Rule of the Month This month we're looking at what happens when your ball comes to rest on the wrong putting green. Rule 13.1f – Ball on Wrong Green If your ball lies on a wrong putting green or a wrong green interferes you’re your areas of intended stance / swing - you must not play it as it lies. To protect the putting surface, the Rules require you to take free relief. This is compulsory. Find the nearest point of complete relief (not nearer the hole) and drop your ball within one club-length of that point. Your ball, stance and area of intended swing must all be clear of the wrong green before making your stroke. The penalties for breach are: • Minor breach (most cases): Stroke play: General penalty = 2 penalty strokes. Match play: Loss of hole. • Serious breach (not matchplay): If playing from the wrong place gained the player an advantage compared with playing from the correct place, they have committed a serious breach. The player must correct the mistake by playing from the correct place before teeing off on the next hole (or before returning their scorecard if it occurred on the final hole. If they fail to correct a serious breach, they are disqualified. There is no concept of a serious breach in match play. The penalty is simply loss of hole, regardless of whether an advantage was gained. Please note the 8th & 15th green counts as one green, so this ruling does not apply.