2 October 2026 · 8 min read
Golf ball moves: at address, in the wind, and when it costs a penalty stroke
If the wind moves the ball, you play it from the new spot, no penalty. If you moved it, it costs one penalty stroke and the ball is replaced, with five exceptions.
If the wind or water moves your ball, there is no penalty, and you play it from the new spot. If you moved the ball, or your caddie did, it costs one penalty stroke, and the ball is replaced on the original spot. There are five exceptions, and only what is known or virtually certain counts.
That is Rule 9 of the Rules of Golf by the R&A and USGA. Below you find how you decide the cause, what applies in wind, when a penalty stroke is due, what applies in the backswing and what applies to opponent, fellow player and ball-marker. Replacing itself is described in Lifting, marking and cleaning the ball. I read the rule texts on 2 October 2026.
First decide: did the ball move, and who did it
A ball at rest is treated as having moved only if it is known or virtually certain that it did. If it might have moved without that being known or virtually certain, it is treated as not having moved, and you play it as it lies (Rule 9.2a).
If it has moved, the cause must be decided. The Rules recognise four: natural forces such as wind or water, your actions including those of your caddie, the opponent's actions in match play and an outside influence, in stroke play also another player (Rule 9.2b). The standard applies here too: you, the opponent or an outside influence count as the cause only if it is known or virtually certain. Otherwise it is natural forces. All information you can get with reasonable effort and without unreasonably delaying play counts.
The word «Ansprechen» (addressing the ball) does not appear in the German Rules of Golf 2023 of the DGV, and the English word address is not in the text of Rule 9. All that matters is what moved the ball. If the ball moves after you have set the club behind it, and it is not known or virtually certain that you moved it, natural forces apply, and there is no penalty.
Wind and water: no penalty stroke
If natural forces such as wind or water move your ball, there is no penalty, and you play it from the new spot (Rule 9.3). Two exceptions:
- You have already lifted and replaced the ball on the putting green, and it moves afterwards, whatever the cause. Then you replace it on the original spot (Rule 13.1d).
- You dropped, placed or replaced the ball, and natural forces move it to another area of the course or out of bounds. Then you replace it on the original spot (Rule 9.3, Exception 2).
You moved the ball: one penalty stroke and replace
Rule 9.4 applies only if it is known or virtually certain that you or your caddie lifted the ball or moved it through your actions. Then you replace it on the original spot, and if you do not know it, you estimate it (Rule 9.4a). If you lift or deliberately touch the ball or move it, you get one penalty stroke (Rule 9.4b). That applies even if the ball moves by mistake. There is no penalty only in five cases:
| Case | Penalty |
|---|---|
| You lift or move the ball under a rule that allows or requires it, for example to drop again or play from a different place | none |
| You accidentally move it while looking for or identifying it (Rule 7.4) | none, but one penalty stroke if you move it before you start to search |
| You accidentally move it on the putting green, however it happens | none |
| You accidentally move it away from the putting green while marking, lifting or replacing, removing a movable obstruction, restoring conditions, taking relief or measuring under a rule | none |
| The ball came to rest against you or your equipment after a stroke or a drop, and you move it by moving yourself or the equipment | none |
In any other case in which you move the ball, it costs one penalty stroke. While searching, reasonable actions that are likely to reveal the ball also count, such as sweeping your feet through long grass. The ball is replaced by hand on the spot (Rule 14.2).
The ball moves in the backswing
If the ball begins to move after you have begun the stroke or the backswing, and you go on to make the stroke, you do not replace it, whatever moved it. You play it from where it comes to rest after the stroke (Rule 9.1b). If you caused the movement, you check under Rule 9.4b whether there is a penalty stroke.
Opponent, fellow player and ball-marker
| Who moved the ball | Penalty | What next |
|---|---|---|
| Wind or water | none | play from the new spot (Rule 9.3) |
| You or your caddie | one penalty stroke, except in the five cases | replace (Rule 9.4) |
| The opponent in match play or his caddie | one penalty stroke for the opponent, with exceptions | replace (Rule 9.5) |
| An outside influence, in stroke play also another player, or another ball | none | replace, even if your ball was not found (Rule 9.6) |
If your ball is lost and it is not known or virtually certain that an outside influence moved it, stroke and distance under Rule 18.2 applies (Rule 9.6). What that means is in Ball lost, out of bounds, in a penalty area.
