See below for the quiz questions for the "Ball at Rest Lifted or Moved" edition (Round 3) of the Short Course on the Rules. The first 9 questions (the "front nine") are easier questions and the second 9 questions (the "back nine") are more difficult. If you would like these questions in PDF form, they are available below.
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THE FRONT NINE
1) Believing that your ball lies on the putting green, you mark its spot and lift the ball. You then realize that the ball was not on the putting green. What is the ruling?
(a) There is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.
(b) There is no penalty so long as you did not clean the lifted ball and the ball must be replaced.
(c) You get one penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
(d) You get two penalty strokes in stroke play and the ball must be replaced.
2) In which one of the following situations do you not get a penalty?
(a) When attempting to mark the spot of your ball on the putting green, you drop your ball-marker on the ball, causing it to move.
(b) You lift your ball from the putting green but forget to mark its spot first.
(c) In preparing to make a stroke at your ball in the fairway, you accidentally move it with your clubhead.
(d) While your ball lies in the general area, you deliberately touch it with your club, but it doesn’t move.
3) Your approach shot comes to rest on the putting green, 15 feet from the hole. Another player’s approach shot then hits and moves your ball to a spot 20 feet from the hole and you see this happen. The other player plays from where his ball came to rest, and you also play your ball from where it came to rest (20 feet from the hole). What is the ruling?
(a) You proceeded correctly and get no penalty.
(b) You get one penalty stroke in both match play and stroke play.
(c) In match play you lose the hole, and in stroke play you get two penalty strokes.
(d) In stroke play, you get two penalty strokes and must play from the original spot before starting play of the next hole. If not, you are disqualified.
4) True or False: When your ball has been moved and you are required to replace it on its original spot, you get a penalty if you lift it from the new location without first marking its spot.
(a) True
(b) False
5) In Four-Ball, you see a ball in the general area that you believe to be a stray ball. You lift that ball and then realize it is your partner’s ball. What is the ruling?
(a) There is no penalty to you or your partner and the ball must be replaced.
(b) You get one penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
(c) Your partner gets one penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
6) In stroke play, you and your partner are walking together to your tee shots. As your partner is approaching his ball in the rough, he accidentally kicks and moves your ball a few inches. Believing that the requirement to replace the moved ball is like other relief procedures, you replace another ball on the estimated spot and make your next stroke. How many penalty strokes do you get, if any?
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 2
(d) 3
7) Before playing your approach shot from the general area, you decide to change clubs. You toss the club you were holding toward your golf bag, but the club strikes the bag and then strikes and moves your ball. What is the ruling?
(a) There is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.
(b) You get one penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
(c) In stroke play, you get two penalty strokes and the ball must be replaced.
8) In match play, your opponent plays from a greenside bunker, and the ball comes to rest three feet from the hole and on your line of play. While your opponent is raking the bunker, you mark and lift his ball without authority. What is the ruling?
(a) There is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.
(b) You get one penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced.
(c) You lose the hole.
9) True or False: During your backswing for a stroke from the fairway, your ball starts to move, but you continue your swing and make the stroke. If you make your next stroke from where the ball came to rest after playing the moving ball, instead of replaying the stroke, you get the general penalty for playing from a wrong place.
(a) True
(b) False
THE BACK NINE
10) In stroke play, your ball comes to rest above and near a steep slope on the putting green. Without your authorization or knowledge, your caddie marks the spot of and lifts your ball, cleans it, and replaces it on its original spot. A gust of wind causes your ball at rest to move down the slope and it comes to rest on a different part of the putting green. Without marking the ball’s spot in the new location, you lift it and try to replace it on its original spot but it won’t come to rest. You try to replace it a second time, without success. Rather than moving away from the original spot to find the nearest spot where your ball will come to rest, you try to replace it on the original spot for a third time and, this time, the ball stays at rest. You then make a stroke from that spot, the original spot where it first came to rest on the putting green. How many penalty strokes do you get, if any?
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 2
(d) 3
11) Which one of the following is true regarding the replacement of your ball under the Rules?
(a) The original ball must always be used.
(b) Regardless of who moved your ball, your partner may always replace it.
(c) If you make a stroke at your ball after it is replaced by someone who is not allowed, you lose the hole in match play.
(d) You may replace your ball on its original spot by rolling it into position with a club.
