The Rules
Moving or bending an object that
is growing or attached, such as
this plant, is not allowed.
Example: A branch growing off a tree
is directly in the area of your intended
backswing, and you break off the branch
so it no longer will interfere.
• Moving a loose impediment or movable
obstruction into position (such as
to build a stance or to improve the line
of play).
Example: If your ball lies in a tree,
you may not move a nearby bench into
position to stand on to be able to make
a stroke at your ball.
• Altering the surface of the ground.
Example: Your ball is short of the green
and you repair a pitch-mark in the general
area a few yards in front of your
ball on your line of play before hitting a
low-running chip shot.
• Removing or pressing down sand or
loose soil.
Example: When putting from just off
the green, there is some loose sand in
the fringe on your line of play that you
brush away.
• Removing dew, frost or water.
Example: Because there is dew on your
line of play on the putting green early in
the morning, you clear all the dew off
your line of play with a towel.
ACTIONS THAT ARE ALLOWED
In preparing for or making a stroke, you
may take certain actions even if doing so
improves one of the five conditions affecting
the stroke, including:
• Fairly searching for your ball.
Example: While searching for your
ball in tall grass but not doing anything
beyond what is reasonably necessary
to find it, you press down some grass
that may have improved your area of
intended swing.
• Grounding the club lightly in front of or
right behind the ball. “Ground the club
lightly” means allowing the weight of
the club to be supported by the grass,
soil, sand or other material on or above
the ground surface.
Example: There is no penalty if in
grounding your club lightly in a “waste
area,” some sand is pressed down that
improves the lie of your ball. However,
a penalty would still apply if you press
the club down more than lightly and
improve your lie.
• Fairly taking your stance. To fairly take
your stance, you must use the least
intrusive course of action to adapt to
the situation.
Example: If you back into a branch
because that is the only way to take a
stance for the selected stroke, there is
no penalty even if this moves the branch
out of the way and improves the area of
your stance or swing.
• Making a stroke or the backswing for
your stroke, which is then made. Provided
you finish making the stroke, there
is no penalty for improvements made
during your backswing or stroke.
Example: In making the backswing for
your stroke, you break off a piece of a
branch and knock down some leaves.
Note that the lists of allowed and not
allowed actions above are not exhaustive.
If you would like to read the full lists, please
see Rules 8.1a and 8.1b in the Rules of Golf.
New to the Rules for 2019 was the concept
of restoring certain conditions after
you have made an improvement to avoid
getting a penalty. Such restorations can
only apply in specific circumstances—
bending or breaking an object or moving
an object into position. As an example,
prior to your stroke, you remove a boundary
stake (which the Rules treat as immovable)
that was interfering with your area of
intended stance. If you replace the stake
prior to making your stroke, you can avoid
penalty under Rule 8.1.
Outside of actions that are needed and
reasonable to prepare for and make a
stroke, you must not make improvements
to affect the stroke you are about to make—
play the course as you find it!
A former player at James Madison
University, Kelsey Solan works in the
USGA’s Rules Department.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ THE
FULL LISTS OF ALLOWED AND
NOT ALLOWED ACTIONS, PLEASE
SEE RULES 8.1A AND 8.1B IN THE
RULES OF GOLF.
vsga.org M AY/J UNE 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 15