2 October 2026 · 8 min read
Unplayable ball in golf: the three options, what each costs and how to drop correctly
Rule 19 in short: you alone decide, one penalty stroke, three options in the general area and a fourth in a bunker for two penalty strokes. Plus the count and dropping from knee height.
A ball is unplayable when you say so, and only you. You may do that anywhere on the course except in a penalty area. It costs one penalty stroke. In the general area and on the putting green you have three options: back to the previous stroke, back on the line, or sideways within two club-lengths. In a bunker a fourth is added that costs two penalty strokes (R&A, Rule 19). Here is how each option works, how to drop and how to count.
Who decides, and where it applies
You are the only person who may declare a ball unplayable. The relief is allowed anywhere on the course except in a penalty area. If your ball is unplayable there, you are left with the options of Rule 17, which the post Ball lost, out of bounds, in the penalty area describes. Everything else belongs to the general area. Under Rule 2 it covers every type of ground and everything that grows or is attached there, such as fairway, rough and trees (R&A, Rule 2). A ball in the rough, at a tree or in a bush is therefore a case for Rule 19, and so is a ball on the putting green.
The three options in the general area and on the green
Each of the three options costs one penalty stroke. You may play the original ball or another ball:
| Option | How it works | Penalty | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke and distance (19.2a) | You play from where you made the previous stroke. | one penalty stroke | none, even if the ball has not been found |
| Back on the line (19.2b) | You drop behind the spot of the ball so that the spot lies between the hole and your drop. How far back is not limited. The ball must come to rest within one club-length of the spot where it first touched the ground, and not nearer the hole than the spot of the ball. | one penalty stroke | You know the spot of the ball. |
| Lateral (19.2c) | You drop within two club-lengths of the spot of the ball, not nearer the hole. | one penalty stroke | You know the spot of the ball. |
A club-length is the length of the longest of your 14 clubs or fewer, the putter excepted (R&A, Definitions). If the ball lies above the ground, in a tree for example, the reference point is the spot directly below it on the ground. If several areas of the course lie within the two club-lengths, the ball must come to rest in the area it first touched when dropped. The rule also says what works with a ball you have not found: stroke and distance is allowed even if you have not found the ball. For back on the line and for lateral relief, you must know the spot of the ball.
How to drop properly
You must drop it yourself, not your caddie and not anyone else. You let go of the ball from knee height so that it falls straight down, without you throwing, spinning or rolling it and without it touching you or your equipment (R&A, Rule 14.3). It must land in the relief area. You may stand inside or outside the area while doing so. If the ball comes to rest outside, you drop a second time. If it again comes to rest outside, you place the ball. If it is dropped the wrong way, you drop again, as often as necessary. The steps are described in Dropping in golf: the rule explained.
In a bunker: four options
In a bunker the three options apply for one penalty stroke, with one restriction: for back on the line and for lateral relief the ball must be dropped in the bunker and come to rest there. On top comes an extra option for two penalty strokes in total: back on the line outside the bunker.
| Option in a bunker | Penalty | Where the ball lands |
|---|---|---|
| Stroke and distance | one penalty stroke | where you made the previous stroke |
| Back on the line in the bunker | one penalty stroke | in the bunker |
| Lateral in the bunker | one penalty stroke | in the bunker, within two club-lengths |
| Back on the line outside the bunker | two penalty strokes | on the line, outside the bunker |
How to play out of the sand and what else the rules ask in a bunker is in Out of the bunker: the rules and the shot.
Which lie gives which options
| Lie of the ball | Which rule | Options and penalty |
|---|---|---|
| In the rough, in a bush or at a tree, spot known | Rule 19.2 | all three options, one penalty stroke each. If the ball is in a tree, you measure from the spot beneath it. |
| In the general area, not found | Rule 19.2 | only stroke and distance, one penalty stroke |
| In a bunker | Rule 19.3 | four options, one or two penalty strokes |
| In a penalty area | Rule 17 | not Rule 19, but the relief for the penalty area |
The table shows that the lie decides the options. Whether you use one of them is your decision alone.
