Arguably the harshest rule in golf is the one stroke penalty a player incurs when his ball moves after he has addressed it, even though the cause for the move was through no fault of the golfer. I am glad to report that this is going to be excepted from 2012 in the R & A’s Rules of Golf 2012-2015.
Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b). A new exception is now added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.
Posted In: Golf Forum