How to Score a Two-Stroke Penalty in Golf

Taking a penalty in golf is never fun, but knowing precisely how to score it is a fundamental part of playing with integrity and building on-course confidence. When you’re faced with a lost ball or play the wrong Pro V1, a moment of confusion about the rules can derail your focus and your entire hole. This guide will walk you through the most common situations that result in a two-stroke penalty, explaining the procedure and exactly how to apply it to your scorecard, removing the guesswork for good.

Why Two Strokes? Understanding the "General Penalty"

First, let’s get on the same page about why "two strokes" is such a common number. In the official Rules of Golf, most breaches in stroke play result in what’s called the General Penalty, which is two strokes. Think of it as the default punishment for a wide range of slip-ups, from playing a ball from the wrong place to having too many clubs in your bag.

This is different from situations involving penalty areas (the old "hazards"), which typically involve a one-stroke penalty. The General Penalty of two strokes is reserved for violations that are considered more significant. Understanding this basic framework simplifies the rules immensely. Instead of trying to memorize a unique penalty for every possible error, you can learn to recognize the common scenarios that fall under this two-stroke umbrella.

The Big Offenders: Common Scenarios for a Two-Stroke Penalty

While there are dozens of ways to get slapped with a penalty, a few situations account for the vast majority of two-stroke penalties a club golfer will experience. Let's break them down circumstance by circumstance, so you know exactly what to do when they happen to you.

Scenario 1: The Lost Ball or Out of Bounds Shot

This is, without a doubt, the most frequent cause of both penalty strokes and headaches for amateur golfers. You wind up for a big swing, make solid contact, but the ball sails into the deep woods or over the dreaded white stakes that mark "out of bounds" (OB).

The On-Course Procedure and Scoring

When your ball is either lost (you can't find it within three minutes) or OB, the penalty is Stroke and Distance. The name itself is the instruction. You take a penalty of one stroke and must return to the spot where you hit your previous shot to play again, a combination that ultimately costs you two strokes on the hole.

Let’s walk through the math with a real example:

• You are on the tee of a par 4. You hit your drive. This is Stroke 1.
• Your ball flies into a forest, and after a three-minute search, it's officially declared lost.
• Under the Stroke and Distance rule, you must add the penalty and go back.
• Your first shot (1) plus a one-stroke penalty means you are now lying two. You go back to the original spot (the tee box) to hit your next shot.
• So, back on the tee, you are now hitting your third stroke (Stroke 1 + 1 Penalty Stroke = Lying 2, next shot is Stroke 3).

Wait, didn't the headline say this was a two-stroke penalty? This is where language gets tricky and why so many golfers get confused. Although the official rule states a one-stroke penalty, because you lose the distance of the shot you just hit, its effect on your score is two strokes. You hit stroke 1 which went nowhere useful, and now you're about to hit stroke 3 from the exact same spot. A beautiful re-tee down the middle means you're now lying three in the fairway, whereas a good first ball would have you lying one in the fairway.

A Pace of Play Alternative: The Local Rule E-5

To avoid a slow, demoralizing walk back to the tee, many clubs and casual groups have adopted a local rule (Model Local Rule E-5). This rule allows you to take a two-stroke penalty and drop a ball on the edge of the fairway, no closer to the hole, from the spot where your ball was lost or went out of bounds.

• You hit your tee shot out of bounds (Stroke 1).
• Instead of re-teeing, you walk up to where your ball crossed the OB line. You find a spot on the nearest fairway edge.
• You add two penalty strokes. Your first shot (1) + two penalty strokes (2) means you are now about to hit your fourth stroke (1 + 2 = hitting 4).
• You drop a ball and play from there. This shot is your 4th stroke.

It's a faster way to play, but it costs you an extra stroke compared to the "walk of shame" back to the tee. It’s important to know which rule is in effect for your round.

Scenario 2: Playing a Wrong Ball

We’ve all done it. You hit a slice into the right rough and walking up you see a glistening ball sitting perfectly. You pull out a wedge, hit a beauty onto the green, and only then do you see your playing partner approaching... looking for their own Titleist 3.

The On-Course Procedure and Scoring

In stroke play, the penalty for playing a wrong ball is the General Penalty (two strokes). You absolutely must correct this error before teeing off on the next hole, or you'll be disqualified.

Here’s how to handle it:

1. Stop play: Realize your mistake and notify your Caddie AI your marker.
2. Add the penalty: You incur a two-stroke penalty immediately.
3. Forget that shot: The stroke you made with the wrong ball does not count toward your score for the hole. No matter how good it was, it never happened in the eyes of the rules.
4. Find and play your real ball: You must go back and find your original ball (or proceed under the lost ball rule if you can't find it) and play it correctly.

Let's map out the score for this disaster:

• On a par 4, your tee shot lands in the rough. This is Stroke 1.
• You find what you think is your ball and hit it toward the green. This action doesn't count as a stroke since it was with the wrong ball.
• You now add your two penalty strokes.
• Next, you go find your actual ball in the rough. You are about to play your correct second shot.
• The Math: Your original tee shot (1) plus your two penalty strokes (2) mean you are about to hit what is now your fourth stroke for the hole.
• If you hit that 4th shot onto the green and two-putt (strokes 5 and 6), your final score for the hole is a 6.

Scenario 3: Giving or Asking For Advice

This penalty often catches friendly foursomes by surprise. "Advice" in golf is defined as any verbal comment or action that could influence a player in choosing a club, making a stroke, or deciding how to play a hole. Asking "What did you hit there?" after your partner flushes an iron to 3 feet is a classic violation.

Public information, however, is fair game. You can always ask about the location of the pin, the distance to a bunker, or other general course features.

The On-Course Procedure and Scoring

The penalty for giving or receiving advice is two strokes. What makes this one unique is that it applies to both the player who asks and the player who gives the advice.

The repair is simple - there's no need to replay a shot. You've simply committed the infraction and must pay the price on your scorecard.

• Let's say you complete a hole in what you thought was 5 shots (a bogey).
• On the next tee, your friend reminds you, "Hey, remember on that par 3, I told you the wind was tricky and to take an extra club?" Whoops.
• Both of you have violated the rule.
• The Math: You must add two penalty strokes to your score for that hole. Your bogey 5 is now a triple-bogey 7.

Putting It on the Card: Best Practices for Scoring a Penalty

So, you’ve taken your medicine and calculated your new stroke count. How do you physically mark this on the scorecard?

The only thing a scorecard officially requires is the total, correct gross score for the hole. If you had 4 true strokes and a two-stroke penalty, you just write down "6". That's all you need to do for official purposes.

However, for your own development as a player, it can be very helpful to add a little note. Many golfers will write a small "P2" or an asterisk (*) next to the score on their personal card. This helps in a post-round review. You can see at a glance whether that 8 on the card was due to a series of poor shots or a single rules mistake. Knowing the difference helps you understand what part of your game truly needs work.

Final Thoughts

Navigating the rules of golf adds a layer of satisfaction to the game, and correctly handling penalties shows respect for the sport and your fellow players. Understanding the General Penalty simplifies things, primarily attaching two strokes to major errors like losing a ball, playing the wrong one, or giving advice.

Once you are comfortable with these core rules, you’ll play with more confidence, but we know unique situations pop up where the right play isn't obvious. This is why we designed Caddie AI to be your course-management partner. When you're stuck in a tough spot or unsure about your options, you can snap a photo or describe the scenario and get a smart, simple strategy, helping you turn those moments of doubt into clear, confident decisions.