Golf Rules Golf Rule 12 Searching For And Identifying Ball (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 12 Searching For And Identifying Ball (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So we're now looking at searching and identifying a golf ball. It’s a popular situation for a lot of golfers where they are looking for their golf ball in the rough. So here's the rules that are sort of dictated to this part of the process. So as we're looking for a golf ball, we understand that we’ve got five minutes to look for our golf ball. And that's once we've arrived at the position, where we think the ball will be. So when you arrive at the position, sometimes worth noting to your playing partners particular if they're sticklers for the rules that now I've started looking for my golf ball. And you get five minutes, you can even just check you watch and say right guys, five minutes from this time.

If you find your ball outside of those five minutes time, it’s actually a lost golf ball and we’ll cover that later on. So here we're looking for our golf ball and I'm allowed to sort of move the grass. I'm allowed to push the grass to one side with my foot as I am looking for the golf ball. But when I actually find the golf ball, it's quite important that I don't start treading the grass down around here, or around here or chopping it back with my golf club. That would be illegal. That would get me a penalty shot. But when I find my ball, here it's quite important that I do check it's mine. That might other golf balls in this area and I need to make sure that's mine. Now if we look down at that golf ball, there's no clean identification mark on this side of the golf ball to see. But I wouldn't want to hit it and then go and pick it up later and realize it's not mine. So what I am allowed to do is I'm allowed to rotate the golf ball just enough that I can see the ball is mine. And if the ball had mud on it, I’d actually be allowed to clean it just enough to identify it's mine. So I can't pick it up and polish it and put it back down. But I could scrape enough mud or roll the ball over enough just to identify it's mine. Your best bet when you are doing that is actually to bring one of your playing partners over and just identify that that's what you're doing. Because they're not going to think too kindly of it if you've got your ball in your hand and you are cleaning and you're looking at it and then you are putting it back down. So just mention to your playing partners, not sure this is mine. I am just going to rotate it over, so it would be a simple rotary action there just to make sure it's mine. Picking it up and saying, yeah guys I've got it here. This is it, and then putting it back down again, you probably won't win too many friends like that. So rotate the ball over, make sure it's yours and then go ahead and play with confidence. And hopefully if you abide by those rules, you'll be able to find your golf ball quite nicely in the long grass. 2015-07-17

So we're now looking at searching and identifying a golf ball. It’s a popular situation for a lot of golfers where they are looking for their golf ball in the rough. So here's the rules that are sort of dictated to this part of the process. So as we're looking for a golf ball, we understand that we’ve got five minutes to look for our golf ball. And that's once we've arrived at the position, where we think the ball will be. So when you arrive at the position, sometimes worth noting to your playing partners particular if they're sticklers for the rules that now I've started looking for my golf ball. And you get five minutes, you can even just check you watch and say right guys, five minutes from this time.

If you find your ball outside of those five minutes time, it’s actually a lost golf ball and we’ll cover that later on. So here we're looking for our golf ball and I'm allowed to sort of move the grass. I'm allowed to push the grass to one side with my foot as I am looking for the golf ball. But when I actually find the golf ball, it's quite important that I don't start treading the grass down around here, or around here or chopping it back with my golf club. That would be illegal. That would get me a penalty shot. But when I find my ball, here it's quite important that I do check it's mine. That might other golf balls in this area and I need to make sure that's mine.

Now if we look down at that golf ball, there's no clean identification mark on this side of the golf ball to see. But I wouldn't want to hit it and then go and pick it up later and realize it's not mine. So what I am allowed to do is I'm allowed to rotate the golf ball just enough that I can see the ball is mine. And if the ball had mud on it, I’d actually be allowed to clean it just enough to identify it's mine. So I can't pick it up and polish it and put it back down. But I could scrape enough mud or roll the ball over enough just to identify it's mine. Your best bet when you are doing that is actually to bring one of your playing partners over and just identify that that's what you're doing.

Because they're not going to think too kindly of it if you've got your ball in your hand and you are cleaning and you're looking at it and then you are putting it back down. So just mention to your playing partners, not sure this is mine. I am just going to rotate it over, so it would be a simple rotary action there just to make sure it's mine. Picking it up and saying, yeah guys I've got it here. This is it, and then putting it back down again, you probably won't win too many friends like that. So rotate the ball over, make sure it's yours and then go ahead and play with confidence. And hopefully if you abide by those rules, you'll be able to find your golf ball quite nicely in the long grass.