The count in an example
Your tee shot is stroke one and lands in a thick bush. You declare the ball unplayable. With each of the three options in the general area the penalty stroke is stroke two, and your next stroke is the third. Only the place differs: the tee for stroke and distance, the line behind the bush for back on the line, the area beside the bush for lateral.
In a bunker you count like this. Your second stroke lands in the bunker and the ball lies unplayable. Inside the bunker the relief costs one penalty stroke, that makes three strokes, and your next stroke is the fourth. Outside the bunker on the line it is two penalty strokes, so four strokes, and your next stroke is the fifth. Whether the difference is worth it depends on your lie, but the arithmetic itself is simple.
What happens from a wrong place
If you play the ball from a wrong place, the general penalty applies (Rule 14.7a). That is two penalty strokes in stroke play and loss of the hole in match play (R&A, Definitions). Before the stroke it is worth a look at the relief area: is the ball in it, and is it not nearer the hole than the reference point?
With a wheelchair or mobility device
For players who use a wheeled mobility device, Rule 25 changes two things. The lateral relief area is expanded to four club-lengths, and the extra option in a bunker costs only one penalty stroke instead of two (R&A, Rule 19). More in Rules and golf with a disability.
What this means for you
- You decide alone, but not in a penalty area. There Rule 17 applies.
- If you do not know the spot of the ball, only stroke and distance is left.
- Each option in the general area costs one penalty stroke. In a bunker, back on the line outside costs two.
- Drop from knee height, straight down, into the relief area.
Further rules for the first rounds are in Golf rules for beginners, all the penalties in Penalty strokes in golf: the overview. If the ball is out of bounds or lost instead, Provisional ball in golf helps.
Where you practise shots from tight lies
How often you end up in a bush also depends on how straight your ball flies, and one bay hour shows you that in numbers. 80 of the 110 indoor venues in the directory state an hourly price, between CHF 25 and 99, with a median of CHF 50 per bay (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). The prices are on a page of their own, the map shows the venues by canton, and for the first visit golf simulator for beginners is the start.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides whether a ball is unplayable?
Only you. You are the only person who may declare a ball unplayable, and you may do so anywhere on the course except in a penalty area. There you are left with the relief options of Rule 17 (Rule 19.1).
How many penalty strokes does an unplayable ball cost?
In the general area and on the green one penalty stroke, with each of the three options: back to the previous stroke, back on the line or sideways within two club-lengths. In a bunker the same applies, but back on the line outside the bunker costs two (Rules 19.2 and 19.3).
What are my options for an unplayable ball in a bunker?
Four: stroke and distance, back on the line in the bunker and lateral in the bunker, each for one penalty stroke, plus back on the line outside the bunker for two penalty strokes. With the two options in the bunker the ball must come to rest in the bunker (Rule 19.3).
How do I drop properly for an unplayable ball?
You let go of the ball yourself from knee height so that it falls straight down, without throwing or rolling it, into the relief area. If it comes to rest outside, you drop a second time, after that you place it (Rule 14.3).
Can I declare a ball unplayable that I have not found?
Stroke and distance is allowed even if the ball has not been found and identified, for one penalty stroke. For back on the line and for lateral relief you must know the spot of the ball (Rule 19.2).
Sources
- R&A: Regel 19, Unspielbarer Ball (19.1 bis 19.3: Entscheid, drei Optionen, Bunker, Strafen)
- R&A: Regel 14, Verfahren für den Ball (14.3 Droppen) (Droppen aus Kniehöhe, Erleichterungsbereich, zweiter Drop, Legen)
- R&A: Regel 2, Der Platz (das Gelände (general area) mit Fairway, Rough und Bäumen)
- R&A: Rules of Golf 2023, Begriffsbestimmungen (Schlägerlänge) (Schlägerlänge, längster von höchstens 14 Schlägern ohne Putter)
- R&A: Begriffsbestimmungen, Grundstrafe (Grundstrafe: Lochverlust im Lochspiel, zwei Strafschläge im Zählspiel)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Stundenpreise der Indoor-Anlagen, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)