Marking Your Ball on the Green

By October 27, 2018Tips & Tutorials
how to mark your ball on the green

There are many things to be aware of when playing golf.  You will be focused on your shots and what you are trying to achieve during the round and this means you can forget about some of the smaller things you might need to do.

One of those things is marking your ball on the green.  This will be nothing new for experienced golfers but for beginners, marking a ball on the green is something of an afterthought.  Today we have some tips for marking your ball on the green.

Marking your ball on the green involves placing a ball marker or small coin on the green to mark the position of your ball before you pick it up.  One of the benefits of being on the green is you can lift your ball at any time and there are several reasons why you might want to pick up your ball when on the putting surface.

The first of those is dirt on the ball.  If you have a piece of dirt on your golf ball it could cause it to move off line when making a putt.  Take advantage of being able to pick up the ball to clean it before you make the putt.

Some golf balls have lines on them and this is to aid with putting.  If you use a graphic like this on the ball to aid your putting you will need to line it up with the hole before you putt.  The chances of this happening after the shot are slim, so you will need to mark it and move the graphic into position.

You may also need to pick up your ball if it is in the line of another player’s shot or if you have been asked to pick the ball up by another player.  So, how do you mark your ball on the green?

Take a plastic golf ball marker, which you can buy from your pro shop or any golf store and place it directly behind your golf ball.  You must not push or slide the marker under the ball as this could mean you place the ball back on the green closer to the hole.  Always place the marker behind the ball.

Having placed the marker behind the ball, pick the ball up immediately.  Always make sure your marker is on the ground before picking up your ball.

When you are ready to place your ball back on the green, put it down directly in-front of the marker.  Then pick up the golf ball marker, taking care not to nudge or touch the golf ball or you could face a penalty.

Marking your ball on the green is very simple if you take care and do it properly each time.