Marking a ball

[TomScht]

There is  a guy or two I play with who wants all the balls on the green marked when he putts. I have seen the subject discussed here and the rule is yes, you must mark if he asks you to.  But:

Can you tell him if he wants it marked, he can mark it himself?

Does the rule apply if you are in the fairway, 20 feet away?

[Johnny Biarritz]

If it's not a tournament or club competition, you can do whatever you want. Like, seriously. Mark the ball or tell the guy to pack sand and get on with playing the shot, who cares. Find new partners if it's that bothersome. Why continue to play with guys who obviously do things that bother you?

[Augster]

Is this stroke play?

 

If a player asks you to mark your ball, you can just play it instead of marking in stroke play. 15.3a. 

[Mr. Bean]

1 hour ago, TomScht said:

There is  a guy or two I play with who wants all the balls on the green marked when he putts. I have seen the subject discussed here and the rule is yes, you must mark if he asks you to.  But:

1) Can you tell him if he wants it marked, he can mark it himself?

2) Does the rule apply if you are in the fairway, 20 feet away?

1) Yes. Rule 14.1b.

2) If there is a ball his ball might collide with then yes. Otherwise no. Wrt distance there needs to be a real possibility of collision, you cannot ask for marking at any distance (say 50 yards).

[sui generis]

5 hours ago, Johnny Biarritz said:

If it's not a tournament or club competition, you can do whatever you want. Like, seriously. Mark the ball or tell the guy to pack sand and get on with playing the shot, who cares. Find new partners if it's that bothersome. Why continue to play with guys who obviously do things that bother you?

That's not a Rules answer. This is a Rules of Golf folder. 😉

[Hawkeye77]

Didn't we just do this? I think the answer is you toss them in a bush.

[TomScht]

Bean, Q. A player may ask you to mark, can you refuse and tell him to mark it himself?   Lots of internet interpretations but I cannot find the original published rule without paying $20 to download a copy. I appreciate your reply but can you provide the actual rule(s)?

Edited July 14 by TomScht

[Newby]

31 minutes ago, TomScht said:

Bean, Q. A player may ask you to mark, can you refuse and tell him to mark it himself?   Lots of internet interpretations but I cannot find the original published rule without paying $20 to download a copy. I appreciate your reply but can you provide the actual rule(s)?

14.1b. Who May Lift Ball

The player’s ball may be lifted under the Rules only by:

• The player, or

• Anyone the player authorizes, but such authorization must be given each time before the ball is lifted rather than given generally for the round.

 

https://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-clarifications/rules-and-clarifications.html#section=rules&itemNum=4

 

or here

 

https://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-clarifications/rules-and-clarifications.html#section=rules&itemNum=17

Edited July 14 by Newby

[Socrates]

48 minutes ago, TomScht said:

Bean, Q. A player may ask you to mark, can you refuse and tell him to mark it himself?   Lots of internet interpretations but I cannot find the original published rule without paying $20 to download a copy. I appreciate your reply but can you provide the actual rule(s)?

The USGA site has all the Rules for free.  As does the R&A site.  You can copy, paste and print anything you want.  App is also free.

[TomScht]

Does authorizing the requesting player to mark your ball mean you are no longer required to mark it yourself?

  Penalty for Breach of Rule 15.3 General Penalty. This penalty also applies if the player:

• Refuses to lift his or her ball or move his or her ball-marker when required to do so and a stroke is then made by the other player whose play might have been helped or interfered with

[Newby]

17 minutes ago, TomScht said:

Does authorizing the requesting player to mark your ball mean you are no longer required to mark it yourself?

  Penalty for Breach of Rule 15.3 General Penalty. This penalty also applies if the player:

• Refuses to lift his or her ball or move his or her ball-marker when required to do so and a stroke is then made by the other player whose play might have been helped or interfered with

No

[rogolf]

2 hours ago, Newby said:

14.1b. Who May Lift Ball

The player’s ball may be lifted under the Rules only by:

• The player, or

• Anyone the player authorizes, but such authorization must be given each time before the ball is lifted rather than given generally for the round.

 

https://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-clarifications/rules-and-clarifications.html#section=rules&itemNum=4

 

or here

 

https://www.usga.org/rules/rules-and-clarifications/rules-and-clarifications.html#section=rules&itemNum=17

Also be aware of Rule 9.5 (ball lifted or moved by opponent) and Rule 9.6 (ball lifted or moved by outside influence).  Shows the differences between match play (opponent) and stroke play.

Edited July 14 by rogolf

[tatertot]

11 hours ago, TomScht said:

There is  a guy or two I play with who wants all the balls on the green marked when he putts. I have seen the subject discussed here and the rule is yes, you must mark if he asks you to.  But:

Can you tell him if he wants it marked, he can mark it himself?

