Rule 7: Ball Search: Finding and Identifying Ball

A player is responsible for finding their ball in play after each stroke.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · recall

Reasonable actions include moving sand and water and moving or bending grass, bushes, branches and other growing objects.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · recall

There is no penalty when an improvement results from a fair search.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · applied

If the improvement comes from actions that exceeded a fair search, the player gets the general penalty under Rule 8.1a.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · applied

Breaking growing objects is allowed only when it results from other reasonable actions taken to find or identify the ball.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · recall

In trying to find and identify the ball, the player may remove loose impediments as Rule 15.1 allows.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a; Rule 15.1 · recall

Rule 7 allows reasonable actions to search fairly for the ball, while penalising excessive actions that improve the stroke.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7 (Purpose) · recall

Parting grass to look is a reasonable search action; once found, the ball is played as it lies.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · applied

An improvement caused by actions beyond a fair search is a breach of Rule 8.1a and brings the general penalty.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a; Rule 8.1a · applied

Snapping branches off a tree on purpose (C) is not a reasonable search action. Parting grass (A), lifting a branch to look (B) and removing a leaf (D) are allowed.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1a · applied

A ball is lost if it is not found within three minutes after the search begins.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · recall

Search time starts when the player or their caddie, or the player's partner or partner's caddie, begins to search.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · recall

A ball does not become lost as a result of the player declaring it to be lost.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · recall

If the player deliberately delays to let others search, the time starts when the player would have been able to search.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

Onlookers can help, but their looking does not set the clock running; it starts with the player's side.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

Finding the ball after the time limit is too late: its status is already lost.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

Time lost after mistakenly identifying a wrong ball is left out; the total search allowed stays three minutes.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

The deadline is fixed by the clock, not by when the ball happens to turn up.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

Deliberately delaying the start of the search does not delay the start of the search time.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

The pause does not count, but the two searching spells add up to three and a half minutes, more than the three allowed.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Definitions (Lost) · applied

A ball may be identified by the player or anyone else seeing it come to rest where it is known to be the player's.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · recall

A ball matching the player's brand, model, number and condition, found where it is expected, identifies it, unless an identical ball is there too.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · recall

It does not have to be the player who watched it stop; any witness will do.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

This way of identifying needs the same brand, model, number and condition as the player's ball.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

A personal mark identifies the ball, unless an identical ball with an identical mark lies in the same area.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · recall

If the player cannot point to a ball as theirs in a set way before time runs out, the ball counts as lost.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2; Definitions (Lost) · applied

A ball counts as the player's only when identified in one of the ways in Rule 7.2.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

A witness watching the ball settle is enough, without needing to see a mark.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

Each detail must match the player's ball, and only in the area where it was expected.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

An identifying mark does not identify the ball when an identical ball with an identical mark is in the same area.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.2 · applied

A player may lift a ball to identify it if it might be theirs but cannot be identified as it lies.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · recall

The spot of the ball must be marked before it is lifted.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3; Rule 14.1 · recall

The ball must not be cleaned more than needed to identify it, except on the putting green.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · recall

Lifting when not reasonably necessary, not marking first or cleaning when not allowed is one penalty stroke.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · applied

If the lifted ball is the player's or another player's, it must be replaced on its original spot.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3; Rule 14.2 · recall

Lifting to identify includes rotating the ball, and the same procedure applies.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · recall

On the putting green a player may lift and clean the ball under Rule 13.1b.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3; Rule 13.1b · recall

Mark, lift (or rotate) to identify, cleaning no more than needed, then replace the ball on its spot.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · applied

Following the procedure is free; not marking is one stroke; playing from a wrong place is the general penalty.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3, Penalty · applied

A marks, lifts and turns the ball. B did not mark it, C cleaned it more than needed and D put it back away from its spot.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.3 · applied

There is no penalty if the ball is accidentally moved while trying to find or identify it, but it must be replaced.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4 · applied

Reasonable search actions likely to reveal the ball by moving it, such as sweeping feet through grass, count as accidental.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4 · applied

If the player causes the ball to move before they start to search, they get one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4b.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4; Rule 9.4b · applied

The ball must be replaced on its original spot, which must be estimated if not known.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4; Rule 14.2 · recall

A ball that was against a growing or attached natural object must be replaced on its spot against that object.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4; Rule 14.2c · applied

The penalty for breaching Rule 7.4 is the general penalty.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4, Penalty · recall

If sand affecting the lie is moved while finding or identifying the ball, the original lie must be re-created.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1b · applied

A ball accidentally moved in a search is replaced without penalty.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.4 · applied

After moving sand to find the ball, the player re-creates the lie, but may leave a small part of the ball visible.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1b · applied

Playing the ball without re-creating the original lie in the sand is the general penalty.

Source: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 7.1b · applied