You’re standing over a delicate little chip shot from just off the green. The ball is nestled down in some thick grass, and you know you have to be precise. You take your swing, but something feels off - you hear a weird thwack-thwack sound. The ball pops up weakly and lands just a few feet in front of you. Your playing partner looks over and says, "Ooh, I think that was a double hit." In that moment, a small bit of panic sets in. What’s the penalty? What do you do next? This article will walk you through exactly what a double hit means in today's game, why it happens, and what you need to do if it happens to you.
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Good News: The Penalty for a Double Hit Vanished
Let's get the most important thing out of the way first. As of a major rules update in 2019, there is no longer a penalty for accidentally hitting the ball twice with a single stroke. This was a huge, player-friendly change that simplifies one of golf’s most awkward situations. Before 2019, if you accidentally double-hit the golf ball, you had to count the stroke you made and add a one-stroke penalty. It was a punishing rule for something that was almost always a pure accident, especially on funky lies around the green.
The governing bodies, the USGA and The R&,A, recognized that a double hit is entirely unintentional and the result is almost always a poorly-executed shot that comes with its own punishment - a ball that barely moves. The updated rule eliminates the need for what felt like adding insult to injury. This change is outlined in Rule 10.1a, "Fairly Striking the Ball." It now states that if your club accidentally hits the ball more than once during a single stroke, it only counts as that one stroke and there is no penalty.
So, take a deep breath. That terrible feeling of compounding a bad shot with a penalty stroke is a thing of the past.
What to Do When It Happens: Your Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Even without a penalty, it’s helpful to know the exact procedure so you can proceed with confidence and without any doubt. If you make a stroke and your club hits the ball a second time:
Count the Stroke: The swing you made counts as one single stroke. It doesn't matter how many times the club made contact with the ball during that motion.
There Is No Penalty: Remind yourself (and maybe your playing partners) that the rules changed. There are no additional penalty strokes to add to your score.
Play the Ball from Where It Lies: Wherever the ball comes to rest after the double hit is where you’ll play your next shot from. Just walk up to your ball and prepare for the next stroke.
A Real-World Example
Imagine you're trying to putt from the fringe. The grass is shaggy, and as you strike the putt, the ball jumps up in the air from the grass. Your putter, still moving through the follow-through, makes contact with the ball again in mid-air. The ball dribbles forward another 5 feet and stops way short of the hole.
Old Rule (Pre-2019): This would have been 3 shots. You'd count one for the stroke you made, add one for the penalty stroke, and then prepare to play your third shot from where the ball stopped.
New Rule (Now): This now counts as only one shot. You count the putting stroke, and that's it. You now lie two, and you’ll play your second shot from where the ball stopped. It's that simple.
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Now that we've cleared up the ruling, let's talk about why double hits happen in the first place. Understanding the cause is the best way to prevent it. Double hits almost always happen on short, delicate shots around the green - chips, pitches, and occasionally putts from the fringe or bunker shots.
The primary culprit is a swing flaw where the clubhead moves too slowly through impact relative to the initial ball speed. This usually happens when a player tries to "scoop" or "lift" the ball into the air instead of hitting down on it.
The scooping motion:
The textbook chipping motion involves keeping your hands slightly ahead of the clubhead through impact. This creates a descending blow, where the club strikes the ball first and then the turf. This ensures clean contact and predictable loft.
However, many amateur golfers fear hitting the shot thin or fat. To compensate, they try to "help" the ball into the air. This causes the wrists to "flip" or break down at impact. The clubhead decelerates and swings upward in a scooping motion. When the ball is in thick grass or sand, it can pop straight up with very little forward velocity. If your decelerating clubhead is still moving forward on that same path, it can catch up to the slow-moving ball and hit it a second time.
In short, a double hit is a physical symptom of fear and poor mechanics. The player is decelerating and trying to lift the ball instead of accelerating through the shot with confidence.
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The best way to avoid a double hit is to improve your short-game mechanics so that a "scoopy" impact never happens. Practice these simple drills to build a more solid and reliable chipping stroke.
1. The Forward Press Feel
This drill helps you feel what it’s like to have your hands lead the clubhead through the ball.
Set up to a chip shot.
Before you start your backswing, press your hands slightly forward toward the target. You should feel your weight shift a little to your front foot.
Your goal is to maintain that feeling throughout the entire stroke. As you swing, feel like you're keeping the handle of the club ahead of the clubhead all the way to the finish. This promotes a downward strike and eliminates any chance of scooping.
2. The "Stick on the Club" Drill
This is a classic drill for anyone who struggles with flipping their wrists.
Take an alignment stick and hold it against the grip of your wedge, with the stick extending up past your lead hip.
Take some practice chipping strokes.
If you flip your wrists at impact, the alignment stick will hit you in your side. It provides instant feedback! The goal is to rotate your body through the shot and keep your hands ahead so that the stick never touches your body. This forces you to use your bigger muscles (your torso) to power the swing, not your hands.
3. Turn Your Chest to the Target
A handsy chip often comes from a quiet lower body. This drill encourages you to use rotation for power and control.
Set up normally for a chip.
As you swing through, your only swing thought should be: "finish with my belt buckle and chest facing the target."
By focusing on a complete body rotation, you naturally keep your arms and hands passive. The club moves as a result of your body turning, which keeps the clubhead accelerating smoothly through the ball, creating a clean strike and making a double hit impossible.
By ingraining a motion where you strike down on the ball and accelerate through the shot, you'll never have to worry about the physics of a double hit again.
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In summary, the dreaded penalty for a double hit in golf is gone. These days, if you accidentally strike the ball more than once with a single swing, you just count that one stroke and play on from where the ball comes to rest. It's a simple, logical rule that makes the game a little more forgiving for everyone.
Understanding all the nuances of golf's rules can still be tricky, though, especially when you're under pressure on the course. We created Caddie AI to give you a personal golf mind in your pocket. If you're ever in a weird rules situation, or standing over a thorny lie and wondering about the best way to play it, you can get a clear, expert answer in seconds. It's one more tool to help you play smarter and with more confidence, no matter what the course throws at you.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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