Marking Ball on Green

Question
My wife's LGA group has a lady who picks up her marker before putting and places it beside the ball rather than picking it up.  Is this legal or is it an alignment mark that is not legal.

Answer
Hi Kent,

I would think this is a breach of the rules. The marker placed on the green is meant as a temporary measure. The player could place the coin in such as way to aid in the alignment of the putter face. I checked the usga rules online to verify but could not find anything.

You could submit your inquiry to them for a ruling here:
http://www.usga.org/rules/contact/Contact-Us/

Best regards,
Ken Tannar
www.probablegolfinstruction.com