Rules · Tip
When You Move Your Ball by Accident
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Rule 9.4 covers moving your own ball when it's at rest. Usually, if you cause it to move, you take one penalty stroke and put it back. But there are big exceptions. No penalty if you move it by accident while searching for it. No penalty on the green. And no penalty while applying a rule, like marking it. If wind or gravity moves it instead, play it from its new spot, except for special cases on the green.
Step by step
- Figure out what made it move.
- If you did, replace it.
- Add one stroke unless an exception applies.
- No penalty while searching or on the green.
- Wind or gravity? Play it where it ends up.
Why it works
The rules separate a ball you moved from a ball that moved on its own, because only your actions can be penalised. If you cause the movement outside an exception, you pay one stroke and restore the original spot so you gain no advantage or loss from the change. Exceptions exist where moving a ball is hard to avoid, such as searching, marking on the green, or applying a rule.
Common mistakes
- Playing the ball from its new spot after you moved it yourself.Replace it on its original spot, and add the penalty stroke if no exception applies.
- Taking a penalty when the ball moved while you searched for it.Check the exception first: accidental movement while searching carries no penalty, but you still replace the ball.
- Assuming wind or gravity always means no penalty and no replacing on the green.Off the green, play it from its new spot; on the green, check the special cases before you decide.
How you'll know it's working
- You can say in one sentence whether you, or wind or gravity, caused the movement.
- You replace the ball on its original spot before you consider any penalty.
- You name the exception that applies, or confirm that none does, before you add a stroke.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practise with a ball on a flat surface and move it on purpose, then name the cause and the result each time.
Harder: Run mixed cases in one session, such as searching in rough, marking on the green, and a ball moving on a slope, and state the ruling for each without notes.
Common questions
Is there a penalty if I accidentally move my ball while searching for it?
No. You replace the ball on its original spot and play on with no penalty.
What if the wind moves my ball after I have addressed it?
If wind or gravity moved it, you play it from its new spot, except in the special cases on the green. You are not penalised because you did not cause the movement.
