It’s golf’s equivalent of the double whammy. Not only has your shot tracked an ugly arc towards a huge copse of woodland but, worse still, while you’ve seen an explosion of leaves your ball didn’t appear to come with it.
So how do you proceed without coming a cropper under the Rules of Golf? Never fear, we’ve got the answers if you find your golf ball in a tree…
What happens if your golf ball is in a tree?
Golf ball in a tree: Hit a provisional
You may think it will be all right but, even if you get under the tree and see that little white object sitting among the branches, you have to be sure it’s your ball. Hitting a provisional will save you a walk back if you can’t be sure or can’t find it.
Play it as it lies
You’ve always got the option to play the ball as it lies and some of golf’s strangest shots have seen players scaling the bark to have a swing.
Remember Bernhard Langer at the Benson & Hedges International at Fulford in 1981? Or Sergio Garcia fashioning a one-handed effort at Bay Hill?
This is the only option that avoids a penalty but be careful. Is it worth risking your limbs – and not just those in the tree?
Declare it unplayable
The prospect of scaling some branches doesn’t appeal and you’ve decided to take your punishment.
Rule 19 allows you to declare your ball unplayable. Again, make sure to identify your ball first – you can shake the tree to try and force it loose as long as you’ve announced it’s unplayable (otherwise you’ll pick up a penalty shot under Rule 9.4).
If it is your ball, there are several relief options available, including back-on-the-line relief, but the one you’re most likely to try is lateral relief – of two club lengths – with a one-shot penalty. Be aware you have to establish a reference point.
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But how to do that when the ball is in the air?
Rule 19.2c says when the ball is above the ground “such as in a tree”, the reference point is the spot directly below the ball on the ground.
And remember, Rule 19 allows you to drop the “original ball or another ball in this lateral relief area”.
So, even if you can’t get your ball down from the tree, you can use another.
Go back to where you hit your last shot
You saw your ball flying towards the trees but there is no sign of it.
Three fruitless minutes have been spent searching and, if you’ve not hit a provisional, it’s back to where you last played from.
Rule 18.2b says when a ball is “lost or out of bounds, the player must take stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made”.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
What do you think about these golf ball in a tree rules? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