Does the rule apply if you are in the fairway, 20 feet away?

Yeah, if he's a rando, I'm laughing at him and saying no.

 

If it's a golf buddy, he wouldn't be a golf buddy much longer.

 

If he's your brother-in-law, take your medicine and move on.

[TomScht]

2 hours ago, Newby said:

TomScht asked: "Does authorizing the requesting player to mark your ball mean you are no longer required to mark it yourself?"

 

No

 Can you authorize another player to mark it for you?  If so, why not the requesting player?

Edited July 14 by TomScht

[Augster]

5 hours ago, TomScht said:

Bean, Q. A player may ask you to mark, can you refuse and tell him to mark it himself?   Lots of internet interpretations but I cannot find the original published rule without paying $20 to download a copy. I appreciate your reply but can you provide the actual rule(s)?

The Rules app is free. 

[Augster]

22 hours ago, TomScht said:

 Can you authorize another player to mark it for you?  If so, why not the requesting player?

You can authorize the requesting player to mark the ball himself, yes, but you can’t MAKE him do it. If he’s requesting you mark it, you still have to have it marked. 
 

Except in stroke play where you can just putt out. Hopefully standing on his line. 🙂

Edited July 15 by Augster

[TomScht]

Ahh, I see.  After we played my buddy suggested if it happened again, that I leisurely walk back to the cart and get a dime from my bag.  And keep doing that each hole when the request is beyond the pale..   

Hate to make other people wait on me though.  

[Johnny Biarritz]

11 hours ago, sui generis said:

That's not a Rules answer. This is a Rules of Golf folder. 😉

He didn't ask a rules question. He knows the rule. What he's asking is basically an etiquette question of whether he's actually required to mark according to the rules or if he can blow the other guy off. Which goes to tatertot's answer and mine...if the guy is doing something that clearly bothers you enough to post on the internet, why keep playing with him? Yes, the player is "required" to mark the ball but, as with pretty much anything, can refuse to do so. In which case, the player is penalized the General Penalty of two strokes. That'd be a fun social experiment, refuse on every hole, shoot 80, take 36 penalty strokes, post 116 for handicap purposes. Either way, we're back to the original answer, why keep playing with someone who bothers you?

[Mr. Bean]

7 hours ago, Johnny Biarritz said:

He didn't ask a rules question. He knows the rule. What he's asking is basically an etiquette question of whether he's actually required to mark according to the rules or if he can blow the other guy off. Which goes to tatertot's answer and mine...if the guy is doing something that clearly bothers you enough to post on the internet, why keep playing with him? Yes, the player is "required" to mark the ball but, as with pretty much anything, can refuse to do so. In which case, the player is penalized the General Penalty of two strokes. That'd be a fun social experiment, refuse on every hole, shoot 80, take 36 penalty strokes, post 116 for handicap purposes. Either way, we're back to the original answer, why keep playing with someone who bothers you?

 

He specifically asked about the Rule:

 

"Does the rule apply if you are in the fairway, 20 feet away?"

 

[Johnny Biarritz]

9 hours ago, Mr. Bean said:

 

He specifically asked about the Rule:

 

"Does the rule apply if you are in the fairway, 20 feet away?"

 

He knows the answer to that. He's asking for ways to find loopholes in rules to swipe back at a player who is obviously irritating him.  Yes, if you're fellow competitor wants your ball marked and you don't want to do it, sure, you can say "you want it marked, do it yourself" but that's not really the spirit of the rule. Either way, we're back to the original point which is "cousin, we only have so many days left here on good Earth, what is compelling you to spend your days on the golf course with someone who regularly irritates you?"

[Mr. Bean]

46 minutes ago, Johnny Biarritz said:

He knows the answer to that. He's asking for ways to find loopholes in rules to swipe back at a player who is obviously irritating him.  Yes, if you're fellow competitor wants your ball marked and you don't want to do it, sure, you can say "you want it marked, do it yourself" but that's not really the spirit of the rule. Either way, we're back to the original point which is "cousin, we only have so many days left here on good Earth, what is compelling you to spend your days on the golf course with someone who regularly irritates you?"

 

How I wish I knew what another person knows.

 

Johnny, what's your problem? This is a Rules Forum and people most often ask questions about Rules. They are not after how to deal with an irritating person or a barking dog, unless they spesifically ask. In this case OP did not ask.

Edited July 15 by Mr. Bean

[antip]

On 7/16/2025 at 2:30 AM, Mr. Bean said:

 

How I wish I knew what another person knows.

 

Johnny, what's your problem? This is a Rules Forum and people most often ask questions about Rules. They are not after how to deal with an irritating person or a barking dog, unless they spesifically ask. In this case OP did not ask.

I get the impression we sometimes get a little spillover from other WRX forums onto this forum.

[Strategery]

Alternatively, mark your ball with your golf bag.