Is it a penalty to improve your lie or swing path?
By The Fairway Labs TeamReviewed
General play
Penalty: Two strokes
Is it a penalty to improve your lie or swing path?
PenaltyTwo strokes· under Rule 8.1
What to do
- 1Do not bend, break, or remove anything growing or fixed to improve your lie or swing.
- 2Do not press down turf, remove turf, or build a stance beyond fairly placing your feet.
- 3Fairly grounding your club, taking a normal stance, and light practice swings are all fine.
- 4Breaking this rule costs two strokes (loss of hole in match play).
Based on the modern Rules of Golf (Rule 8.1), as published by the USGA and The R&A and effective from the 2019 revision. Local rules can modify some situations — check the scorecard or with the committee when in doubt.
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