How Golf's Wrong-Ball Penalty Works Explainer
A golfer plays a wrong ball by making a stroke at a ball that is not the player's ball in play, a properly substituted ball, or an allowed provisional ball. Similar markings and neighboring shots make the mistake easy to imagine, which is why players are encouraged to identify their ball before every round.
In match play, the general penalty is loss of hole. If opponents play each other's balls, the first player to make the mistake normally loses the hole. In stroke play, the player receives two penalty strokes, and the strokes made with the wrong ball do not count in the score.
Stroke play also requires correction. The competitor must continue with the original ball or proceed under another applicable rule, such as stroke and distance if the original is lost. Failing to correct before starting the next hole, or before leaving the final green after declaring the intention, can lead to disqualification.
There is a narrow exception for striking a wrong ball while it is moving in water in a penalty area or temporary water; the stroke does not count and the player corrects the mistake. In ordinary situations, checking the identifying mark before swinging is far easier than untangling the penalty afterward.
The player generally loses the hole.
Two penalty strokes, followed by a required correction with the proper ball or procedure.
No. In stroke play those strokes are disregarded, but the penalty and correction requirement remain.
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