Unplayable Ball Rule (Rule 19): 3 Options for 1 Stroke, Plus the Bunker Option

What It Looks Like

You alone decide when your ball is unplayable. You can do this anywhere on the course except in a penalty area, and the lie doesn't have to be impossible. Common spots are a bush, the base of a tree, a deep bunker lip or a steep bank.

Main Causes

The most common reasons golfers take unplayable relief:

• The ball is plugged under a bunker lip.
• The ball is in a bush or tangled rough.
• The ball is against a tree or rock that blocks the swing.
• The ball is on a slope where a safe stance isn't possible.

Quick Self-Check

Ask yourself:

• Is my ball in a penalty area? If yes, unplayable relief is not available; use Rule 17.
• Is my ball in a bunker? If yes, the bunker options apply.
• Which option gives me the best next shot?

If you don't like your lie, you may take unplayable relief for one penalty stroke (except in a penalty area).

Main Fix

Under Rule 19, for one penalty stroke you may choose:

1. Stroke and distance: Play again from where your previous stroke was made, adding one penalty stroke.
2. Back-on-the-line: drop on a line straight back from the hole through your ball, as far back as you like. The ball must stay within one club-length of where it first touches the ground, no nearer the hole.
3. Lateral relief: drop within two club-lengths of where the ball lay, not closer to the hole. If the ball is in a tree, measure from the spot on the ground directly below it.

In a bunker: For one penalty stroke, you may use any of the three options, but back-on-the-line and lateral drops must be in the bunker. For a total of two penalty strokes, you may drop back on the line outside the bunker.

Common Mistakes

• Not measuring correctly: Use your longest club (not the putter) to measure club-lengths instead of guessing.
• Dropping in the wrong place: dropping nearer the hole than allowed, which is playing from a wrong place (two-stroke general penalty).
• Forgetting the penalty stroke: Every option costs one penalty stroke; the outside-the-bunker option costs two.
• Using the line of play for option 2: The line runs from the hole straight back through the spot of your ball.
• Trying it in a penalty area: Unplayable-ball relief is not allowed there.

Three Drills to Practice Relief from an Unplayable Lie

Drill 1: Lateral Relief (Two Club-Lengths)

Setup: On the practice ground, place a ball next to a bush or tree and treat it as unplayable.

Steps:

1. Use your longest club (not the putter) to measure two club-lengths from where the ball lay, no nearer the hole.
2. Drop from knee height inside that area.
3. The ball must come to rest in the relief area. A relief area can be in any area of the course.
4. Play the shot.

Reps: 10 times.

What Good Looks Like: The ball comes to rest inside the two club-length area, no nearer the hole.

Drill 2: Back-on-the-Line Relief

Setup: Place a ball and pick a flag as "the hole".

Steps:

1. Picture a line from the hole straight back through the spot of your ball.
2. Pick a spot on that line, any distance back, and drop the ball there from knee height.
3. The relief area is one club-length from where the ball first touches the ground, no nearer the hole than the original spot.
4. If the ball rolls out of that area, drop again.

Reps: 10 times.

What Good Looks Like: The ball stays on the hole-ball line, within one club-length of where it first landed.

Drill 3: Stroke and Distance

Setup: Hit a shot, then pretend it finished in an unplayable lie.

Steps:

1. Go back to where your previous stroke was made.
2. Play again from where your previous stroke was made, adding one penalty stroke.
3. Count the strokes aloud: original stroke, penalty stroke, new stroke.

Reps: 10 times.

What Good Looks Like: You replay from the right spot and count the penalty stroke every time.

When to See a PGA Professional

You should see a PGA professional if:

• You are unsure about the rules of relief from an unplayable lie.
• You are unsure about how to measure club-lengths.
• You are struggling to choose the best option for your situation.

FAQ

What is an unplayable lie?

You alone decide when your ball is unplayable. You can do this anywhere on the course except in a penalty area, and the lie doesn't have to be impossible.

What are the three options for relief from an unplayable lie?

For one penalty stroke: (1) stroke and distance, playing again from where your previous stroke was made; (2) back-on-the-line relief, dropping on the hole-ball line any distance back; (3) lateral relief, dropping within two club-lengths of the ball, no nearer the hole.

What is the penalty for taking relief from an unplayable lie?

One stroke. In a bunker, the option to drop back on the line outside the bunker costs a total of two penalty strokes.

Can I take relief from an unplayable lie in a bunker?

Yes. For one penalty stroke, you may use any of the three options, but back-on-the-line and lateral drops must be in the bunker. For a total of two penalty strokes, you may drop back on the line outside the bunker.

Can I take relief from an unplayable lie in a penalty area?

No. Unplayable-ball relief is not allowed in a penalty area. Relief there is penalty relief under Rule 17; free relief is allowed only for a dangerous animal condition (Rule 16.2).

Related pages

• Provisional ball rule
• Out of bounds rule
• Mark, lift and clean rules
• Uneven lies
• Bunker shots

Sources

• Rules of Golf, Rule 19: https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-19
• Rule 14.3 (dropping in a relief area) and 14.7 (wrong place): https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-14