2 October 2026 · 9 min read
Lifting, marking and cleaning a golf ball: when it is allowed and how to replace it
On the green you may mark, lift and clean the ball. Everywhere else only if a rule allows it, and for cleaning there are four exceptions. Plus how to replace it.
On the putting green you may mark, lift and clean the ball. Everywhere else you may lift it only if a rule allows it, and for cleaning there are four exceptions. It is replaced by hand on the original spot.
That is Rules 14.1 and 14.2 of the Rules of Golf by the R&A and USGA. Below you find when you may lift, how you mark, when you may clean, how you replace and what mistakes cost. The putting green with putting line and flagstick is covered in Putting: the rules on the green. I read the rule texts on 2 October 2026.
When and by whom the ball may be lifted
Rule 14.1 applies to deliberately lifting a ball at rest. How you lift it does not matter: by hand, by rotating it or in another way. Away from the green you need a reason from the rules. If you lift without such a reason or deliberately touch the ball, it costs one penalty stroke (Rule 9.4b). Six occasions, and what applies:
| Occasion | Mark first | Clean | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| The ball is on the putting green | yes | yes | 13.1b |
| You take relief under a rule | not required | yes | 14.1a and 14.1c |
| You reasonably believe the ball is cut or cracked | yes | no | 4.2c |
| You cannot tell which ball it is and want to identify it | yes | only as much as needed to identify it | 7.3 |
| A fellow player requires you to lift because your ball is in the way | yes | no | 15.3b |
| You check whether the ball lies in a condition that gives free relief | yes | no, unless you then take relief | 16.4 |
You may lift the ball yourself or have someone you authorise do it. The authorisation applies each time and not generally for the round (Rule 14.1b). Your caddie may lift without authorisation if the ball is on the putting green or if it is reasonable to conclude that you will take relief. If he lifts otherwise, you get one penalty stroke. Away from the green, you do not lift a ball that is in a fellow player's way on your own, only if the fellow player requires it.
How you mark the ball
Before you lift a ball that you have to replace, you mark the spot (Rule 14.1a). There are two ways:
- You place a ball-marker right behind or right next to the ball.
- You hold a club on the ground right behind or right next to the ball.
If you used a ball-marker, you remove it after replacing the ball, before you hit. You get one penalty stroke in three cases: if you lift without marking, if you mark in a wrong way and if you hit while the marker is still down. When you lift to take relief you do not have to mark the spot. If you are unsure whether you will take relief, you do better to mark first.
If your ball-marker moves before you have replaced the ball, including through the wind, you either replace the ball on the original spot or place a marker there (Rule 9.7a). What applies when the ball itself moves is in The ball moves.
When you may clean
A ball you lift from the putting green you may always clean (Rule 13.1b). From anywhere else you may clean it too, except in four cases (Rule 14.1c):
- Checking for a cut or crack: do not clean (Rule 4.2c).
- Identifying: clean only as much as needed to identify it (Rule 7.3).
- The ball is in the way of a fellow player: do not clean (Rule 15.3b).
- Checking whether free relief is possible: do not clean, unless you then take relief (Rule 16.4).
If you clean where it is not allowed, it costs one penalty stroke, and you must replace the ball if you had lifted it. An example for the fourth case. Your ball lies in the general area, and you suspect it lies in a condition that gives free relief. You mark the spot, lift, look and do not clean. If you take relief, there is no penalty, even if you had not marked or had cleaned. If there is no relief or you decline it, you replace the ball. Had you cleaned it, a penalty stroke would be due.
How you replace the ball
Rule 14.2 describes replacing step by step. After some reliefs you drop the ball instead of replacing it. The procedure is in Dropping in golf.
