You Make The Call
On the first tee, a golfer addresses the ball and accidentally knocks the ball off the tee. Then he re-tees in a different spot within the legally marked area, but first he pulls out some tall grass and pats the ground flat behind his ball. Then he tees off and hits a tree and the ball rolls back against the tee marker. He then removes the tee marker, plays his shot, and puts the marker back. How many penalty strokes apply here?

Answer: There are no penalty strokes applied here, there was nothing illegally done. Since a stroke had not yet been played from the tee ground, accidentally knocking the ball off the tee does not count. It is OK to remove tall grass or any other object from the tee ground, and also to tap it flat with your club. The tee markers are fixed until the ball is in play, but after the first shot is played they are considered moveable obstructions.