Well, every golfer knows that making a cut at any important tournament is a big deal. So make the most of this opportunity. Besides honing your skills, brush up on your knowledge about the region's golf rules so that you can blend well in the professional circuit where you are likely to brush your shoulders with seasoned golfers.
The players new to tournament-level golfing often tend to overlook some of the game's basic aspects such as marking the ball. Here is a brief outline of how to handle this aspect of the game.
Why Mark Your Ball?
Marking a ball refers to the practice of using a flat, coin-like item as a placeholder on the putting ground to mark the ball's position. When there is no hard and fast rule regarding the choice of items you can use as a ball marker, golf etiquettes require you to use something that causes minimal distraction to other golfers.
Remember, ball marking is an option reserved only for the putting green. You cannot practice it anywhere else on the golf course. Marking on the putting green saves golfers from a lot of confusion– it saves you from hitting your partner's ball.
Contrarily, when your ball is in the line of another golfer’s shot, marking your ball's position will let the other player take his shot freely.
Marking your golf ball on the green also allows you to clean it before the next putt. This helps minimize the accumulation of dirt, mud, and grass as it rolls all the way to the putting green. As a thumb rule, a clean ball rolls better than a dirty one.
Steps to Marking the Ball
Marking the ball is a simple, straightforward process. Do it wrong and you are set for penalties. Here are the correct steps to mark your ball on the putting green:
Place your ball marker directly behind your golf ball on the putting green – neither on the sides nor in front of the ball. Stand behind the ball, facing the hole and imagine a straight line from the cup through the ball. Place the marker directly behind the golf ball on that line.
When it's time to pick up the ball, place the marker first, then lift the ball. Never do it the other way round.
While putting the ball back on the green, place it directly in front of the ball marker. This will ensure that your ball gets back exactly to its original position.
For the next shot, when you lift the ball marker, follow the proper order: first put the ball back on the ground, then lift the marker.
Golfers tend to commit different types of ball marking mistakes. The easiest way to avoid inconsistencies is to remember two points:
Mark the ball before lifting.
When it's time to put the ball back in its correct location, place it right in front of the marker.
The United States Golf Association specifies the ball marking rules in clause numbers 16 and 20. Go through them before taking part in your maiden tournament. Remember, professional golfing is a different ball game altogether.
Knowing the ball-marking rules will save you from appearing amateurish on the course. It is easy to earn the respect of the fellow golfers when you keep to the rule-book.
