It’s a sound every golfer recognizes: the sharp, plastic-on-plastic clack of your perfectly struck ball hitting another player’s ball. Whether it’s an amazing approach shot that cannons off your buddy’s ball and into a bunker, or a delicate putt that gets knocked offline, the result is often chaos and confusion. This article will clear up that confusion for good. We’ll walk through exactly what to do in every situation, covering the different rulings in stroke play and match play, both on and off the green.
Before we can figure out what to do, you first have to know what kind of game you’re playing. The rules for hitting another ball are fundamentally different depending on whether you’re in a stroke play competition or a match play competition. This is the single most important factor.
Once you know the format, figuring out the right ruling becomes much simpler. Let's break down the most common scenarios you'll face on the course.
This is the scenario that happens most often. You hit a drive, an approach shot, or a chip from off the green, and your ball accidentally strikes a fellow competitor's ball that is at rest somewhere on the course.
The Ruling: It’s a classic “rub of the green.” There is no penalty.
Here’s the step-by-step breakdown based on the rules (specifically Rule 11.1):
Imagine you and your friend Mark are playing in the Saturday stroke play tournament. You both hit your drives down the fairway. Mark’s ball is 150 yards out, and yours is 160. You hit your approach shot first, a beautifully high iron that lands on the fairway right next to Mark's ball and then taps it, moving it a few feet to the right. Here's what happens:
Essentially, outside of the putting green, an accidental collision is just considered a part of the game.
This is where things get serious, and a great putt can turn into a disaster on the scorecard if you’re not prepared. If you make a stroke from the putting green and your ball hits another ball that was also resting on the green, the situation changes dramatically.
The Ruling: You receive a two-stroke penalty.
Here’s the correct procedure in this unfortunate situation:
The rules become stricter on the putting green to maintain fairness. It prevents a player from carelessly (or intentionally) using another player’s ball as a “backstop” to stop their putt near the hole. Knowing this harsh penalty exists encourages golfers to practice proper etiquette.
Fortunately, avoiding this penalty is incredibly easy:
Match play keeps things much, much simpler. The spirit of the format is direct competition, and "rub of the green" plays a much larger role. If you are playing match play against an opponent and your ball hits theirs, the rule is the same no matter where you are on the course - from the tee box to the fairway to the putting green.
The Ruling: There is absolutely no penalty to either player.
This is a strange one for people used to stroke play, but in a match, here's what happens:
So, if you’re on the green in a tight match and your lag putt trickles toward the hole, taps your opponent’s ball, and stops two inches from the cup... that's just fantastic luck for you! You’ll have a tap-in for the win, and your opponent will simply replace their ball. There is no penalty, even on the green. This simple, penalty-free process is one of the things that makes match play so exciting and different.
Still a little fuzzy? Here’s a quick-reference chart you can mentally pull up the next time this happens on the course.
Knowing the rules is one thing, but being a great playing partner is another. How you physically handle these situations on the course says a lot about you as a golfer.
At the end of the day, an accidental golf ball collision is a normal part of the game. Now you know exactly how to handle it with the confidence and class of a seasoned player.
The rules for a golf ball hitting another can seem confusing, but they boil down to a few key points: what format you’re playing, and whether you are on the putting green. Understanding these distinctions keeps the game fair and fun, and handling these situations with a cool head and good sportsmanship is the best play you can make.
Navigating weird on-course rulings is one of the main reasons we developed our golf coaching app. When you're standing over your ball, completely unsure of the correct procedure, you can get an immediate, clear explanation from Caddie AI. It an AI-powered Rules of Golf expert, always ready when you are. It’s built to take the guesswork out of the game's toughest questions so you can play with full confidence, knowing you're always making the proper call.
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