touching and rubbing green to check bermuda direction

[atlanta golfer]

is it ok if not on line of putt?

Is it ok to gently brush the green with my fingers, behind the ball, to check direction of bermuda grain? It is easy and fast to do this when crouching down to mark my ball. Seems much more reliable than relying on eyesight alone.

[Sawgrass]

As I read the rules, you can not do this.

 

Rule 16-1d says:

 

d. Testing Surface

 

During the stipulated round, a player must not test the surface of any putting green by rolling a ball or roughening or scraping the surface.

 

Exception: Between the play of two holes, a player may test the surface of any practice putting green and the putting green of the hole last played, unless the Committee

 

 

And here is a related decision, if you hope that your statement of "genlty brushing" is different than "roughening":

 

 

 

16-1d/5 Rubbing Ball on Putting Green for Cleaning Purposes

 

Q. May a player clean his ball by rubbing it on the putting green?

 

A. Yes, provided the act is not for the purpose of testing the surface of the putting green. It is recommended that a ball be cleaned in other ways to eliminate any question as to the player's intentions.

 

 

[atlanta golfer]

I would like to get more opinions on this. After all, determining grain direction of a putting green, in the area of your putt, is a subject that is pretty important to a lot of people, I would think. Again, the question is, can I "stroke" the green with my finger or hand, directly behind my ball mark, to ascertain the grain direction?

[golfpunk59]

[quote name='Sawgrass' date='11 March 2010 - 03:09 PM' timestamp='1268348982' post='2310077']
....a player must not test the surface of any [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#PuttingGreen"][i]putting green[/i][/url] by rolling a ball or[b] roughening or scraping the surface.[/b]
[/quote]

[quote name='atlanta golfer' date='11 March 2010 - 04:22 PM' timestamp='1268353365' post='2310227']
I would like to get more opinions on this. After all, determining grain direction of a putting green, in the area of your putt, is a subject that is pretty important to a lot of people, I would think. Again, the question is, can I [b]"stroke"[/b] the green with my finger or hand, directly behind my ball mark, to ascertain the grain direction?
[/quote]

Same thing. No you can't.

[WilCox]

No, you can't.

[bsb70x7]

Yes you can as long as you assess yourself the appropriate penalty (2 strokes) everytime you do that.

[OpusX20]

As I read the rules, you can not do this.

 

Rule 16-1d says:

 

d. Testing Surface

 

During the stipulated round, a player must not test the surface of any putting green by rolling a ball or roughening or scraping the surface.

 

Exception: Between the play of two holes, a player may test the surface of any practice putting green and the putting green of the hole last played, unless the Committee

 

 

And here is a related decision, if you hope that your statement of "genlty brushing" is different than "roughening":

 

 

 

16-1d/5 Rubbing Ball on Putting Green for Cleaning Purposes

 

Q. May a player clean his ball by rubbing it on the putting green?

 

A. Yes, provided the act is not for the purpose of testing the surface of the putting green. It is recommended that a ball be cleaned in other ways to eliminate any question as to the player's intentions.

 

 

 

What he said...

 

Also, IMO determining the grain by sight is much more reliable than rubbing the green. Rubbing the green tells you what the grain is on that 6 inch patch. Visually, you can see the grain over the whole line of your putt. True that sometimes the grain is difficult/impossible to determine visually. But, I still think it's better more often than rubbing the green.

[puttingmatt]

It is fun to see the poster disagree with a ruling that
is written right out of the USGA rulebook. If you do not
want the answer, then do not ask. You gotta love the
comments.

[The Hawkeye]

Breed covered this the other night with a USGA rules official. YES...you can test the grain. On the fringe. Not on the putting surface. One exception, you cannot test any area of the fringe where you will take a stance or that is in line with your putt. Otherwise, you are allowed and Breed even encouraged players to use the fringe to get information about grain.

So, there you go.

[atlanta golfer]

hawkeye, I read the same thing on an internet search, just now, that you can touch or rub the fringe. of course, sometimes the grain is not consistent. so of course it is better to do it by sight, it is just I have not been able to do that very well in the past.

puttingmatt, I don't know where you live, but for your unkind remarks, I am hoping you live in a place that is still covered in snow... Hah!

[The Hawkeye]

When reading putts the fringe will mostly give away the direction of the grain. How much the grain will affect the putt will depend on more "local" factors to the actual putt. I will admit that I never walk on a green without looking at the fringe for my first indication of grain. But that is about all I do...then I focus more locally on the putt.

[mul1gan]

slightly off topic.

are you allowed to make/take practice putts on the green or next tee box after the hole in stroke play?

In the 2010-2011 rule book under rule 7-2, if I read it right says that you are allowed to unless the committee states otherwise. WHo the heck is the committee, my foursome?

Are tour players allowed to make practice putts in a tourney so as long as they dont hold anyone up?

thanks in advance

[Socrates]

[quote name='mul1gan' date='17 April 2010 - 08:36 PM' timestamp='1271554571' post='2385605']
slightly off topic.

are you allowed to make/take practice putts on the green or next tee box after the hole in stroke play?

In the 2010-2011 rule book under rule 7-2, if I read it right says that you are allowed to unless the committee states otherwise. WHo the heck is the committee, my foursome?

Are tour players allowed to make practice putts in a tourney so as long as they dont hold anyone up?

thanks in advance
[/quote]

Tour players are prohibited from practice putting on the green just completed in stroke play events. This is defined in the conditions of the competition. The only event that Tour players are allowed to practice putting on the green completed are Match Play events which have different competition rules.

[color=#474747][size=2][b]Committee[/b]
The "[i]Committee[/i]" is the committee in charge of the competition or, if the matter does not arise in a competition, the committee in charge of the [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#Course"][i]course[/i][/url].[/size][/color]

The committee can be a group of officials or even just one person, usually the person running the competition (i.e. head pro).

Back to the OP... They weren't unkind remarks, just straight and to the point. You couldn't have had a simpler ruling but yet you restated the question as if there was a Wie bit of leeway in this rule.

[Newby]

[quote name='The Hawkeye' date='12 March 2010 - 01:50 AM' timestamp='1268358650' post='2310399']
One exception, you cannot test any area of the fringe where you will take a stance or that is in line with your putt.
[/quote]

That is not correct.

[Newby]

[quote name='socrates' date='18 April 2010 - 03:11 AM' timestamp='1271560287' post='2385753']
The only event that Tour players are allowed to practice putting on the green completed are Match Play events which have different competition rules.
[/quote]

And ProAms.