Golf Rules Golf Rule 15 Substituted Ball Wrong Ball (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 15 Substituted Ball Wrong Ball (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now looking at rule 15, this rule covers substituted balls and wrong golf balls. Now there are occasions when you're playing a hole where we might need to substitute the golf ball that we're playing with. A wrong golf ball is slightly different where you’ve substituted the ball and you weren't allowed to do that. That's going to be classed as a wrong golf ball. So the general principle is that when you tee off on a hole with a tier list one, that's the ball that needs to go in the hole at the other end. There should be no reason to change that golf ball outside of the rules.

So if we tee off with the tier list one, but we – let's say we cut the middle of the golf ball. So we slice the middle of the golf ball with a wedge and it puts a crack in the golf ball. The ball rule actually states that you are not allowed to play with a deformed ball. So if you get to the green and you realize the ball has got a cut in it, then you are allowed to substitute the ball. So you make it, pick it up, tell your playing partners what you are going to do clearly and then put a different ball into play. And then you are allowed to hole out with that. That's a substituted ball, not a problem at all. You are allowed to do that. But a wrong golf ball is the kind of the opposite of that, when you've done the wrong thing really. So here we've got a golf ball on the ground. Alright mark with the golf ball and I pop it into my pocket and give it a good clean. And then when I come to play it again, I then this time put down the spare ball that was in my pocket. And if I haven't noticed that in time, and I now hit this ball towards the hole I actually get a penalty for doing that. It’s a penalty of two strokes for hitting the wrong golf ball. So I'd have to bring that back, put my correct golf ball back into play and then carry on again. So that's going to cause me quite a lot of problems. Now if this was – let’s say this was my playing partner or my opponent's ball. So I've gone out onto the golf course, we both hit shots onto the green. I've walked up and hit this one, then I realize it's the wrong ball. Again I have to bring that golf ball back, put it here so my playing partner or opponent can play it and then I go over and find my golf ball and I play that one. But again I have a penalty for doing that. So when I go to my golf ball, I've got to add another two shots onto my score, because I've played the wrong golf ball. So it’s really important to have that identification mark written on your golf ball so that you know it’s yours that when you get to the golf ball just get into the habit of checking that it is your ball every time. So a quick lean over, yeah that was me, the tier list one with the red dots on the side. That's the ball I hit from the tee. That's the ball I can now hit for my second, my third shot and hopefully that's the ball that then goes into the hole. So Rule 15 covers substituted and wrong golf balls. 2015-07-22

Now looking at rule 15, this rule covers substituted balls and wrong golf balls. Now there are occasions when you're playing a hole where we might need to substitute the golf ball that we're playing with. A wrong golf ball is slightly different where you’ve substituted the ball and you weren't allowed to do that. That's going to be classed as a wrong golf ball. So the general principle is that when you tee off on a hole with a tier list one, that's the ball that needs to go in the hole at the other end. There should be no reason to change that golf ball outside of the rules.

So if we tee off with the tier list one, but we – let's say we cut the middle of the golf ball. So we slice the middle of the golf ball with a wedge and it puts a crack in the golf ball. The ball rule actually states that you are not allowed to play with a deformed ball. So if you get to the green and you realize the ball has got a cut in it, then you are allowed to substitute the ball. So you make it, pick it up, tell your playing partners what you are going to do clearly and then put a different ball into play. And then you are allowed to hole out with that. That's a substituted ball, not a problem at all. You are allowed to do that.

But a wrong golf ball is the kind of the opposite of that, when you've done the wrong thing really. So here we've got a golf ball on the ground. Alright mark with the golf ball and I pop it into my pocket and give it a good clean. And then when I come to play it again, I then this time put down the spare ball that was in my pocket. And if I haven't noticed that in time, and I now hit this ball towards the hole I actually get a penalty for doing that. It’s a penalty of two strokes for hitting the wrong golf ball. So I'd have to bring that back, put my correct golf ball back into play and then carry on again. So that's going to cause me quite a lot of problems.

Now if this was – let’s say this was my playing partner or my opponent's ball. So I've gone out onto the golf course, we both hit shots onto the green. I've walked up and hit this one, then I realize it's the wrong ball. Again I have to bring that golf ball back, put it here so my playing partner or opponent can play it and then I go over and find my golf ball and I play that one. But again I have a penalty for doing that. So when I go to my golf ball, I've got to add another two shots onto my score, because I've played the wrong golf ball.

So it’s really important to have that identification mark written on your golf ball so that you know it’s yours that when you get to the golf ball just get into the habit of checking that it is your ball every time. So a quick lean over, yeah that was me, the tier list one with the red dots on the side. That's the ball I hit from the tee. That's the ball I can now hit for my second, my third shot and hopefully that's the ball that then goes into the hole. So Rule 15 covers substituted and wrong golf balls.