By Mitch Moon
As I did in January, I want to continue the editorial theme of the new rules in 2023. This month, we’ll review what you must do when a ball is moved by natural forces.
In the USGA’s Rules of Golf, Rule 9.3 states that
“if natural forces (such as wind, water or gravity) cause a player’s ball at rest to move, there is no penalty, and the ball must be played from its new spot.”
This wording is the same as before, but for 2023 rules changes they added a much-needed exception. The new rule states,
“if the player puts the original ball or another ball into play by dropping, placing or replacing it, and natural forces cause the ball at rest to move and come to rest in another area of the course or out of bounds, the ball must be replaced on its original spot.”
The key point being that the ball, after moving, must come to a complete rest in ‘another area’ of the course.
If you take relief from a sprinkler head in the fairway and the ball then gets blown into the rough by a gust of wind, after the ball was in play, you must play the ball from its new position as the fairway and rough are considered the same area of the golf course.
The new exception will most likely come into play, when dropping onto a steep slope near a water hazard. After two unsuccessful drops, you must place the ball and get it to come to rest. This is where the new rule applies.
If, after placing your ball, decide to walk toward the green to preview your upcoming shot and your ball has rolled back into the water, you are now in luck.
Since your golf ball — that came to rest after you placed it — was in the general area (fairway) and it rolled into a penalty area, you can replace it back on the same spot and with no penalty applied to your score.
A few years ago, Rickie Fowler was playing in the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Open when this unfortunately happened to him, while he was in contention.
With the new rule change, such an incident will not ruin a round, or tournament in the future.
