KEY POINTS RULE 13
RULE 13. BALL PLAYED AS IT LIES
13-1. General
Ball must be played as it lies unless a Rule provides otherwise.
13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or line of Play
Player must not improve (see Decision 13-2/0.5) lie, area of stance or swing, line of play, or a
reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or the area where ball is to be dropped by the
following actions:
1. pressing club on ground, or moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed,
2. creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,
3. removing or pressing down sand, loose soil or replaced divots or removing dew, frost or
water.
However, no penalty if action occurs:
1. in grounding club lightly,
2. in fairly taking stance,
3. in making a stroke or a backward motion for the stroke,
4. in creating or eliminating irregularities, or
5. in removing dew, etc., from teeing ground, or
6. in removing sand or loose soil or repairing damage on putting green.
Illustration:
Robin Farran and Dennis Walsh
Revised 102615
Page 1
KEY POINTS RULE 13
Text from Decision 13-2/0.5, Meaning of “Improve” (Revised)
“In the context of Rule 13-2, “improve” means to change for the better so that the
player creates a potential advantage with respect to the position or lie of his ball, the
area of his intended stance or swing, his line of play or a reasonable extension of
that line beyond the hole, or the area in which he is to drop or place a ball.
Therefore, merely changing an area protected by Rule 13-2 will not be a breach of
Rule 13-2 unless it creates such a potential advantage for the player in his play.” …
…”The determination as to whether a player has created a potential advantage by
his actions is made by reference to all the circumstances immediately prior to his
stroke.”
Examples in 2016 Decision 13-2/0.5 clarify that the logic of this Decision applies to
smoothing footprints in a bunker on the line of play for a ball in the same bunker or
a ball outside the bunker.
13-3. Building Stance
Player must not build a stance.
13-4. Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions
When a player's ball is in a hazard, the player must not:
a. Test the condition of the hazard or a similar hazard, (see D 13-4/0.5)
b. Touch the ground in a hazard or water in a water hazard with hand or club or
c. Touch or move a loose impediment in the hazard. Except that if loose impediments are
moved incidentally while caring for the course as allowed, there is no penalty. (D 13-4/9.5)
Note that Rule 12-1 overrides #2 and #3 above by allowing a player to move or remove loose
impediments in a hazard in the process of searching for or identifying a ball believed to be covered
by loose impediments and permits touching ground in a hazard or water in a water hazard while
probing in loose impediments or water during search for a ball. Any loose impediments moved
during search must be replaced.
Exception 1. Player may touch ground or loose impediments when placing clubs or rake in hazard,
measuring, removing a movable obstruction, to prevent falling, lifting or placing/replacing a ball.
Exception 2. Player must not rake or smooth sand or soil in a hazard prior to first stroke from
hazard, unless the raking/smoothing is solely for the care of the course and nothing is done to
breach Rule 13-2 for the subsequent stroke.
After making a stroke and the ball remains in the same hazard, the player may smooth sand or soil
as long as the lie, stance, area of swing and line of play for next stroke are not improved.
Exception 3. Once ball is played from (out-of) a hazard, there are no restrictions on actions in
that hazard.
Robin Farran and Dennis Walsh
Revised 102615
Page 2