Rules of Golf: Ball At Rest Moved During Search

Golf Monthly rules guru Jeremy Ellwood explains what to do if you accidentally do something to cause your ball to move while searching for it - in this rules of golf ball at rest moved video.

Rules of golf ball at rest moved 

At some stage in most rounds you will find yourself looking for your ball somewhere on the golf course. But what happens if you move your ball by accident when searching for it by treading on it, kicking it accidentally with your foot or hitting it with a club as you probe for it in the long grass?

Under the pre-2019 version of the rules of golf you would have been penalised for accidentally moving your own ball during a search. The problem was that golfers, knowing this, might not look for their own ball quite as vigorously as they otherwise would, as there would have been no penalty to them if other players in their group moved it while searching.

Thankfully, under the current, updated version of the rules you are no longer penalised for moving your ball while searching for it. It is important to note here that this only relates to when you are searching for your ball – there is still a penalty if you accidentally move your ball in the general area, penalty areas or bunkers while not searching.

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Whenever this occurs, the one thing you must then do is replace the ball in its original spot before playing your next shot. If you don't know exactly the original position of the ball, you must return it to where you think the ball was.

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You can then play on without penalty!

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One other thing worth mentioning is that if you have moved your ball while searching for it in a bunker, or elsewhere where sand has covered the ball (e.g. a sandy waste area), you should try to recreate the original lie as closely as possible – albeit you are allowed to leave a small amount of the ball showing so you can see it for your next shot.

Hopefully this rules of golf ball at rest moved during search video explains exactly what you should do to avoid penalties and keep your score in tact for the rest of the round!