Learn the winter rules
In the UK, from about October to March, winter rules come in to play to help compensate for wet, muddy and icy ground conditions. You’ll know when the rules are in action because this will be clearly signed at your club – you’ll see ours on the notice board or printed in the competitions book in the pro shop.
In a nut shell, you’ve got the option to mark, lift, clean and place your ball, if you need to, through the green. This rule is often called ‘preferred lies’. As of January, when the new golf rules are introduced, you’ll be able to improve the lie of your ball anywhere on the course. The current rules dictate that you can only do this on the fairways and in the rough (by using the dropping rule). Preferred lies works like this:
* Mark your ball’s original position, using a tee peg or ball marker, before you lift it.
* Clean your ball to get rid of any mud.
* Place your ball back in the same position or within a scorecard’s length of the original position, making sure that your ball is no closer to the flag in distance. You can only place or drop your ball once (unless the ball roles closer to the hole), and there’s no moving it, so make it count.
Try using a yellow ball
Chris suggests using a yellow ball when it’s frosty or overcast, which will make your ball easier to spot, especially in the rough. Lots of premium brands offer coloured balls these days so there’s no need to compromise on quality.
Watch out for aeration holes
On the tee boxes and putting green you might find little aeration holes in the ground, which are about the size of a five pence. These holes are created by green keepers to let air down to the roots of the grass and to help it grow.
It’s possible that your ball might land in an aeration hole and if it does you can mark it, clean and replace it on the fairways and greens, or drop it if the ball lies in the rough. The dropping procedure will also be changing from January, you’ll now need to drop your ball from knee height, rather than shoulder height. This change in height is being brought in to help speed up the pace of play.
