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My playing partner hit a worm burner on a par 3 that seemed to stop short of the green. Initially unable to locate the ball, it eventually turned out to have ended up in a cellophane wrapper for what appeared to be a store-bought muffin. Was he required to remove the ball from its wrapper without penalty before making his next stroke? – Philip Knotts, via email
Rules Guy is a scone man himself, but whatever.
Here’s what should have happened there at Litterbug National: If the ball was completely in the wrap – that is, not touching the course – the player was indeed allowed to take the ball out of the wrap and drop it in an area one club length (no closer to the hole, still in the general area), based on the spot directly below where the ball was at rest in the wrap. See Rule 15.2a and Definition of Breakfast Pastry.
If the ball were now on the green, there would be no drop; the player would place the ball on the spot immediately below, according to Rule 15.2.
Finally, if instead the ball is only partially inside the package, with part of it touching the ground, i.e. not in or on the obstacle, but merely leaning against it, then the procedure is simply to remove the package and replace the ball as it moves, without penalty….
And now we’re going to have breakfast.
For more ball replacement guidance from our guru, read on…
Player A and Player B are both near, but not on, the putting surface. B is further from the hole, but A’s ball is in his preferred path. B asks A to mark his ball. I know A won’t be able to clean his ball then, but can he put it back with the guideline aligned on it the way he wants, or should he put it down as before? – Scott Puklich, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
The rules of golf can be disorienting.
You’re right, Scott, the ball can’t be cleaned. The rules for replacing the ball do not require the ball to be replaced in the same direction, so a line realignment would be fine.
As a side note, the ‘spot’ includes the vertical location of the ball in relation to the ground, which can be a problem if there is mud on the ball. Essentially, you can’t hit the ball on a lump of mud unless it was already hitting it when you marked it, according to Clarification 14.2c/1.
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