2 October 2026 · 9 min read
Golf penalty strokes at a glance: when it is one, two or disqualification
One stroke for relief, two for most breaches, disqualification for serious cases: the common penalties in three tables, with rule numbers and worked examples.
There are three levels. One penalty stroke usually hits you when you take relief, for example after a ball in the water or out of bounds. The general penalty, two penalty strokes in stroke play and loss of the hole in match play, applies to most breaches. Disqualification is for serious cases, for example a scorecard with a score entered too low. The tables below sort the most common cases with the rule number (R&A, Rule 1.3c).
The three levels
The one-stroke penalty applies in both forms of play where the possible advantage is small or where you take relief from a different place. The general penalty applies to most Rules. You are disqualified for serious misconduct or when the advantage is so great that your score can no longer be considered valid. Penalty strokes count towards your score: the gross score of a hole is the strokes made plus the penalty strokes (Rule 3.1c).
One penalty stroke: relief and small mistakes
Anyone taking relief usually pays one stroke. That applies to the penalty area (Rule 17), to a lost ball and a ball out of bounds (Rule 18) and to an unplayable ball (Rule 19). The ways to take it are in Ball lost, out of bounds, in a penalty area. Besides that, small mistakes cost one stroke:
| Situation | Penalty | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| ball in the penalty area, you take relief | 1 stroke | 17.1d |
| ball lost or out of bounds | 1 stroke, you play from where you made the last stroke | 18.2b |
| ball unplayable, you take one of the three ways | 1 stroke | 19.2 |
| ball unplayable in a bunker, you play on the line back from behind the bunker | 2 strokes in total | 19.3 |
| ball lifted without marking its spot | 1 stroke | 14.1a |
| ball cleaned where that is not allowed | 1 stroke | 14.1c |
| ball at rest lifted, deliberately touched or moved by you, unless an exception applies | 1 stroke | 9.4b |
| ball moves when you remove a loose impediment, not on the putting green and not in the teeing area | 1 stroke | 15.1b |
| dropped in the wrong way, but played from the relief area | 1 stroke | 14.3b |
| unreasonable delay, first breach | 1 stroke | 5.6a |
On water: in a penalty area you may play the ball as it lies without penalty. If you take relief it costs one stroke, with two ways at yellow stakes and three at red. On bunkers: an unplayable ball costs one stroke if you stay in the bunker and two if you play from behind it. What else applies in the sand is in Playing from the bunker. Two more cases have posts of their own: the provisional ball and the unplayable ball.
Two penalty strokes or loss of hole: the general penalty
Most breaches cost the general penalty. The number of clubs is in Rule 4, start and pace are in Rule 5, everything else in the Rules of Golf. The most common cases:
| Situation | Penalty | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| more than 14 clubs in the bag | 2 strokes per hole, at most 4 per round, in match play at most 2 holes deducted | 4.1b |
| advice given or asked for | general penalty | 10.2a |
| in stroke play, teed off from outside the teeing area | 2 strokes, you replay the stroke from inside | 6.1b |
| played the wrong ball | general penalty, you carry on with your own ball | 6.3c |
| played from the wrong place | general penalty | 14.7a |
| improved the lie or the conditions of the stroke | general penalty | 8.1a |
| touched the sand in a bunker before the stroke | general penalty | 12.2b |
| tested the putting green, rubbed the surface or rolled a ball | general penalty | 13.1e |
| deliberately deflected or stopped a ball in motion | general penalty | 11.2b |
| ball from the putting green hits a ball on the putting green in stroke play | 2 strokes | 11.1a |
| dropped in the wrong way and played from outside the area | general penalty | 14.3b |
| prohibited device or aid, first breach | general penalty | 4.3 |
| up to 5 minutes late or early at the first tee | general penalty on the first hole | 5.3a |
| practising on the course on the day of a stroke-play competition, first stroke | general penalty on the first hole | 5.2b |
| unreasonable delay, second breach | general penalty | 5.6a |
Two notes on the bunker. Before the stroke you must neither test the sand nor touch it with the club right in front of or behind the ball, nor in a practice swing or on the backswing (Rule 12.2b). Smoothing the sand, leaning on the club and striking the sand in anger stay without penalty. Anyone who gives or asks for advice finds the cases in Advice and help in golf.
