Loose impediments
Loose impediments are movable natural objects such as leaves, stones, branches or tufts of grass that you may remove without penalty.
Loose impediments are everything natural on the course that is not firmly grown or embedded. This includes fallen leaves, loose stones, pine cones, branches, cut grass, snails and their trails. You may remove them without penalty, no matter where your ball lies. The restriction: if your ball moves in the process, you get a penalty stroke in most cases and the ball is replaced. Firmly grown grass, roots or adhering soil are not loose impediments — you must not touch them.
In practice this saves you unnecessary strokes. An example: your ball lies in the semi-rough on a pine cone. You pick the cone away, keeping an eye on the ball, and carry on as normal. Or on the green: a leaf lies between ball and hole, you remove it before putting. Since the 2019 rules you may do this anywhere on the course, in the bunkers and in the penalty area — that used to be forbidden there.
A typical mistake is confusing them with firm material. A half-buried stone may be removed if it comes loose easily; a branch growing on a bush may not. Anyone who pulls at it and moves the ball risks the penalty stroke. Part of the rules system is the counterpart, relief from immovable obstructions such as paths or sprinkler heads — separate drop rules apply there.
FAQ
Which things may I remove around my ball without penalty?
Anything natural that is not firmly grown or embedded: fallen leaves, loose stones, pine cones, branches, cut grass and snail trails. Firmly grown grass, roots and adhering soil do not count — you must not touch them. If in doubt, leave it where it is rather than risk a penalty stroke.
What happens if my ball moves while I am clearing something away?
Then in most cases you get a penalty stroke and must replace the ball in its original position. So the rule is: remove loose impediments carefully and keep an eye on the ball while doing so. If the ball moves without you touching it, it is also replaced.
May I also remove loose impediments in the bunker?
Yes, since the 2019 rule reform you may clear leaves, stones and branches anywhere on the course, including in the bunker and in the penalty area. That used to be forbidden there exactly. Care is still required: the club must still not be used to test the sand before the stroke.