What's the ruling?

[denver_nuggs_15]

Two similar situations:

1. Guy is juggling his ball with his putter face while on the green. He misses and the ball falls, hits, and rolls on the green. Even though he didn't intentionally test the green, did he? Should he get a 2 shot penalty?

2. Guy throws caddie the ball (accross the green) and it lands short and rolls the remainder of the way to the caddie. Two shots for testing the green?

I couldn't find the rules unfortunately.

[Titleistgolf16]

On USGA.org there's no saying about accidents. I would say it;s no penalty. Just because I'm nice . It's probably a judgment call if he did it on accident or he look like he did it on purpose to test the green.

[right handed phil mickelson]

Hmm I'm not sure on that one. I've always wondered about that, and If I put my ball down on the tee box and hit it back and forth with my driver, or play poison with my friend. In real tournament play I might tap it back and forth not realizing im doing it. Is that technically a penalty?

[Jay-Bird]

1. Juggling the ball on the face during the play of a hole - I don't want to consider the number of penalty strokes that is.
2. Yes, two strokes. Accidentally bumping your ball while marking it is OK. Accidentally dropping it is OK. Throwing it to your caddy is OK if he catches it. If it lands short and rolls - absolutely a penalty.

If you throw the caddie the ball and he misses it and it lands in the water - you're in the water.

[iacas]

I couldn't find the rules unfortunately.

I don't think either is a penalty, but it may also depend on where the caddie is, for example, or where you drop your ball. Though "intent" is never really part of the rules except intent to make a stroke, "accidents" are allowed. You can touch the ground in a hazard, for example, if it's to prevent falling in or something.

1. Juggling the ball on the face during the play of a hole - I don't want to consider the number of penalty strokes that is.

Why would that be a penalty?

If you throw the caddie the ball and he misses it and it lands in the water - you're in the water.

No you're not. You're right where you marked your ball - but you have to recover the original ball, or else it's lost.

That's why Ian Poulter's trainer or someone jumped into the water at Sawgrass to recover the ball he accidentally flung in when picking it up after marking it on the green.

[pinhigh27]

I don't think either is a penalty, but it may also depend on where the caddie is, for example, or where you drop your ball. Though "intent" is never really part of the rules except intent to make a stroke, "accidents" are allowed. You can touch the ground in a hazard, for example, if it's to prevent falling in or something.

I was gonna ask about the water. What does the ball have to do with the hole once the ball mark is sitting on the green?

If you happy gilmored the ball down the fairway, but your ball was marked on the green you could probably go get the ball and play it from your mark. I guess that guy thinks a mark is useless and means nothing.

[Ignorant]

I was gonna ask about the water. What does the ball have to do with the hole once the ball mark is sitting on the green?

Point is that one needs to play out the hole with the ball one started the hole unless a rule allows it to be substituted. If caddie throws the ball into water and it is lost there will be a 2 shot penalty for substituting a ball when not permitted (Rule 15-2).

[CalvinG35]

I was gonna ask about the water. What does the ball have to do with the hole once the ball mark is sitting on the green?

According to

USGA Decision 20-4/2

The ball is not considered to be in play until the player repositions it with the intention of replacing the ball as required by Rule 16-1b. If the player played a stroke with his ball while it was out of play, he would be playing a wrong ball (Rule 15).

there would be no penalty for the caddy toss drop, the putter juggle is more questionably. The "happy gilmore" would definitely result in a penalty as a stroke was made. It would seem that this would also violate Rule 7.2 about no practice strokes during the play of a hole.

[MiniMoe]

there is no penalty for juggling or dropping a ball and it rolling accross the green. Now if you do that near your line of putt, there might be an issue.

As for tossing your ball to a caddy and it landing in the water, if you do not recover it, there is a penalty for not finishing the hole with the same ball, but you replace it with a new one and play on from where the original was marked on the green.

The reason it is not a penalty because you are not actually practicing, just messing around. You are not chipping, or putting. You are just bouncing the ball of the club.