I’ve whiffed – can I put the ball back on a tee?
Had a swipe in the teeing area and the ball has fallen off? Our Rules of Golf expert explains your options
There’s little in golf that makes you feel worse than a whiff. You’ve given the shot due consideration, put your back into it, and it’s found fresh air. Or worse, it’s barely moved off the tee. But once you’ve got over a bit of a red face, have a think about your options under the Rules of Golf.
And, in this spirit, Kay Smith emailed me the following poser: “A player is taking her drive but instead of striking the ball she hits the ground behind the tee.
“The vibrations knock the ball off the tee since she assured me she did not touch the ball. She promptly picked it up and teed the ball up again and took her drive. She then said ‘that is two off the tee’. I challenged this but neither of us was sure what was correct.
“Would this be correct or would that have been three off the tee? Should she have taken her second shot from where the ball landed?”
Golf whiff: What do the Rules of Golf say?
This is one that I’ve actually seen happen with my own eyes – rather than just delving through the pages of the book – and the changes to the Rules of Golf first introduced in 2019 have made this something worth having in your Rules of Golf arsenal.
Firstly, don’t confuse this with accidentally hitting a ball with a practice swing on the tee. In Kay’s question, a stroke – defined as “the forward movement of the club made to strike the ball” – has been made.
What comes next depends on whether the ball in play lies in the teeing area. If it isn’t, if it’s trickled forward of the markers, then play it as it lies.
If it is, either after a stroke or after taking relief, then Rule 6.2b (6) is going to be of great interest to you.
It says you can “lift or move the ball without penalty” and then play that ball – or another – from “anywhere in the teeing area from a tee or the ground”, including playing the ball as it lies.
You can put the ball back on the tee, you can change the height of the tee the ball is resting upon, you can move that tee to somewhere else in the teeing area.
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 of this golf whiff rule? Do you agree? Let me know by leaving me a comment on X.
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; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
