SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/golf-moved-ball-putting-green
On the putting green, you accidentally bump your ball with your putter. What is the penalty?
No penalty. Put the ball back on its spot.
- One penalty stroke
- Two penalty strokes
- No penalty ✔
Why: Rule 9.4b has an exception: accidentally moving your ball on the putting green is never a penalty, no matter how it happens. You replace it on its spot.
Huh, didn't know that: Accidentally moving your ball while searching for it or trying to identify it is also penalty-free.
Why don't greens give penalties for bumps? They're just too putt together to care.
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References
Answer: No penalty. Rule 9.4b has an exception: accidentally moving your ball on the putting green is never a penalty, no matter how it happens. You replace it on its spot.
- The R&A, Rules of Golf, Rule 9 www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-9
There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move on the putting green
Checked 2026-10-12.
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