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Practice Swings and Ricky Barnes

by Wendy Uzelac, USGA

13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play

A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

· the position or lie of his ball,

· the area of his intended stance or swing,

· his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or

· the area in which he is to drop or place a ball,

by any of the following actions:

· pressing a club on the ground,

· moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),

· creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,

· removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or

· removing dew, frost or water.

However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs:

· in grounding the club lightly when addressing the ball,

· in fairly taking his stance,

· in making a stroke or the backward movement of his club for a stroke and the stroke is made,

· in creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground (Rule 11-1) or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground, or

· on the putting green in removing sand and loose soil or in repairing damage (Rule 16-1).

Exception: Ball in hazard - see Rule 13-4.

To put this rule in context think about what you have done in your own rounds of golf. Have you ever missed a shot to the green and your ball ended up in the rough near the green? You have most likely taken a few practice swings away from your ball, but in a similar area to get a feel for how the club will go through the rough before making the stroke. As you can see, this is fine to do under the rules as long as you are careful to avoid breaking Rule 13-2.

What Ricky Barnes did is no different.

On the 10th hole, many fans saw Barnes taking multiple powerful practice swings in the tall fescue before hitting his second shot towards the green. In taking his practice swings, Barnes was to the left of his ball and away from his line of play. Therefore, he was not in any danger of improving his lie, the area of his intended stance or swing, or his line of play. You may have thought he was testing the conditions of the long grass, which is ok. You are allowed to do that when your ball is in the area through the green.

This rule is the most basic principle behind the game of golf. Simply put, you play the ball as it lies.

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