Ball Movement
What to do when your ball moves unexpectedly — wind, grounding the club, or an accidental nudge.
What happens if you accidentally move your golf ball?
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Can a blind golfer get advice from both an aide and a caddie?
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What happens if another player moves your ball?
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My ball-marker moved before I put my ball back — what now?
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What happens if my ball rests against me or my bag and then moves?
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Ball moved by natural forces on green after I marked and replaced it
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What happens if my ball moves on the green before I mark it?
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What happens if something else moves my ball?
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What happens if wind or water moves my ball?
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What happens if your ball moves after grounding the club?
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What happens if your ball moves after you mark it?
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What happens if the ball moves after a practice swing?
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What happens if the wind moves your golf ball?
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What happens if the ball moves on the putting green?
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What happens if your ball moves while addressing it?
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What happens if your ball moves while measuring relief?
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What happens if your ball moves while searching for it?
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Ball overhanging the hole — how long can I wait?
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Ball resting against flagstick with part below surface — is it holed?
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What if my partner isn't ready at the starting time in four-ball?
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What advice can my caddie give me during a round?
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My caddie lifted my ball in the fairway without asking — what now?
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Can I be disqualified after stroke play ends for returning a lower score?
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Can I clean my ball when lifting to check for cuts?
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Can I get advice from my aide like from a caddie?
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Can I pick up in Stableford when I'll get zero points?
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Can I practice during a suspension of play?
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Can I replace my ball by rolling it with my club instead of by hand?
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Can I request a ruling after the match is over?
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Can my aide lift my ball on the green without asking me?
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Can you agree to stop play in match play?
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What happens when both partners' scores are on the Four-Ball card
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Do I have to stay in my group in stroke play?
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What happens if another player deliberately moves my ball overhanging the hole in stroke play
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What happens if I give advice to another player during a round?
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Can I have two caddies at the same time?
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Can we agree to tie a hole in match play?
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How are Stableford points calculated for a hole?
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How do I play two balls when I'm unsure of the procedure in stroke play?
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How is a hole scored in Four-Ball
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How to fill out a Four-Ball scorecard in stroke play
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How to replace your ball in a bunker when the lie has changed
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What happens if I make a mistake adding up my scores or applying my handicap on the scorecard?
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What happens if I write a higher score on my scorecard than I actually made?
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What happens if I hand in a scorecard with a lower score than I actually shot?
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What happens if my strokes exceed the maximum in Maximum Score?
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Can I keep playing after a suspension if my marker leaves?
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Is practicing chipping from a bunker allowed between holes?
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What happens if I lift my ball when play is suspended?
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Can I lift my ball to check if it's cut or cracked?
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My ball fell off the tee before I swung, what now?
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How does Stableford scoring work?
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What happens if a blind player has more than one aide?
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What happens if my opponent cancels my stroke from outside the teeing area in match play
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Opponent moved my ball in match play
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What happens if my opponent moves my ball at rest in match play
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What happens if something else moves my ball at rest?
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What happens if my partner gets disqualified under Rule 1.2?
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What happens if we play out of turn in foursomes?
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Can I play out of turn to speed things up?
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Can I stand behind my partner to read the putt?
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What happens if you use a device to read the green?
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What are the penalties for unreasonable delay in golf?
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What counts as a side in four-ball or foursomes?
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What happens if I declare a wrong handicap in match play?
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What happens if I fail to hole out in Par/Bogey?
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What happens if I play out of turn in Three-Ball match play?
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What happens if I realize I have too many clubs while playing a hole?
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What happens if my marker leaves with my scorecard or doesn't sign it?
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What happens if my match ends tied?
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Handicap strokes applied to the wrong hole – what’s the penalty?
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What if I arrive late to my starting time?
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What if I declare a handicap too high in match play?
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What if I declare a handicap too low in match play?
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What if I give the wrong number of strokes taken during a hole?
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What if I replace my ball on an estimated spot and it turns out to be wrong?
