Golf Rules Golf Rule 18 Ball At Rest Moved (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 18 Ball At Rest Moved (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So rule 18 now covers a ball at rest which means a ball that's still being moved. Now it can be moved by lots of different things. And again we're back to the now world famous rules app. 18.1 to 18.6, six different things that could move this golf ball, and six different rules that we need to be able to understand. So rule number – so 18.1, the first thing that could move this golf ball would be an outside agency. Now an outside agency on a golf course is anything that isn't you, your caddie, your player. So let's say it's a bird. The bird flies in, picks up the golf ball, takes it away and naturally it’s going to drop into the pond. The bird would never drop it nearer the hole.

So 18.1 is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball is replaced. Remember what we said about the rules. It's always do what is fair. If a bird picks up and drops into the pond, do what's fair. Put it back where it was, no penalty. That's 18.1 covered. If a ball at rest is moved by a player or a caddie or their equipment, if it’s moved by a player there is going to be some penalties there. It’s going to some players, that some penalties. Because we don't want that ball to move unless it's actually a stroke. So if it's moved by me or my partner because he's an extension of me, my caddie because he's an extension of me or my equipment or my partner's equipment it's a one stroke – sorry two stroke – no, no one stroke penalty, one stroke penalty for that to happen. It's deemed as it wasn't deliberate. You weren’t trying to gain an advantage, but it was just maybe an accident. You are walking on to the green and your playing partner hoofed it with his foot and knocked it nearer to the hole or the cabbie dropped the bag and the clubs knocked over and knocked the ball over. So you get a one shot penalty if that happens. That's 18.2. 18.3, if it's touched by an opponent caddie or equipment in match play, so it's when an opponent that does it there would be no penalty for that. Okay so no penalty for you if that happens in an opponent or the equipment or the caddie touches it. There's no penalty for that to happen. If it's done by a fellow competitor, so a ball at rest 18.4 moved by a fellow competitor, caddie equipment in stroke play. If a fellow competitor, his caddie or his equipment moves the player’s ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. Again it's not your fault. You just put it back where it was. Now the important thing is that, put it back where it was. So if you are walking up to the green and your opponent kicked the ball and it goes on to the green, you can play it from there. Remember do what is fair. It has to come back to where it was. You don't get a penalty but you also, you don't get the advantage. Now ball at rest moved by another ball, 18.5. If a ball at rest is moved by another ball it goes back. Sometimes we see this on the putting green. You've hit a great shot on to the green. Your playing partner chips on, one ball whacks into another ball your ball goes shooting off over there. You bring it back. Again there's no advantage, no disadvantage. If it banged off over there and went in the water, you'd want to redrop, wouldn’t you. But if bangs over there and goes nearer the hole, you’d also say, well can’t I play that one. No, it has to go back where it was. But interestingly the person's ball that did the hitting, that's played as it lies. So we can't determine where that ball would have gone to, so their ball has to be played as it lies, but your ball, we know where it was. We know where it was close to, that ball would therefore come back to where it was as close as we can get. Now if a ball is moved during measuring, again just put it back where it was. So if we're measuring with the club, measuring with the flagstick and the ball moves by mistake then it just goes back where it was. Again no advantage, no disadvantage. The penalty for all of this breach of this rule would be a two stroke penalty in stroke play and loss of hole in matchplay. Again we often see that in match play. You just lose the hole for cheating and in stroke play, you just get a two shot penalty for cheating. Maybe not deliberate cheating, but accidental cheating, the same-same. So that's 18, that's a ball at rest moved. 2015-07-22

So rule 18 now covers a ball at rest which means a ball that's still being moved. Now it can be moved by lots of different things. And again we're back to the now world famous rules app. 18.1 to 18.6, six different things that could move this golf ball, and six different rules that we need to be able to understand. So rule number – so 18.1, the first thing that could move this golf ball would be an outside agency. Now an outside agency on a golf course is anything that isn't you, your caddie, your player. So let's say it's a bird. The bird flies in, picks up the golf ball, takes it away and naturally it’s going to drop into the pond. The bird would never drop it nearer the hole.

So 18.1 is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball is replaced. Remember what we said about the rules. It's always do what is fair. If a bird picks up and drops into the pond, do what's fair. Put it back where it was, no penalty. That's 18.1 covered. If a ball at rest is moved by a player or a caddie or their equipment, if it’s moved by a player there is going to be some penalties there. It’s going to some players, that some penalties. Because we don't want that ball to move unless it's actually a stroke.

So if it's moved by me or my partner because he's an extension of me, my caddie because he's an extension of me or my equipment or my partner's equipment it's a one stroke – sorry two stroke – no, no one stroke penalty, one stroke penalty for that to happen. It's deemed as it wasn't deliberate. You weren’t trying to gain an advantage, but it was just maybe an accident. You are walking on to the green and your playing partner hoofed it with his foot and knocked it nearer to the hole or the cabbie dropped the bag and the clubs knocked over and knocked the ball over. So you get a one shot penalty if that happens. That's 18.2.

18.3, if it's touched by an opponent caddie or equipment in match play, so it's when an opponent that does it there would be no penalty for that. Okay so no penalty for you if that happens in an opponent or the equipment or the caddie touches it. There's no penalty for that to happen. If it's done by a fellow competitor, so a ball at rest 18.4 moved by a fellow competitor, caddie equipment in stroke play. If a fellow competitor, his caddie or his equipment moves the player’s ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. Again it's not your fault. You just put it back where it was.

Now the important thing is that, put it back where it was. So if you are walking up to the green and your opponent kicked the ball and it goes on to the green, you can play it from there. Remember do what is fair. It has to come back to where it was. You don't get a penalty but you also, you don't get the advantage. Now ball at rest moved by another ball, 18.5. If a ball at rest is moved by another ball it goes back. Sometimes we see this on the putting green. You've hit a great shot on to the green. Your playing partner chips on, one ball whacks into another ball your ball goes shooting off over there. You bring it back.

Again there's no advantage, no disadvantage. If it banged off over there and went in the water, you'd want to redrop, wouldn’t you. But if bangs over there and goes nearer the hole, you’d also say, well can’t I play that one. No, it has to go back where it was. But interestingly the person's ball that did the hitting, that's played as it lies. So we can't determine where that ball would have gone to, so their ball has to be played as it lies, but your ball, we know where it was. We know where it was close to, that ball would therefore come back to where it was as close as we can get.

Now if a ball is moved during measuring, again just put it back where it was. So if we're measuring with the club, measuring with the flagstick and the ball moves by mistake then it just goes back where it was. Again no advantage, no disadvantage. The penalty for all of this breach of this rule would be a two stroke penalty in stroke play and loss of hole in matchplay. Again we often see that in match play. You just lose the hole for cheating and in stroke play, you just get a two shot penalty for cheating. Maybe not deliberate cheating, but accidental cheating, the same-same. So that's 18, that's a ball at rest moved.