GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Can you replace a golf ball during a hole because it is scuffed, cut or cracked?
You may lift a ball to inspect it when you reasonably believe it became cut or cracked during the hole. Mark its spot first and do not clean it off the putting green. You may substitute another ball only when a cut or crack is clearly visible and the damage happened during that hole; a scratch, scrape or paint damage is not enough. If the ball breaks into pieces after a stroke, that stroke does not count and you play another ball from the previous spot.
For Golfers inspecting a ball damaged during a hole who need to know whether another ball may be substituted. · Updated
Mark before inspecting and do not clean the ball
Rule 4.2c allows inspection when you reasonably believe your ball became cut or cracked during the hole being played. Mark the ball’s spot before lifting it. Do not clean it during this inspection unless it is on the putting green, where the putting-green cleaning rule applies.
An inspection that is not reasonably justified, an unmarked lift, or prohibited cleaning can cost one penalty stroke. The rule is about a specific kind of damage during the current hole, not a general invitation to change balls whenever one looks worn.
Substitute only for a clearly visible cut or crack from this hole
After inspection, substitution under Rule 4.2c is allowed only if a cut or crack can be clearly seen and the damage happened during that hole. The original ball or another ball is then replaced on the original spot. If there is no cut or crack, replace the original ball there.
A scratch, scrape, paint damage or discoloration alone does not qualify. Other Rules may allow a substitution for a different reason, but the damage-inspection test does not turn ordinary scuffing into a cut or crack.
A ball that breaks into pieces after a stroke follows another procedure
If the ball breaks into pieces after a stroke, the stroke does not count. Play another ball from the spot where that stroke was made. That is different from inspecting a ball that remains intact and deciding whether visible damage permits substitution.
A scuff beside a visible cut
In a fictional hole, Leo reasonably believes a shot may have cut his ball. He marks its spot and lifts it without cleaning it off the putting green. A surface scuff with no visible cut or crack means he replaces the original ball. In another fictional case, a clearly visible crack is stipulated to have occurred during that hole, so he may replace the original or another ball on the original spot. If the ball instead broke into pieces after a stroke, that stroke would not count and he would play another ball from the previous spot.
Related questions
Can I substitute a ball because its paint is chipped?
Not under the cut-or-crack procedure. Scratches, scrapes, and paint damage or discoloration alone do not qualify.
Can I wipe the ball before checking for a crack?
No, except when the ball is on the putting green. Mark the spot before lifting it.