Is this a violation of the rules of golf?
Dear Golf Nut, I have an unusual way of marking my golf ball and lining up my putt. My playing partners say that it is a violation. Can you help? Basically I aim the putter head length-wise and perpendicular to the hole and then set my ball behind the putter with the line that I draw on my golf ball perpendicular to the putter mid-way along the putter head. I take the putter away and look at the line on the ball to see that it is aimed
at the hole correctly, and then adjust it if I need to. This saves me time with the
initial placement of the ball so that I have to adjust it less thereafter. I haven’t seen anyone else use this method, so I don’t know if it’s illegal or not.
I haven’t seen anyone use this method either so I think that it’s a good question for all the other golf nuts out there to see. Let me explain what the rules of golf say about this situation.
Rule 16-1 says that the line of the putt (the line in front of your golf ball) that you expect to putt along may not be touched, except for certain exceptions. And none of these exceptions are to allow you to touch it to indicate your line for putting. So if you laying your putter down in front of the ball or in front of your mark in the line of putt, then it is a rules violation.
The rules do allow you to indicate a line for putting, but you cannot touch the green to do this. So, for example your partner or either of your caddies could indicate with a golf club the line that you should start your putt out on, but they cannot touch the green along the line of the putt to do so.
I’m afraid that the rules of golf say that you have to find a new method for lining up your putts from now on.
Thanks for the question.
Great tip 
wht if your ball embeds in the rough (area not mown to fairway height). free drop or not?? 
the ball was on the green thats the reason for the request "the flag be tended" 
We played Carnoustie last week. It was fantastic!
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David,
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Comment by Robert on 15 September 2007:
Ok how about this? Can I use my putter shaft held horizontal over the ball with the grip pointing along the intended line of the shot, so as to help align the aiming line on the ball. The putter never touches the ground. I just use it as a straight edge to visually extend the line on the ball.
Comment by Jonl on 25 September 2007:
Freddie Couples often will lay his putter on the green ‘behind’ his ball as he secures his line so it seems horizontal and above should be OK??? I think the prohibition against engaging the ground area, from a player’s ball to the hole, is to protect from altering the surface in some way not allowed for in the rules. i.e. loose debris or ball pitch marks.
Comment by Dana on 2 March 2008:
How about using your putter on a parallel line not touching your line but laying on the green?
Comment by Rock_Steady on 20 August 2008:
You could line your putter head as you do from behind the ball, not in front of it.
Comment by Amy on 25 February 2010:
Along these lines I have a question. A girl my daughter played with in a tournament placed her ball on the green, picked up her marker, stood behind the ball to line up put, returned to her ball and touched the ball to line up the mark on her ball. Can you touch the ball once your marker is picked? If not, what is the penalty?