Rule 6.3c - Wrong Ball
Wrong Ball - "Any ball other than the player's: ball in play, provisional ball, or second ball in stroke play played under rule 14.7b or 20.1c." - Definition of wrong ball in the Rules of Golf.
What You Need to Know
To understand when a ball is a wrong ball, you must know when a ball is the player's ball in play. The player's ball becomes the ball in play when the player drops, places, or makes a stroke at a ball from the teeing area with the intent for that ball to be in play. After such act the ball remains in play:
- until it is holed,
- when it is lifted from the course,
- it is lost or out of bonds, or
- another ball has been substituted (whether or not the substitution is allowed).
Making a stroke at a wrong ball - results in the general penalty.
Rule 14.7 - Playing from Wrong Place
Wrong Place - "Any place on the course other than where the player is required or allowed to play his or her ball under the Rules." - Definition of wrong place in the Rules of Golf
What You Need to Know
If you make stroke at a ball from the wrong place you receive the general penalty. However, there are some instances in stroke play that playing from a wrong place could be a serious breach and result in a disqualification penalty. Once a player plays from a wrong place in match play they lose the hole; the information below only applies to stroke play.
Serious breach - A situation in stroke play that arises when a player makes a stroke at their ball from a wrong place that gives them a significant advantage over making a stroke at their ball from the right place.
Completing a hole after playing from a wrong place (non-serious breach):
- The player must play out the hole with the ball played from the wrong place
- The score counts and the player gets the general penalty
Serious breach after playing from wrong place:
- If not corrected before the player tees off on the next hole or returns a score if breach occurs on their final hole, the player is disqualified
- The player must correct the mistake and no strokes made at the ball played from the wrong place count
- If corrected by playing from the right place in time, the player receives the general penalty
Playing two balls when unsure if playing from a wrong place is a serious breach:
- The player may play two balls when they are unsure if they have played a ball from a wrong place resulting in a serious breach
- The player should play both balls until they are holed
In short, if both balls are played the from wrong place and result in a serious breach:
- and the player tees off from the following hole or returns their scorecard
- the Committee will decide the player is disqualified
If both balls are played from the wrong place and the original ball was a serious breach, but the second ball is not a serious breach:
- and the player does not correct their mistake of playing from a wrong place
- the player's score with the second ball counts and the player is penalized 4 strokes
In all cases, the player MUST report the facts of playing two balls to the Committee or else the player is DISQUALIFIED.
