- A player's ball tee shot lands in deep rough. The player lifts their ball to identify it without marking the spot of the ball. Another player tells the player it is a penalty for not marking the ball before it is lifted. Before replacing the ball, the player cleans the ball more than necessary to identify it. The player replaces the ball and takes 3 more strokes. What is the player's score for the hole? 

A.   4

B.   5

C.   6

This week’s question seems simple enough, but it does have one caveat to consider. Most of us are aware that in certain circumstances we are penalized if we cause our ball to move on the course. But in this situation the player lifted their ball to identify without first marking the location of the spot and then proceed to clean the ball. Is this a penalty, is it multiple penalties, and if so, what are the ramifications. For guidance to these questions, we can start by reference Rule 9.4b.

9.4b Penalty for Lifting or Deliberately Touching Ball or Causing It to Move

If the player lifts or deliberately touches their ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke. But there are five exceptions:

Exception 1 - Player Allowed to Lift or Move Ball: There is no penalty when the player lifts the ball or causes it to move under a Rule that:

• Allows the ball to be lifted and then replaced on its original spot,
• Requires a moved ball to be replaced on its original spot, or
• Requires or allows the player to drop or place a ball again or to play a ball from a different place.

Exception 2 - Accidental Movement Before Ball Is Found: There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move while trying to find or identify it (See Rule 7.4).

Exception 3 - Accidental Movement on Putting Green: There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move on the putting green (See Rule 13.1d), no matter how that happens.

Exception 4 - Accidental Movement Anywhere Except on Putting Green While Applying Rule: There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move anywhere except on the putting green while taking reasonable actions to:

• Mark the spot of the ball or lift or replace the ball, when allowed to do so (See Rules 14.1 and 14.2),
• Remove a movable obstruction (See Rule 15.2),
• Restore worsened conditions, when allowed to do so (See Rule 8.1d),
• Take relief under a Rule, including in determining whether relief is available under a Rule (such as swinging a club to see if there is interference from a condition), or where to take relief (such as determining the nearest point of complete relief), or
• Measure under a Rule (such as to decide the order of play under Rule 6.4).

Exception 5 Ball Moves After Coming to Rest Against Player or Equipment: There is no penalty if, after the player's ball comes to rest against the player or their equipment as a result of a stroke (Rule 11.1) or dropping the ball (Rule 14.3c(1)), the player causes the ball to move when they move or when they remove their equipment.

Penalty for Playing Ball from a Wrong Place in Breach of Rule 9.4: General Penalty under 14.7a.

If a player is required to replace a moved ball under Rule 9.4 but fails to do so and plays from a wrong place, they get only the general penalty under Rule 14.7a (see Rule 1.3c(4) Exception).

Clearly the player is allowed to lift their ball for identification purposes, but they ran afoul of the rules when the spot was not marked before the lifting of the ball occurred. When the ball is required to be replaced on the original spot the ball must first be marked before lifting, Rule 9.4a. As a result of this breech the player has now received a 1 stroke penalty. Additionally, the player has cleaned the ball more than necessary to identify it. Is this now an additional penalty? Or was the player then allowed to clean the ball after receiving a penalty for not marking the spot.

These are sperate breaches of the rules and under the 2019 Rules the player would have received one stroke for each infraction committed. But when referencing the 2019 rules, Interpretation 1.3c(4) bullet point 2 covered Multiple Procedural Breaches. It stated: if a players single act or related acts breach more than one of the procedural requirements for lifting, cleaning, dropping, replacing, or placing a ball where the penalty is one stroke, such as both lifting a ball without marking the spot and cleaning the lift ball when not allowed, the player gets one penalty stroke in total. 1+1=1 as it was known.

But things have changed in 2023 and the rule now states:

1.3c(4)/1 Player Gets Two One-Stroke Penalties When There Is an Intervening Event (New for 2023)

If a player breaches a Rule with one penalty stroke, becomes aware of that breach and then breaches the same Rule or a different Rule with one penalty stroke, the player gets both penalties for a total of two penalty strokes.

For example, a player lifts their ball in the general area to identify it without marking the spot of the ball. Another player tells the player about the penalty and that they get one penalty stroke under Rule 7.3. Before replacing the ball, the player cleans the ball more than necessary to identify it, also in breach of Rule 7.3. When the player was made aware of the first penalty, that was an intervening event and so the player also gets one penalty stroke for cleaning the ball, which means that the player gets two penalty strokes in total.

When a player breaches multiple Rules or the same Rule multiple times, any relationship between the breaches is broken by an intervening event and the player will get multiple penalties.

With an understanding of the 2023 rules regarding this week’s question, we can now determine that the correct answer is “C” as the player took 4 talent strokes and 2 penalty strokes.

Do you have a rules question that you have often wondered about? If so, please send it to dmiller@mvgolf.org for an answer and who knows it could very well be our next “Rules Question of the Week”.