Stymies

Stymies (English for "hinders") is a form of golf that was abolished in 1951 by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association . It stated that balls on the green should not be marked and picked up until the two affected balls are less than six inches apart. A stymie is when a ball is on the putt line of another ball. Since this hindering ball was not allowed to be picked up, it could only be played over or around.

Today a ball may be picked up and cleaned on the green after its position has been marked with a suitable ball marker. If this ball marker is on the putt line of another player, this marker can also be moved. After the other player has executed his putt, the marking must be moved back to the original position.