Taking a lie

A practice of some golfers, wherein the golfer moves the ball from where it lies (i.e. buried in the rough, in a divot, behind a tree) to a spot where it is more easily playable. It is often felt by said golfer to be a "right", in of that where the ball came to rest is "unfair", or does not allow for a decent next shot. This is often the difference between a scratch golfer at his home course, and the same golfer on a tournament course with all rules enforced, who shoots multiple strokes above par. The golfer that takes a lie often shoots better scores than his compatriots at a particular club or course, but is caught out in a tournament situation where all rules are strictly enforced. Professional golfers cannot "take a lie" without incurring penalty strokes. This practice is referred to in the Rules of Golf(rule 13) as "Improving a lie."