Golf :: Hit an Out of Bounds Shot? Here's Exactly How Many Strokes You'll Lose

Hello.

 

Today I'm posting about the basic penalty rules in golf.

 

Do you know exactly how many strokes you lose when your ball goes out of bounds?

 

Penalty rules can get confusing once you're actually out on the course. Out of bounds, unplayable lies, and penalty areas each carry different consequences. Today, let's break down the golf penalty rules that trip up the most golfers.

 

As the chart shows, most penalties cost just one stroke. It's only when you break a rule outright (the general penalty) that stroke play adds two strokes. In match play, that same breach costs you the hole instead.

 

Let's start with out of bounds. If your ball leaves the course boundary entirely, you take a one-stroke penalty and replay from where you hit your previous shot. This is called "stroke and distance."

 

If your ball ends up somewhere you simply can't play it, like buried under a bush or against a tree root, you can declare it unplayable. That's also a one-stroke penalty, and you get to choose from three relief options: stroke and distance, dropping within two club-lengths, or dropping on a line back from the hole through the ball. Note that you can't declare a ball unplayable if it's out of bounds or in a penalty area.

 

Does landing in a penalty area always cost two strokes? That's a common misconception, but the actual answer is one stroke.

 

Whether it's a yellow or red penalty area, you can always use stroke and distance or back-on-the-line relief. Only red areas give you the extra option of lateral relief, dropping within two club-lengths of where the ball last crossed the edge. All three options cost the same one-stroke penalty.

 

Summary

 

Golf's penalty rules look complicated at first, but they boil down to a simple pattern: out of bounds and unplayable balls cost one stroke, penalty areas cost one stroke, and only breaking a rule outright triggers the general penalty of two strokes (or loss of hole). Keep that in mind on your next round, and you'll be able to apply the rules with a lot more confidence.

 

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