Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Ask Linda #1015-Hold down branches to hit ball

Hi there,
Here is the dilemma: Your ball comes to rest at the base of a tree. There are some tiny branches between you and the ball, making it somewhat difficult to have a clean shot at the ball. Is it therefore permissible to hold back these branches while striking your ball, without incurring a penalty for this action? 
Respectfully,
Lou from Barbados

Dear Lou,

Absolutely not. You may not move anything growing in order to improve the area of your intended stance or swing. The penalty for doing so is two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play [Rule 13-2].

Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.