Most golf rules are easy to understand, but they’re not always easy to apply. Take the rule covering a ball hit out of bounds. Rule 27-1(b) of the Official Rules of Golf says: If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. This rule seems pretty straight-forward, so you would think it would be simple to apply. Well, it is—most of the time—but not always.
Wayward shots can land in some strange places. So applying the out-of-bounds rule correctly, as we tell students in our golf lessons, can require some mental gymnastics. Often, the ruling depends on someone’s interpretation. This is when it helps to know of similar scenarios that have occurred in the past and how the rule has been applied in those situations. Below are four OOB scenarios told to us by students in our golf instruction sessions that we thought you might find helpful.
Scenario #1
You’re playing a course that abuts a row of houses on the right. A right-handed golfer, you slice the ball out of bounds and hit a house. The owner comes out furious. He picks up the ball and throws it back onto the course. According to Rule 18-1, if a ball in play and at rest is moved by an outside agency (the owner), it must be replaced. But since the ball is not in play here, you must take a one shot penalty and replay the ball from where you originally hit it. (Rule 27-1).
Scenario #2
Your ball is lying in play next to a low wall made of stone or a short fence that marks the course’s boundary. You can take relief but you would incur a penalty. Not wanting to do that, you realize you can stand on the other side of the wall and play the ball. Is that legal? Yes. You can stand out of bounds to play a ball that’s in-bounds. What’s more, it’s also okay to strike the wall or fence directly behind the ball when hitting it. So hack away. (Decision 14 1/5)
Scenario #3
They’re building some new houses next to your favorite course. The empty lots are marked out-of-bounds. A left-handed golfer, you slice your ball into one of these lots and it comes to rest in another fairway. This is actually a straightforward situation. If there’s no local rule in place designating fairways other than yours as being out of bounds, your ball is still in play. Plus, there’s no penalty attached. (Definition: Out-of-Bounds)
Scenario #4
You pull a shot to your left and the ball lands near an out-of bounds marker, but is still in play. But a tree growing outside the course’s boundary has some overhanging branches that could interfere with your swing. Unfortunately, you can’t bend or break the branches, as much as you would like to. The fact that the tree is out of bounds doesn’t change the rule about improving the area of your intended swing. (Decision 13-2/19)
Keep these four scenarios in mind when deciding what to do with a ball hit-out of bounds. Most penalties associated with an OOB ball don’t greatly impact your score or your golf handicap, but you would still like to avoid them. If you find yourself hitting too many balls out of bounds you may want to take some golf lessons or consult a magazine for some golf tips on how to correct your swing.