What happens when you hit someone else's ball in golf?
Mia Horton
Updated on April 28, 2026
In stroke play, each player needs a score for every hole, which means that playing a wrong ball is a mistake that must be corrected. The penalty for playing a wrong ball is two strokes, and the correction must be made before the player tees off on the next hole.
What happens if you hit another player's ball in golf?
A player who hits someone else's ball in match play loses the hole, according to Rule 15-3a. As in stroke play, there is an exception for a ball that's in motion within a water hazard; no penalty is assessed, provided the player corrects his mistake by playing his original ball, or a substituted ball.What is the penalty for hitting the wrong golf ball?
A. In match play, you incur a loss of hole penalty. In stroke play, you get a two-stroke penalty and must correct your mistake by playing your ball (see Rule 6.3(1)). If your ball is lost, then you must proceed under stroke and distance.Is a lost ball a 2 stroke penalty?
Local rule for out of bounds, lost ballIf a player hits a ball out of bounds or loses a ball, the general rules still require the player to return to the spot of the previous stroke and take a one-stroke penalty - a standard stroke-and-distance scenario.