Disqualification: what ends the round
Most cases concern the scorecard in stroke play (Rule 3), and some can still be saved beforehand:
| Situation | Penalty | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| scorecard returned with a score for a hole that is too low, stroke play | disqualification, a score that is too high stands | 3.3b(3) |
| scorecard not certified by the marker, not certified by you or not returned | disqualification | 3.3b(2) |
| a hole not holed out and not corrected in time, stroke play | disqualification | 3.3c |
| more than 5 minutes late at the first tee | disqualification | 5.3a |
| stroke with a non-conforming club | disqualification | 4.1a |
| stroke with a non-conforming ball | disqualification | 4.2a |
| serious breach by playing from the wrong place, not corrected | disqualification | 14.7b |
| second breach of the rules on devices or on practising on the course, third breach on delay | disqualification | 4.3, 5.2b, 5.6a |
| serious misconduct against the spirit of the game | disqualification | 1.2a |
Two cases you can save if you notice them in time. A hole not holed out you correct before you start the next hole, and a serious breach by playing from the wrong place is corrected the same way (Rules 3.3c and 14.7b). For the scorecard there is an exception: if you did not know about a penalty and so entered too little, you are not disqualified, and the Committee adds the penalty stroke if the mistake is found before the competition closes. That does not apply if you were told that a penalty might apply, or if you were unsure and did not report it to the Committee (Rule 3.3b(3)).
Counting penalties: three worked examples
Several breaches between two intervening events give only one penalty, and with different penalties the higher one. The two events are the completed stroke and the moment you become aware of a breach. Penalty strokes for relief are always added on top (Rule 1.3c(4)). Three examples:
- Par 4, the tee shot flies into a red penalty area. You take relief for one penalty stroke and play the third stroke onto the green, then 2 putts follow. The score is 5 strokes, one over par.
- On hole 3 you notice that there are 15 clubs in the bag, and you have already played 3 holes that way. In stroke play that is 2 penalty strokes on hole 1 and 2 on hole 2. There are never more than 4 per round.
- On hole 7 you needed 6 strokes, the card says 5. That is too low, you are disqualified. If it said 7, the 7 would stand.
In Stableford there are never fewer than zero points after penalty strokes, and in Maximum Score the hole counts at most the maximum score (Rules 21.1c and 21.2c). How to keep the card correctly is in Stableford and the scorecard explained.
What this means for you
- Count your clubs before the first tee, at most 14. More about the bag is in Golf bag and trolley.
- Mark the ball before you lift it.
- Check the card hole by hole before you hand it in. A score that is too low costs the round, one that is too high stands.
- If you are unsure whether you have a penalty, tell the Committee before you hand in the card.
The twelve rules you need for the course permit and the first rounds are in Golf rules for beginners. How the simulator handles penalties is shown by Simulator score versus course score, and what happens when a ball moves is in Ball moves: the rule.
Plan the first visit with golf simulator for beginners, and the map shows the nearest venue. The directory lists 110 indoor venues (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries).
Frequently asked questions
How many penalty strokes do you get for a ball in the water?
One. You may play the ball in the penalty area as it lies without penalty. If you take relief it costs one penalty stroke (Rule 17.1d), with two ways at yellow stakes and three at red stakes.
When do you get two penalty strokes in golf?
With the general penalty, which means two penalty strokes in stroke play. It applies to most breaches, for example giving advice, touching the sand in a bunker, playing the wrong ball or playing from the wrong place. In match play you lose the hole.
How many penalty strokes does a lost ball or a ball out of bounds cost?
One penalty stroke, and you play again from where you made the last stroke (Rule 18.2b). A tee shot therefore turns into your third stroke: the first stroke, the penalty stroke and the new stroke.
Is there a penalty for touching the sand in a bunker?
Yes, the general penalty under Rule 12.2b, if you test the sand before the stroke or touch it with the club right in front of or behind the ball, in a practice swing or on the backswing. Smoothing and leaning on the club stay without penalty.
When are you disqualified in golf?
For example when, in stroke play, you hand in a card with a score for a hole that is too low (Rule 3.3b), do not hole out and do not correct it in time (Rule 3.3c) or arrive more than 5 minutes late at the first tee (Rule 5.3a).
Sources
- R&A: Regel 1, Strafen (1.3c) und Spielgeist (1.2a) (drei Strafstufen, Mehrfachverstösse, Disqualifikation bei schwerer Verfehlung)
- R&A: Regel 3, Scorekarte (3.3b) und Loch ausspielen (3.3c) (zu tiefer Score, Bestätigung der Karte, Disqualifikation)
- R&A: Regel 4, Ausrüstung (4.1, 4.2, 4.3) (14 Schläger, regelwidrige Schläger und Bälle, Hilfsmittel)
- R&A: Regel 5, Spielen der Runde (5.2, 5.3, 5.6) (Üben am Turniertag, Startzeit, Verzögerung)
- R&A: Regel 17, Penalty Areas (Ball ohne Strafe spielen oder Erleichterung für einen Strafschlag)
- R&A: Regel 18, Schlag und Distanz, Ball verloren oder im Aus (ein Strafschlag)
- R&A: Regel 19, Unspielbarer Ball (drei Wege für einen Strafschlag, aus dem Bunker hinaus zwei)
- R&A und USGA: Rules of Golf, Ausgabe 2023 (alle Regeln mit ihren Strafen)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Indoor-Anlagen, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)