Hitting other player's ball?

[Zeuser]

Did a chip shot onto the green. It rolled past the hole and struck the other player's ball. So my ball ended up in a better position than his and I pushed his ball several feet further back. He had just pitched it onto the green before my stroke.

Obviously he was really pissed off at me. But according to what I know, there's nothing illegal about that and my play isn't penalized. Yeah, it's not very fair, but from what I know so far it's within the rules.

Am I correct?

[McBogey]

Did a chip shot onto the green. It rolled past the hole and struck the other player's ball. So my ball ended up in a better position than his and I pushed his ball several feet further back. He had just pitched it onto the green before my stroke.

Obviously he was really pissed off at me. But according to what I know, there's nothing illegal about that and my play isn't penalized. Yeah, it's not very fair, but from what I know so far it's within the rules.

Am I correct?
There is no penalty, your ball stays where it is and your playing partner gets to return his ball back to his original position.

[haribo]

McBogey is absolute correct.


Yeah, it's not very fair, but from what I know so far it's within the rules.
You should know that being within the rules includes also actually knowing them. It would have been very fair and shown good etiquette on your part if you would have been able to educate your playing partner on this particular rule and hence saved his day by avoiding him getting all pissy.

[Zeuser]

Unfortunately I don't have the rules book yet. I'll be adding that to my bag soon. I just went by what I was told by some more experienced players.

Now, "pissed off" is a loose term. We're far more patient and tolerant than many other golfers. At this point in our game it doesn't really make much of a difference so we often let such things slide.

[Titan]

I had this happen in my 4 some this past weekend as well. But My ball was hit closer to the pin. I simply said thanks and putted in from my new location. Was I supposed to move the ball back ?

Know mind you this was far from a serious must follow all the rules group. Most of the players I play with the only rule is "hit it in the hole". I like to follow the rules.

[haribo]

Unfortunately I don't have the rules book yet. I'll be adding that to my bag soon.

Don't just put it into your bag. READ IT. The rules of golf are there to help you. You can benefit greatly from applying them. It's not just about adding penalty strokes to your score. Just imagine yourself being in your friends position and his ball would have pushed away your surefire birdie putt. See what I mean?

[el tigre]

I had this happen in my 4 some this past weekend as well. But My ball was hit closer to the pin. I simply said thanks and putted in from my new location. Was I supposed to move the ball back? If your ball was the ball at rest on the green, then yes you should have moved it back to its original position.

[Titan]

If your ball was the ball at rest on the green, then yes you should have moved it back to its original position.



I would have got a penalty if we were on the green putting though right? Are you allowed/supposed to mark the ball before people chip on? Normally I would have marked my ball before he chipped on but He hit the ball before I had a chance.

[el tigre]

I would have got a penalty if we were on the green putting though right? Are you allowed/supposed to mark the ball before people chip on? Normally I would have marked my ball before he chipped on but He hit the ball before I had a chance. If your ball is the ball at rest then you do not get a penalty regardless of where either ball is on the course. If both balls were on the putting green and you were playing stroke play, then the person making the stroke would incur a two-stroke penalty under Rule 19-5a.

Under Rule 22 you may mark and lift your ball if it might interfere with play, but you are not required to do so unless requested to do so by another player (in stroke play you can always elect to play first instead). In practice it is a good idea to mark whenever there is this slightest chance of interference.

[Zeuser]

Well, here's the problem:

He had just pitched his ball onto the green. Then I chipped mine onto the green. So neither of us had even stepped onto the green yet. After my chip shot we saw m ball hit his and even if we were to reposition his ball, because it was at rest, we didn't really know where it was to start with. We could've easily been up to 5ft off the mark.

So, are we saying that the player who pitches onto the green should rush onto the green, mark his ball, and then step off the green to let the other players play their off-green balls? Doesn't sound right to me.

[el tigre]

Well, here's the problem:

He had just pitched his ball onto the green. Then I chipped mine onto the green. So neither of us had even stepped onto the green yet. After my chip shot we saw m ball hit his and even if we were to reposition his ball, because it was at rest, we didn't really know where it was to start with. We could've easily been up to 5ft off the mark. His ball was at rest, and you saw your ball hit his, so I don't understand how could you easily have been 5 feet off the mark? In any event, you place it as near as possible to where it was. Since you were playing your ball from off the putting green, there is no penalty to you.

So, are we saying that the player who pitches onto the green should rush onto the green, mark his ball, and then step off the green to let the other players play their off-green balls? Doesn't sound right to me. That depends. If you are close to the hole and/or directly in line with another player's shot at the hole and they are chipping from just off the green - then you should ask the next player to wait while you mark your ball. Otherwise, let them chip away. If player's are pitching onto the green from 30+ yards away, let them pitch away. Stuff happens and you deal with it when it does, but often it simple laziness that stops someone from marking when there is a reasonable chance of contact and to me that is not right.

[boss of the moss]

Did a chip shot onto the green. It rolled past the hole and struck the other player's ball. So my ball ended up in a better position than his and I pushed his ball several feet further back. He had just pitched it onto the green before my stroke.

Obviously he was really pissed off at me. But according to what I know, there's nothing illegal about that and my play isn't penalized. Yeah, it's not very fair, but from what I know so far it's within the rules.

Am I correct?
In this situation your partner should have marked his ball to avoid this happening.

[tjhayko]

In this situation your partner should have marked his ball to avoid this happening.

Is this a polite thing to do, or really a rule? I'm asking because I recall that a player does not have to mark their ball on the green unless asked to do so, but once asked, they can not refuse to do so.

[haribo]

Is this a polite thing to do, or really a rule? I'm asking because I recall that a player does not have to mark their ball on the green unless asked to do so, but once asked, they can not refuse to do so.

It's good etiquette. And good etiquette is all about being polite. It's not nice for anybody to see a bunch of balls around the hole while puttting. That can be rather distracting. Therefore it's the right thing to mark your ball.