Golf Penalty Strokes Explained
A penalty stroke is a stroke added to your score for breaking a Rule or taking certain kinds of relief. Under the current Rules of Golf (the 2023 edition from the R&A and USGA), penalties come in three sizes: one stroke, two strokes (the "general penalty"), and disqualification.
The three levels of penalty
| Penalty | Stroke play | Match play | Typical cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| One stroke | +1 stroke | +1 stroke | Taking relief from a penalty area, unplayable ball, lost ball or out of bounds |
| General penalty | +2 strokes | Loss of the hole | Breaking most other Rules, such as playing a wrong ball |
| Disqualification | Out of the competition | Out of the match | Serious breaches, such as signing for a score lower than you took |
Roughly: one stroke buys you a way out of trouble, while two strokes is for doing something the Rules don't allow.
One-stroke penalties
- Penalty area relief: your ball goes into a red or yellow penalty area (the area that used to be called a water hazard) and you choose not to play it from there. See penalty areas and water hazards.
- Unplayable ball: you decide your ball can't be played, for example behind a tree or in a bush. You can go back to where you last played, drop back on a line from the hole, or drop within two club-lengths, no nearer the hole.
- Lost ball or out of bounds: you take stroke and distance, meaning one penalty stroke and you play again from where you hit the last shot. More on this in out of bounds in golf.
- Moving your ball at rest: if you accidentally cause your ball to move, you generally take one stroke and replace it. There's no penalty if it happens while searching for the ball or on the putting green.
Two-stroke penalties (the general penalty)
The general penalty is two strokes in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play. Common examples:
- Playing a wrong ball, such as a playing partner's.
- Improving the conditions for your shot, like pressing down grass behind the ball or breaking a branch that's in the way of your swing.
- Touching the sand in a bunker with your club in a practice swing or on the backswing.
- In stroke play, hitting a putt from the green that strikes another ball at rest on the green.
- Playing from the wrong place, such as dropping in the wrong spot.
Carrying more than 14 clubs is a special case: in stroke play it's two strokes for each hole where the breach happened, up to a maximum of four.
Disqualification
The main causes in a competition:
- Signing for a lower score on a hole than you actually took. If you sign for a higher score, that higher score stands.
- In stroke play, not holing out on a hole and moving on without correcting it.
- A serious breach of playing from a wrong place that gives you a big advantage, if you don't correct it.
Things that are no longer penalties
The 2019 rewrite of the Rules removed several old penalties, and the 2023 edition kept those changes:
- Hitting the ball twice in one swing by accident: it counts as one stroke, with no penalty.
- Putting with the flagstick in the hole and hitting it: no penalty.
- Your ball hitting you or your equipment by accident: no penalty, play it as it lies.
How to add penalty strokes to your score
Count every swing you made, then add the penalty strokes. For example: your tee shot on a par 4 goes out of bounds. You add one penalty stroke and hit again from the tee, which is your third stroke. If you then take two more to reach the green and two putts, your score for the hole is 7. For more on scorecards, see how to keep score in golf.
Try it in Mashy
Mashy has its own trouble to keep you honest: ponds, out-of-bounds woods, gorse and dunes, trees and a cart path. The game keeps the count, so you can focus on the real lesson behind most penalty strokes: pick a club and line that keep the ball out of trouble, especially when the wind is pushing towards the water.
More rules reading: stroke play vs match play explains why the same breach costs strokes in one format and a hole in the other.
Frequently asked questions
Is a whiff (air shot) a penalty stroke in golf?
A whiff is not a penalty, but it does count as a stroke. If you swing intending to hit the ball and miss it completely, that swing goes on your score. A practice swing that never intended to hit the ball doesn't count.
How many penalty strokes is out of bounds?
Out of bounds costs one penalty stroke plus the distance of the shot, because you must play again from where you last hit. In practice a tee shot out of bounds means your next shot from the tee is your third. Some clubs use a local rule offering a two-stroke alternative drop further forward.
What does the general penalty mean in golf?
The general penalty is the standard penalty for breaking most Rules of Golf. In stroke play it is two penalty strokes, and in match play it is loss of the hole. Examples include playing a wrong ball or improving the area of your intended swing.
Do penalty strokes count towards my handicap?
Yes. Penalty strokes are part of your score on the hole, so they are included in the score you post for handicap purposes. Under the World Handicap System, though, each hole's score is capped at net double bogey when you post it.
Can you get penalty strokes in casual golf?
The Rules apply to every round, but in casual golf many groups agree to relax them, for example by dropping near where a ball went out of bounds. That's fine for fun, but the scores won't be acceptable for a handicap.