Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Rules Nugget: Where is your ball? Think small!

There is an easy way to remember where your ball officially lies when it partially touches two areas of the golf course: The ball is always deemed to lie on the smaller part of the course. Here are some examples:

1. If any part of your ball touches the putting green, it is on the green. (The green is smaller than the rest of the hole.)

2. If your ball touches an out-of-bounds line, but any part of the ball extends past the line onto the course, the ball is on the course. (The course is smaller than the rest of the world.)

3. If any part of your ball touches a water hazard, the ball is in the hazard. (The hazard is smaller than the surrounding area.)

The same rule applies to bunkers, casual water, ground under repair, and the teeing ground. If any part of your ball touches one of these smaller areas, it is deemed to lie in it.