Tap downs - improve lie?

I just watched what looked like Goosen tapping down the grass just before the ball while he takes his practice chip and addressing his ball.

He was in the rough/fringe.

If you guys caught it, was he trying to improve his lie?

What's the rule on it?

Branden grace: 2 wins back to back!

As long the ball never move, should be ok.

The rule is quite clear on what actions are allowed and not allowed in this situation, and in the case of pressing the club on the ground, there is no mention of ball moving as a factor (no offence, Duffader).

Here's an excerpt from Rule 13 - Ball Played as It Lies

13-2. Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play
A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

• 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,

by any of the following actions:

• pressing a club on the ground,

• moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),

• creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,

• removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or

• removing dew, frost or water.

However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs:

• in grounding the club lightly when addressing the ball,

• in fairly taking his stance,

• in making a stroke or the backward movement of his club for a stroke and the stroke is made,

• in creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground, or

• on the putting green in removing sand and loose soil or in repairing damage (Rule 16-1).

======================================

Players on tour have been known to engage in this type of behaviour where they use the club to tap the grass behind the ball, thereby improving its lie, clearly specified by the wording of the rule above as illegal.

However, players can sometimes (quite often?) get away with it as in Kenny Perry's case below.

Here's the article.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/may/17/golf-kenny-perry-cheating-scandal

And here's the video as described in the article, including the commentary. Watch how the ball was not visible before he started his tapping, and clearly visible by the time he finished tapping and addressed the ball.

Quote:
Chamblee uses precisely the same phrase to describe his experience, citing multiple checks and balances within golf, from the players themselves to the very watchful eyes of television viewers who act as amateur policemen, as reasons for its relative purity in comparison with other sports. "Golf is the only sport where cheating isn't encouraged. That's what makes it such a game of honour," he says proudly, but with one cutting proviso. "When people say that there is no cheating, they are deluding themselves. There are hundreds of people who play this game for a living at the highest level. These people are human beings and, as we know, humans sometimes cheat."

what caught my eye was, retief looked like pushed down (or placed) his wedge behind the ball few times (ever so smoothly), but then he continued to do practice chip moving back slightly (just like when we do practice putting), and finally address his wedge again, and execute.

it was after midnight, my eyes could fail me. if anyone saw that sequence at 18th hole Volvo Champions, Golf Channel, let me know what you think.

other than that, enjoyed seeing big easy playing well again. his touch around the greens was amazing.

I see.... Means ball in deep rough, I cannot ground club? This is not in the hazard for my case.

IMO, I think we are allow to ground the club as long as it is not in hazard or bunker but I guess tapping once or couple of times behind the ball or in line of the ball before or after address mean trying to improve the lie is not allow.

duffader wrote:

I see.... Means ball in deep rough, I cannot ground club? This is not in the hazard for my case.

Slicer51 is right because the rule says,

"However, the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs:

• in grounding the club lightly when addressing the ball,

• in fairly taking his stance"