. Rub of the Green... Good Luck or Bad Luck? By Robin J. Elbardawil CWGA Executive Director MTT Contributing Writer You've probably heard it numerous times when a player's ball lands in a poor lie, "Oh, too bad, rub of the green." What exactly is "rub of the green" anyway? Is it a slang expression used by golfers instead of saying "tough luck?" Actually, it is a golf term in The Rules of Golf which has a specific definition just like loose impediments or obstructions. A "rub of the green" occurs when a ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by an outside agency (such as a mower, a spectator, or a fellow competitor in stroke play). No penalty is incurred, and the ball is played as it lies. So, is it good luck or bad? Well, it depends. Let's say I hit a drive that's headed for out of bounds, and it strikes a mower which deflects it into the middle of the fairway. I just experienced a rub of the green and get to play my ball where it lies without penalty - so in this case it's good luck. In another situation, I hit a ball toward the green which hits a golf cart of the group in front of me, and deflects into a water hazard. This too is a rub of the green, but this time it's bad luck. What happens if my ball lands in the back of a maintenance truck which drives away, unaware that my ball is in it? In this type of situation, I would drop a ball as near as possible to the spot where the truck was when my ball came to rest in it, and continue play from there, without penalty. Since my ball is not immediately recoverable, I may substitute another ball. On the putting green, what should I do if my putt is deflected by a squirrel? Since this happened after a stroke on the putting green, the stroke would be cancelled, I would replace my ball, and replay the stroke. So a rub of the green can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the circumstances. For more information on "rub of the green" see Rule 19-1 in The Rules of Golf.