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What if my marker knowingly signs a wrong scorecard?
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What happens if our Four-Ball team turns in a wrong score on the scorecard?
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When is a hole finished in Four-Ball match play
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When does a hole end in Four-Ball stroke play
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Who has honour after tied scores in stroke play?
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Who has the honour on the tee?
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Who is allowed to lift my ball under the Rules
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Who can replace my ball after I lift it?
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Who plays first after both players have started a hole in match play?
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Lost Ball & Out of Bounds
Provisional balls, search time limits, OB stakes, and when stroke-and-distance applies.
What happens if your ball crosses out of bounds then comes back?
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What happens if your ball lands in another fairway?
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What if my ball is lost but I know it's in an abnormal course condition?
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What happens if my ball is lost but I know it's in a penalty area?
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What happens if your ball is out of bounds?
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Do I have to finish the hole with the same ball I teed off with?
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What happens if you find your ball after hitting a provisional?
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How long can I search for my ball before it's lost?
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How to fix a wrong ball substitution before you play
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What happens if I play a wrong ball in Stableford and don't correct it?
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What happens if you lose your golf ball?
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What happens if my ball has a mark but an identical ball is right next to it?
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What happens if I play a provisional ball out of turn from the tee?
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What happens if I find my original ball outside a penalty area after hitting a provisional?
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What is a provisional ball in golf and when should you play it?
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What to do when your replaced ball won't stay put
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How long are you allowed to search for a golf ball?
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What happens if someone else finds your ball first?
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What happens if two players hit the same ball?
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What happens if I hit a wrong ball that's moving in water?
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What happens if I make a stroke at an incorrectly substituted ball?
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What happens if I play a wrong ball in Maximum Score?
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What is the penalty for hitting a wrong ball?
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When Can I Play Two Balls on the Same Hole?
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What happens if you hit the wrong ball in golf?
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Bunkers & Hazards
Sand, water hazards, and the bunker rules that catch every golfer out at some point.
Can I anchor my putter against my forearm or stomach?
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Can I anchor my putter against my chest or stomach?
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What happens if your ball bounces out of the water hazard?
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What happens if your ball is embedded in sand?
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What happens if your ball lands in a water hazard?
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What happens if your ball moves in a bunker?
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What happens if your ball rolls out of the bunker after the shot?
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What happens if your ball is in a bunker with water?
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What happens if my caddie holds an umbrella over me during my stroke?
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Caddie standing behind me to help aim
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Can I anchor the club if I'm an amputee and can't swing without anchoring?
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Can I borrow a club from another player on the course?
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Can I make a stroke with another player's club?
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Can I practice putting after finishing a hole?
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Can someone help me position my wheelchair before I swing?
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Can you ground your club in a bunker?
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Can I ground my club behind the ball?
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What happens if you hit the sand before the ball in a bunker?
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How do I take a club out of play during the round after realizing I have too many?
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What happens if I tee off from outside the teeing area in stroke play?
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What happens if I putt with my ball-marker still down?
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What happens if I hit my shot while another ball is still on the green helping me?
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My ball landed back in the teeing area — can I re-tee it?
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What happens if I wear a non-conforming glove?
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What happens if I place a club on the ground to help aim?
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What happens if I felt my club touch sand in a bunker but it's not on video?
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What happens if I hit a moving ball?
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What happens if you touch sand during the backswing?
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Where can you drop a ball after a water hazard?
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Collisions
What happens when your ball hits something — the flagstick, a cart, another player, or a spectator.
What happens if your ball hits another moving ball?
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What happens if your golf ball hits another player?
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What happens if your ball hits another ball on the green?
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What happens if your ball hits the clubhouse?
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What happens if your ball hits the flagstick?
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What happens if your ball hits a golf cart?
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What happens if your ball hits your own bag?
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What happens if your ball hits your partner?
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What happens if your golf ball hits a spectator?
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What happens if your ball hits a tree and comes back?
