Rule 19: Rescue Option: Your Ball Is Unplayable
What this is about
If your ball lies so badly that playing it makes no sense, you declare it unplayable. Rule 19 gives you three ways to continue, each with one penalty stroke.
What you need to do
You decide for yourself whether your ball is unplayable. You can do this anywhere on the course except in a penalty area. Choose one of these options, each with one penalty stroke:
- Stroke and distance: play again from the spot of your previous stroke.
- Back-on-the-line relief: draw a line from the hole through the spot of your ball and pick a point further back on that line. Drop within one club-length of that point. A club-length is the length of your longest club, other than your putter.
- Lateral relief: drop within two club-lengths of where your ball lay, not nearer the hole.
If your ball is in a bunker, all three are allowed, but with back-on-the-line and lateral relief, the ball must stay in the bunker. Want to drop outside the bunker using the back-on-the-line option? That costs two penalty strokes in total (Rule 19.3b).
Common mistake
Thinking declaring a ball unplayable is free. Every option costs you at least one penalty stroke.
Example
Your ball lies deep in a bush. You declare it unplayable and, with one penalty stroke, drop within two club-lengths to the side, not nearer the hole.
Practise this rule with real exam questions in the free app.
19.1 You may declare a ball unplayable anywhere (except in a penalty area)
Only you decide whether your ball is unplayable; you can do this anywhere on the course, except in a penalty area, where Rule 17 applies instead. You then take relief under Rule 19.2 or 19.3 for one penalty stroke, or two penalty strokes for the extra bunker option: the fourth option in Rule 19.3.
19.2 Relief options for an unplayable ball in the general area or on the putting green
You have three options, each with one penalty stroke:
- Stroke and distance: play again from the spot of your previous stroke
- Back-on-the-line relief: drop on the line from the hole straight through the spot where your ball lay, as far back as you want. Your ball must stay within one club-length of where it hits the ground and not come nearer the hole
- Lateral relief: drop within two club-lengths of the spot where your ball lay, not nearer the hole
19.3 Relief options for an unplayable ball in a bunker
If your ball is unplayable in a bunker, you have four options:
- Stroke and distance (one penalty stroke): play again from the spot of your previous stroke
- Back-on-the-line relief (one penalty stroke): drop on the line, but still in the bunker
- Lateral relief (one penalty stroke): drop within two club-lengths, not nearer the hole, and in the bunker
- Back-on-the-line relief outside the bunker (two penalty strokes): drop on that line behind the bunker, as far back as you want
Practice questions about Rule 19
A player finds his ball in a red penalty area. May he declare the ball unplayable and take relief under Rule 19?
Answer: No, that's not possible in a penalty area.
You can declare a ball unplayable anywhere on the course, except in a penalty area (Rule 19.1). If your ball lies in a red or yellow penalty area, use the relief options in Rule 17 instead.
Your ball is unplayable against a tree root in the rough. Which option do you NOT have?
Answer: Free relief to the nearest point with no interference
An unplayable ball gives you three options, each with 1 penalty stroke (Rule 19.2): back to the previous spot, dropping back on a line, or laterally within two club-lengths. Free relief doesn't exist here, since a tree root is a natural feature, not an abnormal course condition.
What do you do if your ball is stuck in a tree root and you can't make a stroke?
Answer: Declare the ball unplayable with 1 penalty stroke
If you can't play the ball, declare it unplayable: 1 penalty stroke, then choose one of the three dropping options (Rule 19.2). Chopping away the root isn't allowed.
Can you declare a ball unplayable if it simply lies on the fairway?
Answer: Yes, you decide for yourself when to declare your ball unplayable
You're the only one who decides whether your ball is unplayable (Rule 19.1). It doesn't have to be objectively unplayable, even on the fairway, though that's rarely smart. It's purely your choice.
Your ball lies in a bush in the general area. You declare it unplayable. How many relief options do you have?
Answer: Three options
In the general area, you have three options for an unplayable ball (Rule 19.2): (1) stroke and distance, (2) back-on-the-line relief, (3) lateral relief by dropping within two club-lengths. Each costs one penalty stroke.