What Happens if You Double Hit a Golf Ball?

It’s one of the most confusing and slightly awkward moments in golf: the dreaded double hit. Your club strikes the ball, but then on the follow-through, you hear and feel a second thwack as the ball and club reconnect. In that split second, a dozen questions run through your mind. Did that count as two shots? Is there a penalty? What did I even do wrong? This guide will clear up all the confusion, explaining the official rule, diving into why double hits happen, and - most importantly - giving you practical drills to make sure they never happen to you again.

The Official Ruling on a Double Hit: No Penalty!

Let's get the most pressing question out of the way first. If you accidentally double hit the golf ball, there is no penalty. This is a relatively new change, so if your playing partners seem confused, they might be remembering the old rule.

Prior to 2019, an accidental double hit resulted in a one-stroke penalty. It was a harsh punishment for something that was almost always unintentional and often happened on tricky, delicate shots. The governing bodies of golf, the USGA and The R&A, recognized this and simplified the rule as part of a major modernization effort.

Under the current Rules of Golf, Rule 10.1a ("Fairly Striking the Ball") states:

• If your club accidentally hits the ball more than once during a single stroke, it does not count as two shots.
• There is no penalty for the accidental double hit.
• You count the one stroke you made to strike the ball, and you play the ball from wherever it comes to rest.

Here’s a practical example: You’re chipping from just off the green. You make your stroke, and the ball pops up, gets caught by a breeze, and taps your club again on your follow-through before landing on the fringe. Under the new rule, this is perfectly fine. You would count your one chip shot and simply play your next shot from the fringe. No extra strokes, no replaying the shot, just a moment of bad luck without a penal consequence.

The key word here is "accidentally." The rule assumes you did not intend to hit the ball a second time. This rule change is a great example of the game becoming a little more forgiving and logical, removing a penalty for an outcome that already feels punishing enough.

Why Does a Double Hit Happen? (It’s Not Just Bad Luck)

While the rules are now on your side, a double hit is still a sign of a breakdown in your swing mechanics. It's not just a random fluke, it's a symptom of a specific flaw that nearly always rears its head on short shots around the green - chips, pitches, and especially tricky flop shots or bunker shots.

So what’s going on? A double hit occurs when your clubhead and the golf ball are traveling at very similar speeds right after impact. The ball pops up slowly and the clubhead continues its path slowly, creating a window for them to collide again. This low and slow movement through the impact zone is caused by a few common faults.

1. Scooping or Flipping The Wrists

This is the number one cause of the double hit. Many amateur golfers have an instinct to try and "help" or "lift" the ball into the air, especially on short shots. This a mental error. Your golf club is designed with loft to get the ball airborne - your job is to deliver that loft to the ball consistently.

When you try to help the ball up, your wrists break down and "flip" at impact. The clubhead bypasses your hands and scoops upward. This scooping action completely kills your clubhead speed and introduces an unstable, rising arc to your follow-through. It’s this slow, upward follow-through that puts your club in the direct path of the slowly rising golf ball, leading to that second "click." Think of it this way: a proper chipping motion has the handle of the club leading the clubhead through impact. A "flip" has the clubhead racing past the handle.

2. Decelerating Through Impact

Hand-in-hand with the scoop is deceleration. A lot of golfers are scared of hitting a delicate shot too hard. You’re 10 feet from the pin, and your main fear is skulling the ball across the green. To compensate, you take a long backswing and then slam on the brakes as you approach the ball. You feel like you're trying to control the distance, but you're actually destroying your rhythm and technique.

This deceleration causes the club to lose its energy right where it matters most. A stable, accelerating swing ensures the clubhead moves decisively through the ball. A decelerating swing causes the club to loiter around the ball, and if you combine that with a "flip", you’ve created the perfect conditions for a double hit.

3. Using a "Jabby" or "Pokey" Stroke

This is often a result of being tense and unsure about the shot. Instead of making a smooth, committed a rotational swing driven by the body, the player makes a short, disconnected "jab" at the ball using only their hands and arms. This type of stroke has no flow or arc through the ball.