If a ball-marker moves before you have replaced the ball, including through natural forces, you either replace the ball on the original spot or place a marker there (Rule 9.7a). If you lift the marker or move it, you get one penalty stroke, and the same exceptions apply as for the ball (Rule 9.7b).
What this means for you
| Situation | Penalty | What next |
|---|---|---|
| You set the club behind the ball, a gust moves the ball, and you did not touch it | none | play from the new spot |
| You touch the ball with the clubhead in the general area, and it moves | one penalty stroke | replace on the original spot |
| The ball moves, but it is not known or virtually certain whether you did it | none, natural forces apply | play from the new spot |
| You sweep your foot through long grass to find the ball and move it | none | replace |
| You accidentally move the ball on the putting green | none | replace |
A worked example. You need four strokes on a hole and move the ball once with the clubhead in the general area on the way. That is one penalty stroke, so five strokes go on the card. How many penalty strokes which rule costs is shown in Penalty strokes in golf: the overview.
- Before the stroke, check that the ball is at rest, and do not touch it with the club.
- Note what happened: the wind or you.
- If it moves after you have begun the backswing and you go on to hit, you play it where it comes to rest.
- On the green, rules of their own apply, see Putting: the rules on the green.
The rule urges care near any ball at rest. How you behave on the course otherwise is in Golf etiquette and dress code, and the twelve rules for the Platzreife are in Golf rules for beginners.
On to the directory
Whether a ball moves matters on the course, the shots before it you practise in a bay. Golf simulator for beginners explains the first visit, the map shows the venues by canton, and the directory lists 110 indoor venues (own entries, as of 2 October 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Is there a penalty stroke if the wind moves my golf ball?
No. If natural forces such as wind or water move a ball at rest, there is no penalty, and you play it from the new spot (Rule 9.3). On the green that no longer applies if you had already lifted and replaced the ball: then you replace it.
What does it cost if I move the ball at address?
If it is known or virtually certain that you moved it, it costs one penalty stroke, and you replace it (Rule 9.4). If it is not known or virtually certain, natural forces apply: no penalty, and you play from the new spot (Rule 9.2b).
Where do I replace the ball if I moved it?
On the original spot, and if you do not know it, on the estimated one (Rule 9.4a). You set the ball down there by hand and let go so that it stays (Rule 14.2). One penalty stroke is added, unless one of the five exceptions applies.
What applies if the ball rolls away in the backswing?
If the ball begins to move after you have begun the backswing and you go on to make the stroke, you do not replace it. You play it from where it comes to rest after the stroke. Whether there is a penalty stroke is decided under Rule 9.4b (Rule 9.1b).
Are there cases where I move the ball and get no penalty stroke?
Yes, five exceptions under Rule 9.4b: lifting under a rule, a mistake while searching or identifying, a mistake on the putting green, a mistake during reasonable actions such as marking or taking relief away from the green, and moving a ball that came to rest against you or your equipment after a stroke or drop.
Sources
- R&A: Regel 9, Ball wird gespielt, wie er liegt; Ball in Ruhe aufgehoben oder bewegt (9.1 bis 9.7: Ursache, Naturkräfte, Spieler, Gegner, Fremdeinfluss, Ballmarker)
- R&A: Regel 7, Suchen und Identifizieren (7.4) (Versehentliches Bewegen beim Suchen)
- R&A: Regel 13, Das Grün (13.1d) (Ball oder Ballmarker bewegt sich auf dem Grün)
- R&A: Regel 14, Verfahren für den Ball (14.2) (Zurücklegen von Hand auf die Stelle)
- DGV: Offizielle Golfregeln, gültig ab Januar 2023 (deutsche Fassung) (Regel 9.2a in deutscher Fassung, Begriffe)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Anzahl Indoor-Anlagen, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)