What happens if your golf ball hits someone or something?
A · Advanced · The ball in play · 2 of 9If a ball in motion accidentally hits a person, an animal or an object, there is no penalty and it is normally played from where it stops. That includes hitting the player or the player's own bag. Deliberately stopping or deflecting any moving ball is the general penalty.
How it works
Accidents:
- No penalty to anyone, whoever or whatever is hit: the player, an opponent, another player, a caddie, equipment or anything else.
- The ball is played as it lies, whether the bounce was kind or not.
- The exception, in stroke play: a putt played from the green that hits another ball at rest on the green costs the player two strokes.
- A ball played from the green that hits another person, an animal or a movable object on the green, other than the player, the club, a ball-marker, a ball at rest, the flagstick or an insect: the stroke does not count and is played again.
- A ball that comes to rest on a person, an animal or something moving is dropped below that spot, or placed if on the green.
- A ball at rest that is hit and moved by another ball is put back.
Deliberate acts:
- A player who deliberately deflects or stops any ball in motion, their own or anyone's, gets the general penalty.
- That includes leaving a bag or a caddie in a place where it might stop the ball.
- The ball is not played as it lies. It is dropped where it is estimated it would have stopped, or the stroke is replayed if it was played from the green.
- While a ball is moving, a player must not lift a loose impediment or movable obstruction, or alter the ground, to affect where it stops.
Tricky cases
A player's shot rebounded off a tree and hit the player. Is there a penalty?
No. An accidental hit on the player has no penalty, and the ball is played as it lies.
A putt hit another player's ball on the green. Is there a penalty?
It depends on the form of play. In stroke play it is two strokes, if both balls were on the green before the putt. In match play there is none. The ball that was hit is put back.
A shot hit a spectator and bounced out of bounds. Does the player get to replay it without penalty?
No. The ball is played from where it came to rest, and a ball at rest out of bounds is out of bounds.
Why the rule exists
Luck is part of the game, so the accidental bounce is accepted both ways. Deliberate interference is not luck, and is punished whether or not it changed anything.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 11 |
| Match play, a ball with no chance of going in | An opponent's ball may be stopped as a way of conceding | G 3.2b; G 11.2a |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 9.6, 11.1, 11.2 and 11.3. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).