| What applies | Rule |
|---|---|
| You use the original ball. Another ball is allowed only if the original cannot be recovered with reasonable effort and in a few seconds (and you did not cause that deliberately), if it is cut or cracked, if play resumes after a stoppage or if another player played it as a wrong ball. | 14.2a |
| Only you or the person who lifted the ball or caused it to move may replace it. | 14.2b |
| You set the ball down by hand on the spot and let go so that it stays there. | 14.2b |
| The spot is the original one. If you do not know it, you estimate it. If the ball lay on, under or against an immovable obstruction or a plant, the height above the ground is part of the spot. | 14.2c |
| If the ball lay in sand and the lie has changed, you re-create it as much as possible. You may leave a small part of the ball visible if sand had covered it. | 14.2d |
| If it lay elsewhere and the lie has changed, you place it on the nearest spot with the most similar lie: within one club-length of the original spot, not nearer the hole, in the same area of the course. | 14.2d |
| The ball does not stay: a second try, then the nearest spot where it stays, not nearer the hole. It lies in the general area, in the same bunker or penalty area, or on the putting green or in the general area, depending on the original spot. | 14.2e |
Mistakes and what they cost
| Mistake | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Lifting without marking, marking in a wrong way, hitting with the ball-marker still down | one penalty stroke (Rule 14.1a) |
| Lifting when no rule allows it, or deliberately touching the ball | one penalty stroke (Rule 9.4b) |
| Cleaning where it is not allowed | one penalty stroke, and you replace the ball (Rule 14.1c) |
| Your caddie lifts when he was not allowed to | one penalty stroke for you (Rule 14.1b) |
| You play a ball that someone not allowed to had replaced | one penalty stroke (Rule 14.2b) |
| You play a ball that was replaced in a wrong way but on the right spot | one penalty stroke (Rule 14.2b) |
| You play the ball in sand without having re-created the original lie | General penalty: two penalty strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play (Rule 14.2d) |
| You play the ball from a wrong place | General penalty (Rule 14.7a) |
You may correct a mistake in replacing without penalty, but only before you play the ball (Rule 14.5a). That applies to a ball replaced in a wrong way or in a wrong place.
What this means for you
- On the green: marker behind the ball, lift, clean, replace by hand on the spot, remove the marker, putt.
- Elsewhere: first ask which rule allows you to lift. If there is none, the ball stays where it is.
- Mark before lifting, unless you lift to take relief. If you are unsure, mark.
- Clean only if you are sure none of the four cases applies.
- Replace the original ball by hand on the original spot.
What else applies on the green, such as leaving the trolley off it, is in Golf etiquette and dress code. The twelve rules for the Platzreife and the first rounds are in Golf rules for beginners.
On to the directory
Marking belongs on the green, the shots before it you practise in a bay. Golf simulator for beginners explains the first visit, the map shows the venues by canton, and the directory lists 110 indoor venues (own entries, as of 2 October 2026).
Frequently asked questions
May I lift my ball in golf?
On the putting green yes, after you have marked the spot (Rule 13.1b). Elsewhere only if a rule allows it, for example for relief, to identify the ball or to check for a cut or crack. Otherwise lifting costs one penalty stroke (Rule 9.4b).
How do I mark the ball correctly in golf?
You place a ball-marker right behind or right next to the ball, or you hold a club on the ground there (Rule 14.1a). After replacing the ball you remove the marker before you hit. If you mark in a wrong way or hit with the marker down, you get one penalty stroke.
When may I clean my golf ball?
Always on the putting green. Elsewhere too, unless you lifted it to check for a cut or crack, because it is in a fellow player's way or to check whether you get relief. When identifying, only as much as needed (Rule 14.1c). Cleaning when not allowed costs one penalty stroke.
How do I replace the ball correctly after lifting it?
You set the original ball down by hand on the original spot and let go so that it stays there (Rule 14.2). If it does not stay, you try a second time and then place it on the nearest spot where it stays, not nearer the hole.
What does it cost if I lift the ball without marking it?
One penalty stroke (Rule 14.1a). The same applies if you mark in a wrong way or hit while the marker is still down. You do not have to mark when you lift the ball to take relief. On the putting green you mark before lifting.
Sources
- R&A: Regel 14, Verfahren für den Ball (14.1 Markieren, Aufnehmen, Reinigen; 14.2 Zurücklegen) (Markieren, wer aufheben darf, Reinigen, Zurücklegen, Strafen, Berichtigung)
- R&A: Regel 13, Das Grün (13.1b) (Auf dem Grün aufheben und reinigen)
- R&A: Regel 9, Ball im Spiel gespielt wie er liegt (9.4b, 9.7a) (Strafschlag für das Aufheben ohne Regel, bewegter Ballmarker)
- R&A: Regel 4, Ausrüstung des Spielers (4.2c) (Aufheben bei Anschlag oder Riss)
- R&A: Regel 7, Suchen und Identifizieren (7.3) (Aufheben zum Identifizieren)
- R&A: Regel 15, Lose Naturstoffe und bewegliche Hindernisse (15.3b) (Ball eines Mitspielers stört)
- R&A: Regel 16, Erleichterung (16.4) (Aufheben, um Erleichterung zu prüfen)
- R&A: Rules of Golf 2023, Begriffsbestimmungen (Grundstrafe)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Anzahl Indoor-Anlagen, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)