Ball hitting ball on green

[freddy]

My apologies if this is basic to most, but what is the rule when one ball hits another on the green. Last year, I lobbed a shot onto a green (couldn't see the green) and hit another ball. The person whose ball I hit told me I am penalized one stoke for hitting his ball. This year someone did the same thing but hit my ball and told me I am penalized because I didn't mark my ball.

Also, I putted around a ball on the green (narrowly missed it) and the persons ball I missed said I was lucky I didn't hit it or it would be a stroke against me. I replied that the stroke would be against him since he didn't mark it. He said the stoke would be against me since I didn't ask him to mark his ball. Can anyone explain the proper penalties for either hitting a ball from off or on the green.

Thank you

Confused freddy.

[Colby]

My apologies if this is basic to most, but what is the rule when one ball hits another on the green. Last year, I lobbed a shot onto a green (couldn't see the green) and hit another ball. The person whose ball I hit told me I am penalized one stoke for hitting his ball. This year someone did the same thing but hit my ball and told me I am penalized because I didn't mark my ball.

Also, I putted around a ball on the green (narrowly missed it) and the persons ball I missed said I was lucky I didn't hit it or it would be a stroke against me. I replied that the stroke would be against him since he didn't mark it. He said the stoke would be against me since I didn't ask him to mark his ball. Can anyone explain the proper penalties for either hitting a ball from off or on the green.

Thank you

Confused freddy.

If you are putting, and hit another ball that is not in motion and is on the putting green, you are penalized 2 strokes. If both balls are not on the putting green, as in your example #1, the ball at rest (the one on the green) is replaced as close to the original lie as possible and you play your ball where it lies. This is covered by rule 19-5:

19-5. By Another Ball

a. At Rest If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes.

In your first two examples, the other player was wrong, there should have been no penalties involved. In the last example, you would have incurred a two stroke penalty if you were playing stroke play. I always get the other player to mark his ball if it is anywhere close to my line when I am putting.

[freddy]

Thanks Colby, clears things up for the long weekend in case something like this happens again. Cheers and have a good one.

[Sakuraba]

A whole thread could be devoted to egregious misinterpretation, invention, and misapplication of the rules of golf (I imagine one has been posted in the past). i.e: "that tree's not 15 feet high, I get relief" or the cry of "winter rules" to adjust just about any unfavourable lie on the course.

[Colby]

Thanks Colby, clears things up for the long weekend in case something like this happens again. Cheers and have a good one.

No problem, enjoy your weekend. I got rained out today

[EDSGOLF]

I got rained out too today, was supposed to play Emerald Links. What a yucky day!