Your Queries Answered
I took up golf at the start of last summer and I am learning the Rules slowly. Last month, something happened which I was sure must have been a first, but apparently it wasn’t! I was around 50 yards from the green when a raven landed on the green and fancied the look of my yellow ball. It flew off with it in its beak and I never saw it again! What is the Rule here, as in our society there are half a dozen different opinions on what I should have done next?
Kevin Lamb, Whitehaven
Animals are considered ‘outside influences’ under the Rules. If it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence has lifted or moved a player’s ball at rest, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced on its original spot, which if not known must be estimated (Rule 9.6). This applies even if the ball has not been found, and in situations where the original ball cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds. So long as the player did not deliberately cause the ball to become unrecoverable, they can substitute another ball without penalty (Rule 14.2a).
Chris Wallace,
R&A Rules manager
A player arrives at the green where his ball is lying. He marks his ball and leaves the green. When it is his turn to play, he puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a wrong ball, places the wrong ball in the correct place and makes a putt. What ruling applies here? Does he have to continue playing with the original ball or the wrong substitute ball?
Mr Wolf, GM website forum
Generally, when playing a hole, a player must hole out with the same ball played from the teeing area (Rule 6.3a). However, when a player substitutes another ball for the ball in play, the original ball is no longer in play, even if the player has substituted another ball when not allowed by the Rules. The player can correct the error before making a stroke, but if a player does make a stroke at an incorrectly substituted ball, the player gets the general penalty, and in stroke play, must then play out the hole with the incorrectly substituted ball (Rule 6.3b).
Chris Wallace, R&A Rules manager