Rules question: Alignment

[Grogger31]

Is it legal to set up an alignment aid by "drawing" a line in the grass/dirt?

For example: On the tee box, if I were to draw a line in the dew with the head of my driver in order to align my feet properly.

I wasn't able to find anything in the Rules that indicated this was a breach of the rules (although perhaps I missed it).

Thanks in advance!

[BigDaddy_Sean]

there was recently a thread on this .. no, it is not legal to draw a line with a club or move an impediment into the line.

You find an impediment or a marking you can use, then tee the ball up behind that, that is fine.

[Grogger31]

Thanks Sean (I'll try to find the relevant thread again).

I understand the loose impediment part as that is a physical alignment aid (like laying a golf club down to align your feet). But brushing the grass in a line with your club?

If Sean is correct, can anyone point me at the appropriate rule that explains it?

Thanks.

[Harold]

Rule 8. Advice; Indicating Line of Play answers it quite clearly. More specifically 8-2a.

[Fourputt]

Rule 8-2a:

8-2. Indicating Line of Play a. Other Than on Putting Green Except on the putting green, a player may have the line of play indicated to him by anyone, but no one may be positioned by the player on or close to the line or an extension of the line beyond the hole while the stroke is being made. Any mark placed by the player or with his knowledge to indicate the line must be removed before the stroke is made.

See the sentence I've indicated with bold text. It should answer your question.

[Grogger31]

Thanks, Guys.

I see that much more clearly now (although IMHO that should be the first sentence in the rule).

So I guess if I "brushed away" any indication of the drawn line after I made it that would be ok. Seems strange.

I've seen plenty of Pros stand next to or behind their ball and tap their driver on the ground. Couldn't one say they were making a "mark" of some kind?

Just seems like a fine line. Oh well.

[iacas]

I've seen plenty of Pros stand next to or behind their ball and tap their driver on the ground. Couldn't one say they were making a "mark" of some kind?

They're not making an alignment mark. They're just flattening out any irregularities behind their ball so the driver sits nicely.

That is legal.

[Fourputt]

They're not making an alignment mark. They're just flattening out any irregularities behind their ball so the driver sits nicely.

But only on the teeing ground. Important distinction.

[Sir Hack-a-Lot]

This is a little off topic but I was wondering why you are allowed to flatten out the ground on the teeing ground but not anywhere else.

[nitsua]

This is a little off topic but I was wondering why you are allowed to flatten out the ground on the teeing ground but not anywhere else.

Because the ball is not yet in play.

[Fourputt]

Because the ball is not yet in play.

Not so. Even if the ball is in play (say you whiffed the first stroke) you are still allowed to smooth out irregularities, press down grass or vegetation, etc. on the teeing ground of the hole you are playing. The ball must still lie within the area framed by the tee markers you are playing and the 2 club lengths back from those markers. If you should hit your ball onto the teeing ground of another hole or onto a teeing ground which you aren't playing from (i.e. you are playing the blue tees and you hit your ball into the teeing area for the white tees), then it is treated as any other lie through the green, and any act that would improve the lie or swing is penalized.

[nitsua]

Not so. Even if the ball is in play (say you whiffed the first stroke) you are still allowed to smooth out irregularities, press down grass or vegetation, etc. on the teeing ground of the hole you are playing. The ball must still lie within the area framed by the tee markers you are playing and the 2 club lengths back from those markers. If you should hit your ball onto the teeing ground of another hole or onto a teeing ground which you aren't playing from (i.e. you are playing the blue tees and you hit your ball into the teeing area for the white tees), then it is treated as any other lie through the green, and any act that would improve the lie or swing is penalized.

Where in the rules does it say this? The only rule that I find applicable says that a player or caddie may not press down nor remove any irregularities of surface near a ball in play, which would include a ball that is still teed up after a whiff.

[Fourputt]

Where in the rules does it say this? The only rule that I find applicable says that a player or caddie may not press down nor remove any irregularities of surface near a ball in play, which would include a ball that is still teed up after a whiff.

Read the lines from Rule 13-2 that I've highlighted in bold font:

13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play A player must not improve or allow to be improved: · the position or lie of his ball, · the area of his intended stance or swing, · his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or · the area in which he is to drop or place a ball, by any of the following actions: · pressing a club on the ground, · moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds), · creating or eliminating irregularities of surface, · removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or · removing dew, frost or water. However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs: · in grounding the club lightly when addressing the ball, · in fairly taking his stance, · in making a stroke or the backward movement of his club for a stroke and the stroke is made, · in creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground (Rule 11-1) or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground, or · on the putting green in removing sand and loose soil or in repairing damage (Rule 16-1).

It doesn't make any distinction as to what stroke you may be up to at the time.

[iacas]

Where in the rules does it say this? The only rule that I find applicable says that a player or caddie may not press down nor remove any irregularities of surface near a ball in play, which would include a ball that is still teed up after a whiff.

Source: Decisions on Rule 13 13-2/2 Player Who Misses Tee Shot Presses Down Irregularities Before Next Stroke Q. In playing a tee shot A misses the ball. Before playing his next stroke, A presses down turf behind the ball. Is this permissible, since the ball is in play? A. Yes. Rule 13-2 permits eliminating irregularities of surface on the teeing ground, whether or not the ball is in play.

Relevant links: http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/bo...le13.html#13-2 http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/bo...ons/dec13.html

[TD22057]

Rule 8-2a:

I was curious about this with regard to a line on the ball. Last week they mentioned that Anthony Kim had a line on his ball but he wasn't using it for putting - he was using it on the tee. It seems like this could be in violation 8.2 - or not since it's on the ball itself. If they were correct and he was orienting his ball on the tee to indicate the line, it must be OK since he wasn't DQ'ed...

It was of particular interest to me since I started doing this a little bit this year. I found that my alignment was drifting a little bit to the right and orienting the line on the ball to my aim point off the tee really helped get my brain back "on line" for what I should seeing. I kind of assumed this would be illegal under 8.2 but maybe not...

[nitsua]

Source: Decisions on Rule 13 13-2/2 Player Who Misses Tee Shot Presses Down Irregularities Before Next Stroke Q. In playing a tee shot A misses the ball. Before playing his next stroke, A presses down turf behind the ball. Is this permissible, since the ball is in play? A. Yes. Rule 13-2 permits eliminating irregularities of surface on the teeing ground, whether or not the ball is in play.

The decisions area is great on that site. It is interesting that they would make a decision on something like this instead of clarifying it in the rule itself.

[Fourputt]

I was curious about this with regard to a line on the ball. Last week they mentioned that Anthony Kim had a line on his ball but he wasn't using it for putting - he was using it on the tee. It seems like this could be in violation 8.2 - or not since it's on the ball itself. If they were correct and he was orienting his ball on the tee to indicate the line, it must be OK since he wasn't DQ'ed...

No, a line on the ball is not a breach of this rule. Even Tiger uses a line, although he, like most players, uses it for putting.

When used on the tee it's usually because the player has spin balanced the ball, which is generally unnecessary with modern balls. It's supposedly to make the ball more controllable, but I don't think that there is really any hard data to support the theory. Some still have it in their heads that it's meaningful though. It's legal either way though.

[iacas]

The decisions area is great on that site. It is interesting that they would make a decision on something like this instead of clarifying it in the rule itself.

Have you seen the Decisions book? If they "clarified" everything that's in Decisions, NOBODY would read the Rules.

"Decisions" is a pretty darn big book. The Rules are pretty clear, IMHO, and these clarifications (decisions) rarely need to be used.