Ball markers

Jimbo999 · July 12, 2009

Any restrictions?

I've been wondering about ball markers, i seem to lose quite a few and end up using things in my pocket such as a pound coin and on one occasion a guitar pick. Am I allowed to use what I want? Are there any restriction on size etc? I can't find any information on this topic.

Cheers.

Im sorry this has posted twice

steiny · July 12, 2009

there's no restrictions on size, but the marker has to be round. so anyhting that is a circle is fine...you can use a hockey puck if you want

hoganfan924 · July 12, 2009

Nothing within the rules says a marker must be round.

The rules only say this:

The position of a ball to be lifted should be marked by placing a ball-marker, a small coin or other similar object immediately behind the ball.

Using a guitar pick would be fine, as I believe it is sufficiently similar to a ball marker or coin. A tee (used on the green) is more suspect, but has not been ruled as being unacceptable by the USGA which only has this to say in their Q&A:

20-1/17 Tee Marking Position of Player's Ball Deflects Opponent's Ball

Q. In a match, B used a wooden tee to mark the position of his ball. A's ball was deflected by the tee. What is the ruling?

A. The tee was not B's equipment — see Definition of "Equipment." There is no penalty. A must play his ball as it lies.

A should have requested B to move the tee one or more clubhead-lengths to the side or to mark the position of his ball with a ball-marker, a small coin or other similar object — see Note under Rule

I do know of a case many years ago of a member of this board being penalized in a Canadian tour event for marking his ball with a tee.

Mr.B · July 12, 2009

while i wouldn't recommend carrying an anvil around in your pocket to mark your spot, :blink:

use whatever tickles you

funkyfedora · July 12, 2009

Dinner plates work great if u ever lose your mark on the green. :D

HoosierGolfer · July 12, 2009

there's no restrictions on size, but the marker has to be round. so anyhting that is a circle is fine...you can use a hockey puck if you want

Not true! Some guy on the west coast is getting rich selling these..........

Diesel · July 12, 2009

i get crap all the time for using my Odyssey poker chip...

one day the one guy in our foursome thought he'd be funny and marked his ball with a frisbee... it actually was pretty funny cause i wasn't expecting it, and walked up to the green and was like WTF...?

LOL

steiny · July 13, 2009

there's no restrictions on size, but the marker has to be round. so anyhting that is a circle is fine...you can use a hockey puck if you want
Not true! Some guy on the west coast is getting rich selling these..........

haha oh yea, i guess i was wrong, i've always been told it has to be round though

masterli · July 13, 2009

I've been wondering about ball markers, i seem to lose quite a few and end up using things in my pocket such as a pound coin and on one occasion a guitar pick. Am I allowed to use what I want? Are there any restriction on size etc? I can't find any information on this topic.

Cheers.

Im sorry this has posted twice

i used to use a guitar pick as a marker since i always have one on me. that was until i played on a real windy day lol. bad idea to say the least. i'm a fan of the ball mark repair tool w/ the magnetic marker. since it's connected to the tool itself makes it easy to get in and out of your pocket.

anyway, you can use anything, even a golf club as your marker. saw a segment on the golf channel about this. as long as you put the ball in the same place it's fine.

golfismygame · July 13, 2009

Anything small or precise irregardless of shape will do fine as a ball marker:

A small stone, a tee, a pitch marker repairer, the toe of a putter, a coin, a flower (not too clever on a windy day, though)

Bigger objects like the frisbee or the flat side of the putter is not precise enough and can not be used.

Ping Blackout Grip · July 13, 2009

You should be able to use anything, because if a player hits your mark they obviously did not mean to hit the putt that direction, which means it was not going in the hole.

DaveLeeNC · July 13, 2009

I've been wondering about ball markers, i seem to lose quite a few and end up using things in my pocket such as a pound coin and on one occasion a guitar pick. Am I allowed to use what I want? Are there any restriction on size etc? I can't find any information on this topic.

Cheers.

Im sorry this has posted twice

Using a thumb pick would be judged rude I think :black eye:

I used to play with a guy that marked his ball with some kind of a fancy blue pearl something or other. It was about the size of a quarter but was rounded over the top so that it must have been 3/8" thick at the center. I once offered him an old football helmet that was in my closet in the case that he ever lost his favorite ball marker. He didn't take the hint.

dave