Watch as a Player Drops Their Club on Their Ball and Incurs a Penalty Stroke – Golf Rules

SUBSCRIBE to GOLFRULES QUESTIONS
Q.
What is the penalty for dropping your club on your ball and causing it to move?
.
.
A.
Unfortunately for Scott McCarron in 2017, he was penalised one stroke, and was required to replace the ball.
However, the good news for everyone since the change of the Rule on 1 Jan 2019, is that if you are in the process of dropping your ball, then you are exempt from penalty if you were still in the act of dropping the ball.

The following interpretation helps to clarify:

Interpretation 9.4b/4
Meaning of “While” in Rule 9 .4b Exception 4
Exception 4 uses “while” to govern the time period when the Exception will apply to a player who moves his or her ball in play as a result of “reasonable actions”. For the meaning of “reasonable actions”, see 9.4b/5.

The use of the word “while” indicates that every reasonable action in applying a Rule has a beginning and an end and, if the ball’s movement occurs during the time that such action is taking place, the Exception applies.

Examples of situations covered by Exception 4, therefore resulting in no penalty for causing the ball to move, include when:

The player finds a ball that he or she believes to be his or her ball in play. In the process of identification, the player approaches the ball to mark and lift it and accidentally slips and moves the ball.
Even though the player was not marking or lifting the ball when it was moved, it was still moved while the player was identifying the ball.

The player has dropped a ball when taking relief and then reaches down to lift the tee that was marking the relief area. When standing up, he or she accidentally drops a club that he or she was holding and the club hits and moves the ball in play.
Even though the player has already dropped the ball to take relief, the ball was moved while he or she was taking relief.
.
.
.
Check out more videos on Youtube
And on Instagram @golfrules_questions