This fault prevents a clean follow-through. A good chipping stroke feels like a pendulum powered by your chest and shoulders. A jabby stroke is a quick punch that stops abruptly after impact, leaving the club in a low, unpredictable position where a double hit becomes much more likely.

How to Prevent a Double Hit for Good: Drills & Fixes

Now for the good news: getting rid of the dreaded double hit is entirely fixable. It's about replacing the faulty, hands-y instinct with a reliable, body-powered motion. These drills will help you build the right feelings and engrain a more stable technique for your short game.

Technique Fix: Accelerate to a Full Finish

The first step is a mental shift. Rather than worrying about hitting the ball too far, focus on making a shorter, a more pact backswing and a longer, accelerating follow-through. On a short chip, your backswing might only go to your trail knee, but your follow-through should finish with the club pointing at the target, around hip height.

Think of it as swinging through the ball, not at the ball. Your goal is to gather speed through the impact zone and finish in a balanced, controlled position. Committing to a finish ensures that you accelerate properly and keeps the clubhead moving briskly away from the ball.

Drill 1: The "Hold the Finish" Drill

This drill directly combats the wristy flip and deceleration faults. It forces you to maintain your swing structure through the ball.

• Step 1: Set up for a standard chip shot. Your weight should be favoring your lead foot (about 60/40), and the handle of the club should be slightly ahead of the ball.
• Step 2: Take a small backswing, focusing on rotating your chest away from the target, not just picking the club up with your hands.
• Step 3: Swing through the ball by rotating your chest toward the target. Your one thought should be to finish with the clubhead low and the club shaft pointing at your target (or just left of it for a right-handed player).
• Step 4: Here’s the key. Hold that finish position for three full seconds. Look at your hands - are they ahead of the clubhead? Look at the clubface - is it still facing the target or skyward? The correct position feels strong and stable. An incorrect, "flippy" follow-through is almost impossible to hold with any stability.

Drill 2: The "Towel Under the Arms" Drill

This is a classic for a reason. It teaches you how to keep your arms and body connected, promoting a chipping motion that is powered by your body’s rotation, not an independent arm swing.

• Step 1: Take a small golf towel and tuck it a cross your chest, underneath both armpits. You'll need to apply light pressure with your upper arms to keep it in place.
• Step 2: Set up to hit short chip shots. The towel makes it immediately obvious if your arms disconnect from your body. To swing the club, you will be forced to turn your shoulders and chest back and through.
• Step 3: Hit a series of short chips, focusing on the feeling of your arms and torso moving together as one unit. If the towel drops, it means your arms have moved independently. This drill eliminates the disconnected, "handsy" action that leads to scooping and double hits.

Drill 3: The "Tee Gate" drill

This drill gives you instant feedback about your club path through impact, correcting the inward, flipping motion of a scoop.

• Step 1: Place your ball on the ground. Place one tee about two inches outside the golf ball, and another about 2 inches inside the golf ball like they were goalposts forming a gate. Leave a slightly wider gap for yourself.
• Step 2: The objecte is simple. Swing through without hitting either tee. Players that scoop tend to pull the clubhead inwards very quickly, clashing with the inside tee.
• Step 3: Start small. Just get a feel for the club moving straight thru the gate. Then begin hitting shots. Gradually you can nattow the gate a bit to challenge yourself. When you can consistently send the club throught he gate, your path and handle-leat-impact position will have improved dramatically.

Final Thoughts

A double hit on the golf course is no longer a cause for a penalty, but it is a clear signal that your short game mechanics need a tune-up. By understanding that the root cause is typically a decelerating, wristy swing, you can start working on the solution: a committed stroke powered by your body's rotation that accelerates through the ball to a stable finish.

As you work on these fixes, remember that overcoming a swing fault is about building confidence in a new motion. Some of the most common times a double happens are from those awkward lies and in those moments of self-doubt. That’s why we built Caddie AI. Our goal is to give you that expert second opinion right when you need it. If you're standing over a tricky chip and start to feel tentative, you can ask for a quick technique reminder or even snap a photo of your lie to get an instant recommendation on how to play the shot. Having that simple, confident plan can make all the difference in helping you commit to an accelerating, positive swing.