Rules Dropped Ball Hits Object

Question 1:

A player drops their ball and it touches their glove, which they are using to mark the outside limit of where they are permitted to drop;
a) Is the ball in play if it touches the glove before striking the course?
b) Is the ball in play if it rolls into the glove after striking the course?
c) Does the player incur a penalty of one stroke because the ball was deflected by their equipment?
d) Must the ball be re-dropped?
e) If the ball touches the glove again when it is re-dropped may the player place the ball where it first struck the course?

Answer 1:
a) No.
b) No.
c) No penalty is incurred.
d) Yes.
e) No.

Note: Part of Rule 20-2a states;

If the ball when dropped touches any person or the equipment of any player before or after it strikes a part of the course and before it comes to rest, the ball must be re-dropped, without penalty. There is no limit to the number of times a ball must be re-dropped in these circumstances.

Decision 20-2a/7 confirms;

A glove is not a "small object" within the meaning of that term in the Definition of "Equipment." Therefore, it is equipment and the ball must be re-dropped.

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Question 2:
A player drops their ball and it touches a tee peg, which they are using to mark the outside limit of where they are permitted to drop;
a) Is the ball in play if it touches the tee peg before striking the course?
b) Is the ball in play if it rolls into the tee peg after striking the course?

Answer 2:
a) Yes.
b) Yes.

Note: A tee peg is not part of a player's equipment and therefore a dropped ball is in play even if it touches a tee peg that is being used as a marker before it comes to rest.

Definition of Equipment;

Anything used, worn or carried by the player or anything carried for the player by his partner or either of their caddies, except any ball he has played at the hole being played and any small object, such as a coin or a tee, when used to mark the position of a ball or the extent of an area in which a ball is to be dropped.

Miscellaneous re the Flagstick

Question 1:

A player's ball is in motion after a putt. A fellow competitor thinks that the ball might hit the flagstick, which has been removed, and lifts it. What is the ruling?

a) There is no penalty.
b) The fellow competitor incurs a penalty of one stroke.
c) The fellow competitor incurs a penalty of two strokes.
d) The player putting incurs a penalty of two strokes.

Question 2:

What is the penalty if the ball does strike the removed flagstick lying on the putting green?

Answer1:
a) There is no penalty.

Answer 2:
The player incurs a penalty of two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match play, under Rule 17-3a.

Since January 2008, a player is allowed to move the flagstick on the ground if they think that a ball may strike it. Part of Rule 24-1 states;

When a ball is in motion, an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball, other than equipment of any player or the flagstick when attended, removed or held up, must not be moved.
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Question 3:
A player has asked for the position of the hole to be marked. The person at the hole does not want to waste time retrieving the flagstick and uses the grip end of their putter in the hole. Is this permissible?

Answer 3:
Yes. Decision 17-3/6.

Note: A club that is used to mark the position of the hole must be treated as a flagstick for the purposes of applying the Rules.