Identifying Your Golf Ball: Official Rules, Procedures & Penalties Golflink.com

The Rules of Golf require the golfer to properly identify and play their ball at all times. If you can't identify your ball as it lies, the Rules allow you to pick it up and even clean it to the extent needed to positively identify it. But several stipulations come with that privilege, so let's review exactly how to identify your golf ball so you don't incur an unnecessary penalty.

Mark Your Golf Ball Before Teeing Off

One of the first things you should do after warming up on the driving range or putting green is take out your Sharpie and mark your golf balls. Making this part of your routine will ensure you don’t forget once you get on the box.

There are no rules on how you mark your golf ball, as long as your markings don’t affect the structural integrity of the ball or alter the dimples in any way.

Identify Your Ball On the Tee Box

Once you get to the tee box, you and your playing partners should compare the golf balls that you’re putting into play. This is important for two reasons:

This allows your playing partners to physically see your golf ball so they can identify it during the round. It also allows you to recognize their golf balls.
In the event you and another golfer play the same make/model or mark your golf balls similarly, this gives you an opportunity to change before play begins. Example: Frank and Ted realize they both play Titleist Pro V1 balls and both mark them with a blue alignment line. Frank adds a blue dot to his ball to differentiate it from Ted’s.

Identifying Your Golf Ball During the Round

There are several scenarios on the golf course where you may need to identify your golf ball or someone else’s in your group. Perhaps two golf balls are very close together or your ball is lying on the markings, and they're not visible.

You can pick up your golf ball to identify it in this situation, but you must do according to USGA Rule 7.3 “Lifting Ball to Identify it.”

Mark the spot of the golf ball, preferably with a tee so it is visible in the rough.
You are allowed to lift your golf ball and rotate it in order to identify the appropriate markings. If you lift your ball to identify it, you must replace it in the same spot and lie.
If the identifying mark is covered, you may clean the ball only to the extent required to identify it.

These Rules are very specific. If you don't mark the spot before lifting a ball, lift a ball when it is not necessary to identify it, or clean it beyond the minimum amount required to identify it, you get one penalty stroke.

Cleaning Your Golf Ball to Identify It

Can you clean your golf ball to identify it? The answer is yes, a little bit.

It's common to find mud, leaves or loose grass clippings covering your markings. When this happens, you may carefully remove them to uncover your markings and get a positive ID on your ball. Have your playing partner watch as you remove debris to see the golf ball marking.

Remember, you cannot fully clean the golf ball when lift, clean, and place rules are not in place, and the penalty for doing too much cleanup is one stroke. Once you've cleaned your ball enough to identify it, be sure to replace it to its original spot and lie.

This stipulation does not apply on the putting green. After you mark your golf ball on the green you are free to fully clean it before making your next stroke.

Penalties

Using the above steps will help you avoid the following penalties.

One-stroke penalty: Failure to mark the spot of the ball before picking it up, lifting it when it's not necessary, or cleaning it beyond a reasonable amount to identify.
Two-stroke penalty: Playing the wrong golf ball. If you and a playing partner each play the wrong ball, you are both assessed this penalty in stroke play. If you’re playing match play, the penalty is loss of hole.

While there are penalties for using the wrong procedure to identify your ball, or playing the wrong ball, there is no penalty for accidentally moving your ball while trying to find it. Whether you or an opponent step on or kick a ball during your search, simply replace it to its original spot and lie, which you can estimate if you don't know for sure.

Create A Marking and Identifying Routine

Marking your golf ball and comparing them on the first tee with your group are two of the simplest steps you can take to avoid a penalty in your round. Too often, we overlook these small steps because we're focused on swing thoughts and performance. Creating good habits on the golf course, including this controllable step, will only help you succeed.