On The Green

The putting green has special rules that dictate everything from the line of your putt to moving loose impediments and repairing pitch marks.

The green is the area of the golf hole especially prepared for putting. It does not include the fringe. Your ball is on the green when any part of it touches the putting surface. This can be important as different rules apply depending on whether you are just on or just off the green.

For instance, you may mark your ball, lift it and clean it once you are on the green. Elsewhere you will normally have to play the ball as it lies, unless preferred lie or winter rules are in force.

You must place a ball marker -a small coin or similar object - immediately behind the ball before you lift it. If your fellow player thinks the marker interferes with his play or stance, you can move it to one side or the other - usually one or more putter heads away to clear the path.

If your ball or ball marker is accidentally moved in the course of lifting or marking, there is no penalty, and the ball or marker should be replaced.

Line of putt
You may repair old pitch marks or old refilled holes, but nothing else. This means that you may not repair spike marks. Removal of sand, soil or loose impediments is allowed. Do this by picking them up or by brushing them aside with your hand or club, but don't press them down.

When you measure to see which ball is nearer to the hole, or when you lift your ball, you may touch the line of the putt. Grounding the club lightly in front of the ball is also allowed when you address your putt, but you must not press anything down. Apart from these exceptions you must not touch the line of a putt.

Either you or your partner or one of your caddies may point out what you think is the line of a putt. But you must not touch the green in the process, or place anything on the green which would help with the line of a putt.

On the other hand, if there is a leaf or similar object on the green which you think will help you with the line of a putt, there is no obligation to lift it.

Do not test the surface or speed of a green by rolling a ball or roughening the surface. If you casually knock away a putt which you have conceded, there is no penalty, provided that you were merely returning the ball to the player rather than making a deliberate attempt to test the speed of the green.

Hitting the putt
Standing astride your ball to putt is forbidden. Don't stand with either foot touching the line of the putt or an extension of that line behind the ball.

What happens if your ball overhangs the lip of the hole and looks as though it might drop in at any second? You are allowed to walk up to the hole without reasonable delay, and then you are allowed to wait ten seconds.

If by then the ball has not dropped, it is deemed at rest and you must tap it in. If the ball falls in after the time limit and you don't remove it and tap it in, you're penalized a stroke.