Ball surrounded by stones or twigs? The hack to clean your lie without penalty
Your ball lands in a bunker. You walk up and discover it's surrounded by stones, dead leaves, and what appears to be bird droppings. Before 2019, touching any of those things in a bunker was a penalty. But the rules have changed dramatically.
The Loose Impediments Revolution
The 2019 rule reform eliminated one of golf's most hated prohibitions: you can now remove loose impediments anywhere on the course, including bunkers and penalty areas.
What are Loose Impediments?
They are loose natural objects that aren't fixed, growing, or solidly embedded:
- Stones (any size, if you can move them)
- Leaves, branches, and loose twigs
- Animal droppings (yes, it's a loose impediment)
- Insects and dead animals
- Cut grass piled for removal
- Fallen fruit
- Mounds of loose soil, earthworm casts
What is NOT a Loose Impediment?
- Sand and loose soil outside the green (on the green, you can remove it)
- Dew, frost, or water
- Natural snow and ice (you may treat them as temporary water or loose impediment, your choice)
- Roots or grass growing from the ground
The Golden Rule: If the Ball Moves...
Here's the catch you need to know. When removing loose impediments, if the ball moves, the consequences depend on where you are:
| Location | Ball moves? | Penalty? | What to do? |
|---|---|---|---|
| General area (fairway, rough) | Yes | 1 stroke | Replace the ball |
| Bunker | Yes | 1 stroke | Replace the ball |
| Green | Yes | No | Replace the ball |
| Penalty area | Yes | 1 stroke | Replace the ball |
The green is the only place where moving the ball while removing impediments is free. Everywhere else, 1 penalty stroke. The putting surface offers another layer of protection too: you can repair virtually any damage on the green before you putt — spike marks, pitch marks, and even flagstick scratches — without penalty under Rule 13.1c.
How to Remove Impediments Safely
- Assess the risk before touching anything. Is the stone or branch touching the ball? If yes, there's a high risk of moving it.
- Remove carefully from the opposite side of the ball. Pull gently away from it.
- Never shake or yank an impediment that's touching the ball.
- If the ball moves, don't panic. Replace it on its spot. It'll cost you 1 stroke, but that's better than playing among rocks.
The Bunker: The Great Victory of 2019
Before the reform, removing stones in a bunker was prohibited. This caused absurd situations:
- Players forced to hit against a stone that could break their club or wrist.
- Balls surrounded by pebbles with zero chance of a clean strike.
Now you can remove any loose stone from a bunker before your stroke. Just remember:
- Don't touch the sand with your club before the backswing (except lightly setting the club behind the ball).
- Don't test the condition of the sand by deliberately touching it with your hand or club.
Even after clearing every loose impediment, the ball may still be buried under a vertical lip or wedged at an angle that makes a clean strike impossible. In those cases, removing the stones was only half the puzzle — Rule 19.3b offers a separate lifeline: you can declare the ball unplayable and drop outside the bunker entirely for a 2-stroke penalty, avoiding the death spiral of repeated failed attempts in the sand.
Penalty Areas: Same Freedom
In water hazards (now called penalty areas), you can also remove loose impediments without issue. This was previously prohibited and caused frustrating situations with balls surrounded by leaves in streams.
Lazar Hack: Not sure if something is a loose impediment or an obstruction? Take a photo and send it to Lazar. It'll tell you exactly what you can and can't touch, applied to your specific situation.