12) Your ball comes to rest in a position where you have interference from ground under repair and are allowed relief under Rule 16.1b. You mark the spot of your ball and lift it to take relief, and then realize the relief area is under a bush. Which one of the following actions would result in you not getting one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4?
(a) Replace the ball on the original spot.
(b) Replace the ball on the original spot and then take unplayable ball relief (Rule 19.2).
(c) Without first replacing the ball, take back-on-the-line unplayable ball relief (Rule 19.2b) using the spot where the original ball lay as the reference point.
(d) Without first replacing the ball or dropping it in the relief area, take stroke-and-distance relief.
13) Your approach shot comes to rest on the putting green ten feet from the hole. As you are approaching your ball to mark its spot, a gust of wind moves your ball and it comes to rest down a slope and away from the hole where you are now faced with a more difficult putt. You ask your caddie to throw you a towel so you can clean your ball, but it comes up short and the wind blows your towel into your ball, causing it to move a few inches farther from the hole. Knowing that wind is a natural force, you play the ball from its new location. What is the ruling?
(a) You proceeded correctly and get no penalty.
(b) You get one penalty stroke.
(c) You get the general penalty.
14) Your tee shot comes to rest in a muddy portion of a red penalty area. While walking toward your ball, you see the turtle move your ball and it rolls down into the water. Although it would be both easy and quick to get your ball, you replace a different ball on the spot it was moved from to avoid getting your shoes dirty. While setting up to make your stroke, you have second thoughts about playing from the mud. Instead you decide to take penalty area relief. After taking relief, you play the ball onto the putting green and then complete the hole in two more strokes. What is your score for the hole?
(a) 4
(b) 5
(c) 6
(d) 7
15) True or False: Your ball comes to rest in the fairway and you carefully set your bag down near your ball. While determining the yardage for your next shot, your bag falls over and moves your ball. You get no penalty for your ball being moved and are required to replace it on its original spot.
(a) True
(b) False
16) Your tee shot comes to rest in the general area next to a pine cone and near a sprinkler control box. You have a reasonable but risky shot over a penalty area in playing toward the green. While simulating your swing to see if you have interference from the sprinkler control box, your club accidentally hits the pine cone and causes your ball to move. You replace the ball on the spot it was moved from without replacing the pine cone next to it. The wind changes direction, so you decide to chip out into the fairway instead of playing toward the green. You hit your next shot onto the green and complete the hole in two more strokes. What is your score for the hole?
(a) 5
(b) 6
(c) 7
(d) 8
17) In which one of the following do you get the general penalty for not replacing your ball, when information concerning the ball’s movement only becomes known to you or your caddie after the ball has been played?
(a) Your caddie marks the spot of your ball, lifts it and replaces it on the putting green. As your caddie is walking away and you are looking at your scorecard, neither of you notice that a gust of wind moved your ball a short distance.
(b) While you are looking at your yardage book, your caddie is removing a gallery stake about 30 feet away from your ball. In removing the stake, the rope connected to it becomes loose, drops to the ground, and hits and moves your ball. Neither you nor your caddie were aware the ball moved.
(c) After playing from the tee and while walking with your caddie to your ball, you are not aware a spectator had lifted your ball from the rough where it came to rest and tossed it into the fairway.
(d) While your opponent is searching for your ball and without you or your caddie noticing, the opponent moved your ball a short distance.
18) In which one of the following do you get one penalty stroke for lifting or moving your ball or ball-marker?
(a) You mark the spot of and lift your ball from a bunker because it interfered with another player’s stance. The other player played and in doing so, worsened your lie, but did not move the ball-marker. You carefully try to re-create your original lie, but in doing so, you accidentally move the ball-marker.
(b) Instead of using a coin, you mark the spot of your ball on the putting green with a tee and lift the ball. While another player’s ball is in motion, you lift the tee because you thought that the other player’s ball might hit it.
(c) After the Committee has suspended play due to darkness, you mark the spot of your ball in tall rough with a tee and lift your ball. Prior to resuming play the next morning and while trying to relocate the tee, you accidentally kick the tee, moving it a short distance.
(d) Your putt for a three stops just short of the hole and you believe your partner has a short putt left for a four. Frustrated, you swing your club at your ball and knock it off the putting green. Your partner misses his putt, taps-in and says, correctly, “that’s six.” You suddenly realize you were mistaken about your partner’s score, so you replace your ball next to the hole and hole out.