Your most common golf rules questions – answered by an England Golf expert

GolfMagic has teamed up with England Golf's Rules of Golf Manager Sam Barker-Sabido to answer 11 of your most common golf rules questions. 

Whether it’s about accidentally hitting your ball during a practice swing, taking relief from an artificial path, or figuring out what to do when your ball lands on the wrong green, Sam has the answers every golfer needs.

In this article, you’ll find clear, expert guidance on tricky situations like:

• Can you clean your ball when taking relief?
• Do you need to mark your ball when lifting it for unplayable ball relief?
• What happens if your provisional ball goes down the fairway—do you still have to search for your original ball?
• Can you touch the sand in a bunker or the ground in a penalty area with your club?
• How exactly do you take stroke-and-distance relief after hitting a ball out of bounds?

Scroll down to see Sam’s advice and make sure you’re playing by the rules without unnecessary penalties. His tips are packed with practical examples and cover situations that most golfers encounter on the course, from tee shots to tricky fairway lies.

Got any rule-based questions of your own that you'd like answered in the future? Send them in to us at GolfMagic and we’ll put them to Sam to answer for you next time. 

Right, let’s dive in and get answers to some of your biggest rule questions…

Common Golf Rules Questions: Answered By England Golf Expert

1. Cleaning ball

Q: I’ve lifted my ball to take relief from an artificial path. Can I clean it?
A: Yes, you can always clean your ball, or use a new one, when taking relief. When lifting your ball for another purpose, you can normally clean it, but there are four exceptions which are covered by Rule 14.1c.

2. Marking ball

Q: I am going to lift my ball to take unplayable ball relief. Do I need to mark it?
A: No, you do not need to mark your ball when lifting it to take relief. However, it does need to be marked when you are lifting your ball under a Rule requiring it to be replaced on the original spot, such as when you are lifting your ball to identify it.
Related Rule: Rule 14.1a

3. Provisional ball

Q: I have hit my provisional ball down the fairway. Am I required to search for my original ball?
A: No, you are not required to search for your original ball. However, others may search for your ball even if you don’t want them to, as long as they do not unreasonably delay play. If a ball is found on the course within the three-minute search time (whether by yourself or another person), and there is a chance it is your original ball, you must attempt to identify it. If it is your original ball, you must continue with it and abandon your provisional ball.
Related Rules: Definition of Lost, Rule 18.3c

4. Ball search

Q: I know that I get a maximum of three minutes to search for my ball, but when does that search time start?
A: The three-minute search time starts when the player or their caddie (or the player’s partner or partner’s caddie) begins to search for it. It is important to note that a “partner” is not just another player in the same group; it is someone who a player competes with as part of a side in formats like foursomes and four-ball. If a player deliberately delays the start of the search in order to allow other people to search on their behalf, the search time starts when the player would have been in a position to search had they not delayed getting to the area.
Related Rule: Definition of Lost

5. Touching the ground in a penalty area or sand in a bunker

Q: Can I touch the ground in a penalty area or the sand in a bunker with my club?
A: You can touch the ground with your club in a penalty area, just like you can in the general area (Rule 17.1b).

The bunker is a bit different; you must not deliberately touch the sand with any object to test its condition. Furthermore, you must not touch the sand in the bunker with a club:

• In the area right in front of or right behind the ball (except as allowed in fairly searching for a ball (Rule 7.1a) or removing a loose impediment or movable obstruction (Rule 12.2a),
• In making a practice swing, or
• In making the backswing for a stroke.
  (Rule 12.2b(1))

6. Wrong green

Q: My stance is on the green of another hole, but I like my lie. Can I play the shot?
A: No, you must take relief under Rule 13.1f if a wrong green interferes with your area of intended stance or swing.

• The diagram assumes a right-hand player.
• Ball A lies on the wrong green, and the nearest point of complete relief for Ball A is at P1, which must be in the same area of the course where the original ball came to rest (in this case, the general area).
• The relief area is one club-length from the reference point, is not nearer to the hole than the reference point, and must be in the same area of the course as the reference point, P1.

7. Hit ball during practice swing

Q: I accidentally hit my ball during my practice swing. Does that count as a stroke?
A: No, that does not count as a stroke; you have accidentally moved your ball, so Rule 9.4 applies. If your ball was originally at rest in the general area, a penalty area, or a bunker when the incident occurred, you get one penalty stroke. If it was at rest on the putting green or in the teeing area, there is no penalty. In all cases, the ball must be replaced on the original spot, except on the teeing area; it can be played from anywhere within the teeing area.

8. Boundary object

Q: My ball is next to a boundary stake. Can I move the stake? Do I get free relief from it?
A: No, you must not move the boundary stake, and doing so would result in the general penalty under Rule 8.1a unless you were to replace it before making your stroke. You do not get free relief from it either. If reasonable actions to take a normal stance for your selected stroke involve moving the stake slightly, for instance if your leg presses against it causing it to lean, that would be allowed under Rule 8.1b(6) – see Clarification 8.1b/2.

9. Teeing area – missed ball

Q: I completely missed the ball with my shot from the teeing area – does it count as a stroke? I tried to hit the ball.
A: Yes, that counts as a stroke because you made an attempt to strike the ball. Your next shot will be your second, and you may make the stroke from anywhere inside the teeing area.
Related Rule: Definition of Stroke

10. Nearest point of complete relief

Q: My ball is on an artificial path. Can I choose which side to take relief?
A: No, you must play the ball as it lies or take relief at the nearest point of complete relief. It’s simply an unfortunate scenario if the nearest point happens to be in an unfavourable position.

• The diagram assumes the player is right-handed.
• The player has interference from the abnormal course condition (ACC) and is allowed free relief.
• When the ball lies at point B1, the nearest point of complete relief is at point P1 even though this is in the bushes where the ball may not be playable.
• This is because the point on the other side of the path where the player would have complete relief from the ACC is at point P2 and that point is farther away from B1 than point P1.
  Related Rules: Definition of Nearest Point of Complete Relief, Rule 16.1

11. Stroke-and-distance relief

Q: I have sliced my ball out of bounds from the fairway, so I am taking stroke and distance relief. Do I have to drop as near as possible to the original spot?
A: No, you don’t need to drop as near as possible to it. You can drop the ball within these limitations, in relation to the spot of the original ball:

• Within one club-length,
• In the same area of the course, and
• Not nearer the hole.
  Related Rule: Rule 14.6b

We hope these answers from England Golf's Rules of Golf Manager Sam Barker-Sabido help you feel more confident and enjoy your golf without worrying about penalties. 

Keep these tips in mind on the course, and remember — when in doubt, there’s always a clear rule to guide you.

Have a question of your own? Send it to us at GolfMagic, and we will get Sam to tackle it in a future Q&A. 

For more information about all things England Golf, please visit their website.