Golf Nut, I Have A Question For You About Debris Around Your Golf Ball

I think this is ok, but wanted to see what the rules say about this. If you golf ball ends up in a pile of junk like leaves, pine straw, twigs, small branches, it’s ok to move all of that stuff out before you hit your next shot isn’t it?

Well let’s look at this from two perspectives. We will look at what the Rules of Golf say and there is also a good golf tip in this topic as well.

First for the Rules of Golf. Rule 23-1 states “Except when both the loose impediment and the ball lie in or touch the same hazard, any loose impediment may be removed without penalty.” So, you might ask, what is a loose impediment? Here you go:

“Loose impediments” are natural objects including: stones, leaves, twigs, branches and the like. The definition also includes dung and worms, insects and the like, and the casts and heaps made by them. These items qualify as loose impediments provided they are not:

· fixed or growing,
· solidly embedded, or
· adhering to the ball.

Sand and loose soil are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere. Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player. Dew and frost are not loose impediments.

You also want to bear in mind the other part of Rule 23-1— If the ball lies anywhere other than on the putting green and the removal of a loose impediment by the player causes the ball to move, Rule 18-2a applies. Rule 18-2a basically states that you must replace your ball and incur a one stroke penalty. So be careful when you moving loose impediments.

Now here is a tip that you might not think about that much. The first part is common sense, but may not be common practice. Doing a little extra clean up around your golf ball gives you a much better chance at a good shot. It’s easier to get solid contact with the golf club on the ball when you don’t have all that trash around your ball.

I see golfers that move big stuff out of the way of their golf swing, but don’t clean up much around the golf ball itself. Or they just move the one or two big pieces around the golf ball. And not only is it simple mechanics that you can get better contact, but I also think that it helps you mentally.

There is something a little intimidating about trying to get your golf club on the ball when it’s not sitting cleanly on that sweet, short fairway grass. A little extra clean up helps you relax and, as I’ve said many times, relaxation is key to tempo which is key to a good golf swing.

Now one final comment in light of the rule discussed above. It doesn’t take much to accidentally cause your ball to move. So you may want to do a little practice on this. In fact, I read about a golfer who used to have a little contest with his teammates, sort of like pick up sticks. They would set up a bunch of debris around their golf balls and see who could remove the most stuff without their ball moving. Not a bad idea.