When is a Ball Unplayable
Occasionally you hit the ball somewhere on the course that you just can’t play the ball. Whether it’s in a rocky outcropping, nestled in tree roots, or found in a large bush, trying to make a stroke at the ball seems to be a poor choice. Fortunately, the Rules have a way to get you out of trouble and back to a playable position.
You, the player, are the only person who may treat the ball as unplayable and you’re allowed to do so anywhere on the course except when the ball is in a penalty area. In that case, you have the penalty area Rule to use.
Relief for Ball Unplayable in General Area
If your ball is unplayable in the general area, you get three options to choose from, all for one penalty stroke:
- Stroke-and-Distance Relief: You can go back to the previous spot and play again. See the Stroke-and-Distance Relief topic on your left for a refresher.
- Back-on-the-Line Relief: Using a line made from the hole through where the ball lay unplayable, you can go back as far as you want behind the unplayable ball and drop into a one club-length relief area centered around a point on that line. See the Back-on-the-Line Relief topic on your left for a refresher.
- Lateral Relief: You can drop within two club-lengths of where the ball lies unplayable, no nearer the hole. See the Lateral Relief topic on your left for a refresher.
