marking ball

Question
Two people are off the green one chips up and wants to mark her ball when the other person says no I don't want you to mark am I right to believe I have the right to mark my ball if I want to

Answer
Hi Sandy

Thank you for your question.

The game of golf is based upon etiquette and courtesies. That however, has very little to do with the Rules of golf, and while there isn't a specific rule about your right to mark your ball (you are player A), the same also holds true of no specific rule if (player B--the other person) doesn't want you to mark it.

Rule 18-5 specifies that whenever a ball in play and at rest is moved by another ball in motion after a stroke, the ball must always be replaced.

There's no penalty when a ball played from off the green strikes/moves another ball. The players must make their best judgment to estimate where the ball was lying before it was moved. The player whose ball hit the ball at rest must play their ball from wherever it came to rest.

If both balls where on the putting green, and (player B--the other person) moves/strikes your ball (player A) with theirs, and you are in stroke play, player B would incur a 2 stroke penalty. Match play incurs no penalty.

So you see Sandy, technically you are covered either way---through the courtesy of wanting to mark your ball, or through the rules, even if the other party doesn't want you to.

I hope you found this helpful---and as always, keep it fun!

Sincerely

Ruth Ann Allen, PGA