Penalties

Penalty strokes are incurred in certain situations, and can be added on for many different reasons. They are counted towards a player’s score as if they were an extra swing at the ball. Strokes are added for rules infractions, or for hitting one’s ball into an unplayable situation.

A lost ball or a ball hit out of bounds result in a penalty of one stroke and distance.(Rule 27-1)

A one stroke penalty is assessed if a players equipment causes the ball to move, or the removal of a loose impediment causes the ball to move.(Rule 18-2)\

If a golfer makes a stroke at the wrong ball(Rule 19-2), or hits a fellow golfer’s ball with a putt(Rule 19-5), the player incurs a two stroke penalty.

Most rule infractions lead to stroke penalties, but also can lead to disqualification. Disqualification could be from cheating, signing for a lower score, or from rules infractions that lead to improper play.