How do you mark and replace a ball on the putting green?

Situation and short answer

For the ordinary case of your ball resting on the putting green, you may mark its spot, lift and clean it, then replace it on the original spot. Remove your ball-marker before the stroke. Rule 13.1b supplies the permission; Rules 14.1 and 14.2 supply the procedure.

This means the putting green for the hole you are playing. Under Rule 13.1a, any part of the ball touching that green is enough; a ball resting on or in something inside its edge can also qualify. The fringe is different, and a wrong green has its own relief procedure. Being close to a green does not by itself create this lifting permission.

An ordinary player-operated sequence

1. Identify the ball’s original spot before disturbing it.
2. Put a ball-marker immediately beside or behind it, then lift and clean the ball.
3. Set the original ball down by hand on its original spot and release it so it remains there.
4. Remove the marker before making the stroke.

Clarification 14.1a/1 permits marking immediately next to the ball in other directions as well; behind it is a convenient example, not the only allowed position. Keep the relationship precise enough to restore the original spot. Merely marking a ball elsewhere on the course does not authorize lifting it.

Rule 14.1a also permits holding a club on the ground immediately behind or beside the ball to mark the spot. The sequence above uses a ball-marker for simplicity; it does not make that the only permitted method.

Example and boundaries

Teaching example, not an observed round: your ball stops on the green and has mud on it. You place a marker immediately behind it, lift and clean it, restore it to the same spot and remove the marker. You have not created a club-length area in which to choose a nicer lie.

If the replaced ball will not stay, consult Rule 14.2e rather than pressing it into the surface or repeatedly choosing new spots. Clarification 14.2c/3 expressly distinguishes correct replacement from pushing a ball into the ground. This short sequence does not cover every unsuccessful-replacement case.

If you accidentally move the ball or marker on the green, Rule 13.1d(1) generally requires restoring the original spot without a penalty. If natural forces move the ball, Rule 13.1d(2) requires replacement when it had already been lifted and replaced; otherwise, play from its new spot. These are different from deliberate movement. The Rule 13 clarifications also distinguish a ball placed on the green from one placed in the general area.

Sources and scope

This guide covers an individual player handling their own ball, with no special Rule 25 modification or team-format issue. It does not adjudicate a penalty after a mistake. Use the actual Rules, event conditions and Committee for a disputed situation; describe the facts first. For a different procedure, compare dropping after relief.

Checked 17 October 2026 against the 2023 Rules, the linked written clarifications and the 2 October 2026 additional clarifications. The supplement header and relevant Rule 14 section were read from the downloaded PDF after the web viewer failed. This is source-checked educational guidance, not an independent professional ruling.