such as by sweeping feet through long grass or shaking a tree). 

In these situations, the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated). In doing so: 

• If the ball was on, under or against any immovable obstruction, integral object, boundary object or growing or attached natural object, the ball must be replaced on its original spot on, under or against such object
• If the ball was covered by sand, the original lie must be re-created and the ball must be replaced in that lie. But the player may leave a small part of the ball visible when doing so. 

Penalty for Breach of Rule 7.4: General Penalty 

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Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.