A player should identify their ball before making a stroke to ensure they are playing the correct ball and not a wrong ball. If a player cannot identify their ball at rest on the course, they are permitted to lift the ball under Rule 7.3:
Lifting Ball to Identify It
If a ball might be a player’s ball but cannot be identified as it lies:
- The player may lift the ball to identify it (including by rotating it), but:
- The spot of the ball must first be marked, and the ball must not be cleaned more than needed to identify it (except on the putting green) (see Rule 14.1).
Note that players MUST mark the ball before lifting it. If a player deliberately lifts, rotates or touches a ball at rest before marking it, they will receive one penalty stroke (Rule 7.3, 9.4b).
When lifting a ball for identification off the putting green, players must also take care not to clean the ball more then necessary to identify it.
Once the ball is properly identified, it must be replaced on its original spot, including its vertical location (Rule 14.2c).
