Weeds on the green

[mdbuschsr]

Is it legal to pull the weeds in my line on the green?

My course is trying really hard to improve the course, but there are still some weeds on the greens. Today, I had two that were directly on my putting line. If the green is cut to 1/8" the weeds were both 3/4", and would certainly have pushed my ball off-line. I pulled the junk out of the way, smoothed the area back out and was able to putt through them. Did I do anything wrong?

[eaglecc]

I say pull it! Last week I had a 8 foot par putt hit a small weed about a foot short of the cup and kick right.

[Chris223]

I would pull it and not care. Weeds should not be on a green, they shouldn't be on a tee box. I consider it a poor course when the fairways are mostly clover as well. This course I used to play at frequently which I've always liked for being in good shape with good grass and extremely cheap to play I went to yesterday was pure crap. The tee boxes weren't grass... it was just crabgrass, the entire box, not even mowed short. The fairways were loaded with brown spots and grass-less patches, the greens were about the only parts of the course still sporting grass.

[Zeph]

Is it legal to pull the weeds in my line on the green?

As far as I can tell, no.

Source: USGA 16-1a/11 Raised Tuft of Grass on Line of Putt Brushed to Determine Whether It Is Loose Q. A player cannot determine whether a raised tuft of grass on his line of putt is loose or is attached to its roots. The player brushes the raised tuft lightly with his hand to make a determination and discovers that the tuft is attached. What is the ruling? A. A player is entitled to touch and move a natural object on his line of putt for the specific purpose of determining whether the object is loose, provided that if the object is found not to be loose, (1) it has not become detached and (2) it is returned to its original position before the next stroke if failure to do so would result in a breach of Rule 13-2. The touching of the line of putt in these circumstances is not a breach of Rule 16-1a. Except as otherwise permitted in the Rules (e.g., in repairing a ball mark), if a player touches or moves a natural object on his line of putt other than to determine whether it is loose and it is found to be attached, the player cannot avoid a breach of Rule 16-1a by returning the object to its original position.

It's a long sentence, and kinda hard to tell what they really mean, but from the last paragraph, I think it's clear that picking weeds or grass on the green result in a breach.

[zeg]

You don't really need to bother with that long sentence to know the answer to the question, though. You cannot ever remove something on your line of play or affecting your lie that is growing, whether it is on the green, in a hazard, or on the fairway. Actually you probably could on the tee box... If it's rooted and growing, it is not a loose impediment.

[cougar978]

Nope - only thing you can repair on your putting line are ball marks. Anything else is a two-stroke penalty.

[Fourputt]

You don't really need to bother with that long sentence to know the answer to the question, though. You cannot ever remove something on your line of play or affecting your lie that is growing, whether it is on the green, in a hazard, or on the fairway. Actually you probably could on the tee box... If it's rooted and growing, it is not a loose impediment.

Nope - only thing you can repair on your putting line are ball marks. Anything else is a two-stroke penalty.

What they said! Gardening is not allowed no matter what the excuse. If the course is not a condition which you consider to be playable, then I guess you just have to play somewhere else.

The prime tenets of golf are that you play the ball as it lies, and you play the course as you find it.

[mdbuschsr]

I'm certainly not going to argue the ruling, because it's pretty straight forward. Knowing that I should, and will, take the penalty... I ask how would you play it in a casual round?

I keep an unofficial handicap (no current interest in official handicapped tournaments). My home course, while getting better, is not great! I know I should "play a better course". Someday, I hope I can afford it. In the mean time, I love my course. I like supporting my course. But there are times that I have a hard time following the letter of the law. It is a rare occurrence that I break the rules, knowingly or otherwise. In fact, when I catch myself cheating (as in this case) I alter the scorecard and take the penalty. Had I hit my putt through that weed(s), it would have altered the line of the shot just as surely as a rock would have.

[snofrog]

did you make the putt ?

[Zeph]

I'm certainly not going to argue the ruling, because it's pretty straight forward. Knowing that I should, and will, take the penalty... I ask how would you play it in a casual round?

I would've hit the putt without removing anything and hoped for the best. I've encoutered greens with small lumps of taller grass before.

We can discuss what is fair and not forever. It's not fair that Tiger gets to play on perfectly manicured greens and perfect bunkers, while we have to play on dodgy greens and sement traps, but that's golf for you. That said, I would not hesitate to remove the weeds after I had hit my putt.

[Fourputt]

I'm certainly not going to argue the ruling, because it's pretty straight forward. Knowing that I should, and will, take the penalty... I ask how would you play it in a casual round?

I'll be honest with you. If I played your course, I'd play it as it lies regardless (I don't play pristine country club courses either). Since everyone plays the same course, I'd just take it as part of the game, not really any different than if my ball and yours lie one foot apart in the fairway, but mine is in a divot and yours is on perfect grass. Sometimes you get the break, other times your buddy does.... that's golf.

Golf has been said to be a game, not of making perfect shots, but of managing your mistakes. I modify that to include managing those bad breaks too.

[Mattplusness]

Every time I play and come home and check this forum, there is always something that pertains to my round today. I pulled a weed on the 16th green that was right in my line and I pulled it. But I agree with mdbusch on this. Unless it's a tournament round I am not going count something like that.

[mdbuschsr]

@ mattplusness - I have modified my scorecard to show the two stroke penalty. I asked the question so I would know whether or not I broke a rule. Like I said in an earlier post. I try to make sure that I follow the rules, and if I find out after the fact that I broke one, I take the appropriate penalty.

I kind of think it's CRAP that I am penalized from crummy greens keeping (in this specific case), but that I the course that I choose to play, so I live with it.