My putt has hit another ball on the green – is there a penalty?
You’ve hit your putt but, oh no, there’s been a collision with a ball on the putting surface. So what now? Our Rules of Golf expert is here to guide you
Your ball is on the green. There’s another on the dancefloor that hasn’t been marked. It’s stroke play. You putt and you inadvertently hit the other ball that is at rest.
Is it a penalty? I’ve had a few close calls with this one. Let’s open up the Rules of Golf and find out…
Ball hits ball on green: What do the Rules of Golf say?
This one makes me wince in club competitions. It’s such an avoidable penalty, yet time and time again I see people taking a chance for the sake of a second of housekeeping.
Here’s why. If it’s stroke play, and if your ball in motion hits another ball at rest on the putting green – and both balls were on the green before the stroke – you’re going to pay a hefty price.
You’ve fallen foul of an exception to Rule 11.1a, Ball in Motion Accidentally Hits Person or Outside Influence, and it’s a two stroke penalty.
What happens now? Well, the stroke counts and the ball must be played as it lies. The player whose ball you hit? They are not penalised and they must replace their ball on its original spot (estimated if not known) under Rule 9.6.
If you’re worried you might hit another ball that’s also on the putting surface, you can ask a player to mark it.
If they’re not willing, you can require them to do so – using Rule 15.3b – if, given the intended stroke, there is a ‘reasonable chance the player’s ball in motion could hit that ball’. In stroke play, the player required to lift or mark has the option to play first.
What if your ball was off the green and hit a ball on the putting surface? It’s a different situation. This time there’s no penalty, you play the ball as it lies, per Rule 11.1, and the player whose ball you struck again puts it back.
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.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