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What happens if someone deliberately stops my ball in Stableford when it had no chance of going in?
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What happens if I deliberately stop my moving ball?
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Relief & Dropping
How to drop correctly, where the relief area is, and the mistakes that cost you two strokes.
What happens if my ball is in an abnormal course condition in a bunker?
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Can a blind golfer's aide stand on the line of play?
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Back-on-the-line relief: dropping behind your ball
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What happens if my dropped ball rolls out of the relief area?
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What happens if your ball is embedded in the fairway?
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What happens if my ball lands in a no play zone?
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What happens if my ball is in a no play zone inside a penalty area?
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What happens if your ball is on a cart path?
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What happens if your ball lands on the wrong green?
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What happens if my ball is partly in the general area and partly in a penalty area?
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What happens if the ball rolls after dropping it?
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What happens if the ball rolls back into the hazard after dropping?
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Ball stuck in a movable obstruction — free relief
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Can I play my ball as it lies in a penalty area?
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Can I replace my ball with a club if I'm an amputee?
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Can I take relief for abnormal ground or embedded ball in a penalty area?
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Can I touch sand in the bunker before my stroke if I'm blind?
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Can my partner mark and lift my ball in Foursomes?
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What if a dangerous animal is in the bunker with my ball?
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What happens if I declare my ball unplayable in a bunker?
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How to drop when replaying a shot from a penalty area
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What happens if you drop the ball incorrectly?
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What happens if you drop the ball outside the relief area?
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Can I take relief outside a bunker for two penalty strokes?
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What happens if I drop the ball the wrong way?
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What happens if my ball is embedded in the ground?
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Can I move a loose impediment without penalty?
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How do I know which area of the course my ball is in?
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How do I estimate where my ball last crossed the penalty area edge?
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How do you drop a golf ball correctly?
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How to mark the spot of a ball at rest
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Dropped in a penalty area under stroke-and-distance but don't want to play it — can I take relief outside?
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Integral object – do I get free relief?
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Is a sprinkler head an obstruction?
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Is my reasonable judgment accepted even if video later shows I was wrong?
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Can I lift my ball to check if I get free relief?
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What happens if I move a growing branch to improve my swing?
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My ball from a penalty area landed back in a penalty area, what are my options?
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What happens if my ball is in a penalty area with an abnormal course condition?
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Who plays first when taking relief?
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What happens if I find my original ball in a penalty area after playing a provisional?
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What happens if I deliberately move a loose impediment while my ball is rolling?
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What happens if I lift my ball thinking it might interfere but nobody asked me to?
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Can I put my clubs down in a bunker?
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What happens if I have to replay my shot from the tee?
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What happens if I declare my ball unplayable and go back to where I hit from?
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What happens if a referee gives me wrong advice and I follow it?
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What happens if I play from a wrong place?
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What happens if I stand on my line of play when making a stroke?
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What happens if a referee tells me to break a rule by mistake?
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What happens when a referee makes a ruling during your round
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What happens if my ball is deliberately deflected from the fairway?
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What happens if I remove a loose impediment before putting my ball back?
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Can I fix spike marks and ball marks on the green?
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Can a blind golfer set down a club to help aim?
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Can I smooth sand in a bunker before my shot?
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What if stakes are obstructions?
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How to take lateral relief from a red penalty area
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What happens if I take stroke-and-distance relief from a penalty area?
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What happens if your ball is unplayable?
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What happens if video shows a breach I couldn't see?
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What happens if I improve my lie while searching for my ball?
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What is a serious breach in stroke play?
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What is the first relief option for a ball in a yellow penalty area?
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What is the lateral relief option for a ball in a red penalty area?
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What is the relief area when taking penalty relief from a penalty area?
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What is the second relief option for a ball in a yellow penalty area?
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When can I play two balls in stroke play?
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When am I considered to have authorized someone to attend the flagstick?
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When is free relief from a no play zone in a penalty area not allowed?
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Where can you drop a ball after taking relief?
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